How to Insulate Your Home on a Budget
One of the best ways to reduce your energy bills (for both cooling and heating) is to ensure it’s properly insulated. Most new homes are already well-insulated, it’s England’s huge amount of old draughty homes that are causing issues for both being cold and spending a fortune on heating bills.
The Green Party and Lib Dems both want a nationwide program to insulate every home in the UK, that is not already insulated. This would not just keep people and pets warm, but provide skilled jobs for years to come.
Install Radiator Boosters
Radflek is a clever radiator booster (costs around £25) that has quick payback, as it reduces the amount of heat going from your radiator through the wall, and out into the fresh air. It’s a modern take on the ‘putting foil behind your radiator’. The site has full instructions on how to fit and use.
Turning down the thermostat could cause hypothermia in vulnerable people (oil-powered radiators give off cheaper and gentler heat than noisy convector heaters that pump out hot air, and could cause heatstroke in vulnerable people and pets).
How to Choose a Quality Installer
Look for approved schemes like National Insulation Association or FENSA (for windows). Good companies will supply 10-year guarantees, get several quotes in writing and read local reviews.
Ignore any company that uses pressure like ‘today only prices’. Good companies will only ask for a deposit, you only paying the full amount after the job if finished.
Recycled Newspaper Insulation
Thermofloc is made from recycled newspaper. Sold in 12kg bags, this loose-fill insulation is combined with mineral fire retardant as a cost-effective way to insulate horizontal floors and lofts. It absorbs nearly a third of its weight in moisture, and stays dry to touch (and also does not provide suitable habitats for rodents).
You pour or blow it into place and it settles into cracks and gaps, stopping heat from leaking out. It’s affordable and good for awkward spaces, thought it needs dry conditions sand not the best for DIY.
For whole-house cavity walls, professional installation is usually better.
Hemp Insulation (not the same as cannabis!)
Hempsan is made from hemp (only slightly related to cannabis, it won’t make you high!) This organic plant is good for the planet and gives good insulation. It’s easy to install for external, thermal and acoustic insulation, replacing the need for glass, polystyrene or mineral wool.
Hemp grows fast (and can be grown in England) and locks up carbon as it grows. It is resistant to mould and unwanted visitors, and lets walls breathe, to prevent damp. It’s a bit pricier than recycled newspaper, and needs firm support for ceilings, as it’s heavier. It’s also easy to cut and push into wall or loft cavities.
Straw Bale Homes (naturally insulated)
Straw bale buildings are cheap and quick and affordable to build, and naturally insulated, when plastered with clay or lime. Most straw bale (a waste product from the farming industry) is presently burned, causing climate emissions.
Straw bales have been keeping homes warm since ancient times. Although not as common in city homes, for sheds, garden offices, or DIY builds, straw is an overlooked winner. They are very affordable to build compared to bricks, and naturally fire-resistant when sealed (they have to be, under UK building laws).
No Money? Try to Get an Insulation Grant
- The Great British Insulation Scheme is for homes with bad energy ratings, and gives free or discounted loft and cavity wall insulation. You need an Energy Performance Certificate of D or lower to qualify. Private renters need landlord consent.
- ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation) is funded by energy companies to cover loft, cavity wall and sometimes solid wall insulation. It’s for low-income households and people on benefits.
- Local Authority Flex Schemes are funded by councils for families that just miss out on national schemes. Say you have a health condition or are on a low income, but just above benefit levels.
Insulating Listed and Heritage Homes
CosyGlazing is a company that offers insulation options for heritage and listed homes. Co-founder Mukti Mitchell (son of ecological writer Satish Kumar) has produced a wonderful free carbon calculator to help drastically reduce your energy bills.
A third of emissions are from heating draughty buildings. Britain has 27 million homes, so if we knocked them all down (and old buildings are part of her heritage) and built new ones, it would take 270 years. Retrofitting insulation can save owners of older homes over £1000 a year. Mukti Mitchell
Mukti’s company Mitchell & Dickinson (which specialises in insulating older heritage homes) would like to insulate Buckingham Palace, National Trust buildings and churches, that all spend a fortune on energy bills.
A third of UK emissions are from heating draughty buildings. Britain has 27 million homes, so if we knocked them all down and built new ones, it would take 270 years. Old buildings are an important part of our national heritage.
Retrofitting insulation gives people jobs, is far less expensive and uses fewer new materials. Can you imagine how many trees it would take, to rebuild 270 million windows? Insulation can save owners of older homes over £1000 a year.
This company would like to insulate Buckingham Palace, National Trust buildings and churches, that all spend a fortune on energy bills.
Classic Thatching for Roofs
Many listed buildings have thatched roofs, which use a skilled method that 40 years with good maintenance (also a good insulator).
Pretty safe if you follow fire prevention advice – do regular chimney checks, mend cracked bricks and follow log-burner fire safety advice. Never light bonfires or release fire lanterns nearby (read tips to prevent thatched roof fires).
Find a registered master thatcher via the National Society of Master Thatchers. They source materials and carry out skilled repair or installation.
Insulation Policies and Political Promises
Insulation is a real issue these days due to the cost-of-living crisis and climate change, and is slowly creeping up the political ladder and grabbing the headlines.
The government could insulate every home in Britain that needs it. A street-by-street insulation programme lowering bills, emissions and creating jobs. Zack Polanksi, Green Party leader
Insulation policy by political party:
- Lib Dems wants to provide free insulation to all homes by 2030. Same with the Green Party.
- Labour has pledged to upgrade 5 million homes with better insulation by 2030.
- The Conservatives want 1 million homes with better insulation in the UK (there are millions more than need it).
- Reform has no insulation or climate change policy, instead it wants to drill for more oil and gas, to provide ‘cheap energy’ for customers? Yikes.
