Insulate your home

Insulate - protect by interposing material to prevent loss of heat or intrusion of sound - or for our purposes - how to save money on your heating bill and at the same time reduce pollution and carbon emissions.

Insulation usually involves an initial cost which may seem prohibitive at first, but insulation is a long term investment and it will pay for itself sooner than you think. It may even have a positive impact on the value of your house.

Loft Insulation
Insulating your loft can save up to 20% on your heating bill. For more information see the DIYnot guide to loft insulation. If you want to be really green consider insulating your loft using Warmcel, available from the Green Building Store, which is made from 100% recycled newspapers.

Cavity Wall Insulation
Most heat loss from your home (up to 33%) is via the walls, but you can reduce this loss if your home has cavity walls by filling the cavity with an insulating material. Have a read of the Energy Saving Trust FAQ by clicking here.

Hot Water Tank Insulation
Get a nice comfy jacket for your hot water tank. As Friends of the Earth points out - it's cheap and it pays for itself within a year. The Kent Energy Centre gives simple instructions on how to fit your jacket.

There are other, cheaper ways to insulate your home:

• Fit a draught excluder to the bottom of your doors and across letter boxes.
• Attach a piece of tin foil between radiators and external walls to reflect heat back into the house.
• Fit a window sill or shelf above radiators to push the warm air into the middle of the room.

If you think that insulating your home may be too costly then why not consider applying for a grant. See the Eaga Partnership site for more details.

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