Insulation Guide
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Insulation Complete Guide

InsulationGuide

Learn how to insulate your home and what is the most efficient type of insulation: loft, wall or roof insulation in the UK? Find out how to save on energy bills and decrease your impact with grants from the ByEco government.

Read on for ByEco’s in-depth guide to home insulation in 2024. In this new Guide, we focus on UK homeowners and tenants. Working with the government and in cooperation with the ECO4 Scheme, ByEco offers a full range of insulation services free of charge for all the qualifying households. In helping you with your decision making on where to live, work and play, our mission is to enable you attain a greener world in the future.  

 

Home insulation importance for UK Structures

It helps regulate temperatures; you maintain cool temperatures during summer, warm during winter, without many bills or contributing much to climate change. Be it to keep your home warm in the winter or cool in the summer, the correct type of insulation is not just about, turning up or lowering the thermostat, it is also a leap into a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Insulation of homes has never been more essential in the UK than now, given the escalating costs of energy and the need for reenvironmental conservation. There is a considerable loss of energy through heating systems within a poorly insulated house, up to one-third of the heat being lost. As the UK government is aspiring to reduce carbon dioxide emission and assist homeowners bring down their energy bills, insulation of the house is the most effective solution.

If you are seeking government backed insulation services at ByEco, we provide practical solutions to reduce your energy bills, carbon emissions and be part of a worldwide shift towards a sustainable future. Ranging from loft insulation to cavity wall insulation, roof insulation as well as using of new materials such as expanded polystyrene, our unique services guarantee your home stays warm at an affordable price.

The UK, for example, currently has one of the worst performing housing stocks in terms of energy efficiency anywhere in Europe and a large percentage of these dwellings were built before today’s practices of insulation became the norms. Therefore, the amount of energy required to heat homes in the UK is far higher than necessary and is contributing to the country’s carbon emission output. Proper insulation is not only useful towards minimizing our energy bills but is also a major factor in meeting the United Kingdom’s vision of being a net zero carbon emission country by 2050. The Great British Insulation Scheme and ECO4 funded by the UK government are available to reduce costs associated with insulation upgrades. If you want to familiarize your home with environmental friendliness and energy efficiency then now is the best time to insulate your home through these grants.

insulation benefits

Prevent heat loss by insulating your house

insulation benefits

Preventing heat loss in your home is crucial for reducing energy bills, enhancing comfort, and contributing to a more sustainable environment. Proper insulation, such as loft insulation , cavity wall insulation , and roof insulation , plays a vital role in maintaining warmth during colder months by preventing heat from escaping through walls, roofs, and other vulnerable areas. Advanced solutions like expanding foam can also be applied to seal gaps and cracks, ensuring your home is as energy-efficient as possible. By upgrading your insulation, you not only improve your property's energy efficiency but also take a significant step towards lowering your carbon footprint. Our government-approved grants make it easier than ever to apply for these essential home improvements, ensuring your house remains cosy and eco-friendly throughout the year.

Types of Insulation and Their Benefits

There are several methods to achieve optimal insulation, each type offers specific benefits, addressing different areas of your home from walls to attics. Selecting the right insulation is key to improving your home's energy efficiency and comfort.

This section details the advantages of various insulation methods, guiding you towards making an informed choice for a more sustainable and comfortable living environment.

insulation complete guide

Cavity Wall Insulation: Ideal for homes with cavity walls, this involves injecting insulating materials like mineral wool or polystyrene beads to reduce heat loss. Explore Cavity Wall Insulation to understand how filling the gaps in your walls can dramatically enhance your home's thermal efficiency.

Solid Wall Insulation: For homes without cavity walls, solid wall insulation is critical. By adding a layer externally or internally, it significantly cuts down heat loss, making a substantial difference in energy consumption and living comfort. Learn more about Solid Wall Insulation and its importance for homes lacking cavity walls, offering a significant improvement in your home's warmth and comfort.

Loft Insulation: A cost-effective way to reduce heat loss, loft insulation is essential for preventing warmth from escaping through your roof, ensuring your home stays warm in the colder months and cooler during summer. Discover the benefits of Loft Insulation for effectively retaining heat within your home, a key step towards a snug and energy-efficient living space.

Flat or Pitched Roof Insulation: Tailored solutions for different roof types, ensuring maximum thermal performance for homes with either flat or pitched roofs. Find out how Flat or Pitched Roof Insulation can optimise the thermal performance of your home, regardless of your roof type.

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Underfloor Insulation: Targeting heat loss through floors, underfloor insulation is especially crucial for homes with suspended timber floors, offering a warmer living space and reduced heating costs. See how Underfloor Insulation can transform the comfort levels of your home by targeting heat loss through your floors.

Park Home Insulation: Park homes, especially those built before 2005, often lack sufficient insulation. Our services cover underfloor, external wall, and loft insulation (where applicable) to significantly improve warmth and energy savings. Understand how Park Home Insulation can update your space with modern insulation standards, greatly enhancing warmth and reducing energy consumption.

Solid Floor Insulation: Essential for homes with solid ground floors, this type of insulation adds materials beneath the floor to reduce heat loss, enhancing comfort and leading to lower energy bills. Read about the advantages of Solid Floor Insulation for homes with solid floors, a crucial element for minimising heat loss and maximising comfort.

Room-in-Roof: For homes with converted attics or loft spaces, this insulation minimises heat escape, providing enhanced comfort and energy efficiency. Investigate how Room-in-Roof Insulation can make your converted attic or loft space more energy-efficient and comfortable throughout the year.

Here is a breakdown of the cost and saving expectations for each type of home insulation:

insulation board

With various options available, including loft, wall, and floor insulation, homeowners can significantly enhance the warmth and comfort of their living spaces while also cutting down on energy costs and reducing carbon footprint.

Our team at ByEco provides tailored recommendations based on a comprehensive assessment of your home, ensuring the chosen insulation type aligns perfectly with your needs.

Best insulation materials

Ultimately, selecting the 'best' insulation material is a matter of personal preference, with the optimal choice depending on your property's characteristics, budget, and specific energy efficiency goals.

Here's a brief overview of the traditionally used insulation materials in UK homes:

Mineral Wool: A versatile and widely used insulation material suitable for lofts, walls, and floors. Composed of natural or recycled materials like stone or slag, mineral wool offers excellent thermal and acoustic insulation properties. Its fire-resistant nature adds an extra layer of safety to your home, making it a reliable and durable choice for various insulation needs.

Sheep's Wool: An eco-friendly and sustainable insulation option harvested from natural wool fibres. Ideal for loft and wall insulation, sheep's wool effectively regulates humidity and provides outstanding thermal performance. Its biodegradable and renewable characteristics make it a popular choice for homeowners seeking environmentally responsible solutions.

Cellulose: Made from recycled paper products, cellulose insulation is an environmentally conscious option that delivers high thermal efficiency. Commonly used in lofts and wall cavities, it is treated with fire-retardant chemicals to enhance safety. Cellulose insulation excels in reducing air infiltration, thereby improving your home's energy efficiency and lowering heating costs.

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS): A lightweight and durable insulation material typically used for external wall and floor insulation. EPS offers impressive moisture resistance and consistent thermal performance, making it suitable for various construction applications. Its ease of installation and cost-effectiveness contribute to its popularity among UK homeowners.

Fiberglass: One of the most common insulation materials, fiberglass is made from fine strands of glass and is typically used in lofts, walls, and roofs. It’s effective in trapping air and slowing down the transfer of heat, making it a reliable choice for maintaining warmth during colder months.

Polystyrene: This material, available in expanded (EPS) and extruded (XPS) forms, is popular for wall and floor insulation. Polystyrene provides excellent thermal resistance and is moisture-resistant, making it suitable for various construction applications.

Polyurethane (PUR): Known for its high insulation value, polyurethane is often applied as a spray foam. It is ideal for filling small gaps and cracks in walls and roofs, providing a seamless barrier against heat loss and enhancing the overall energy efficiency of homes.

PIR Boards: Polyisocyanurate (PIR) boards are rigid insulation panels that offer superior thermal performance. Commonly used in walls, floors, and roofs, PIR boards are valued for their durability, moisture resistance, and fire retardant properties, making them a premium choice for home insulation.

Denim Insulation: Made from recycled cotton and denim fabric, denim insulation is an eco-friendly option that offers excellent thermal and acoustic insulation. It’s free from harmful chemicals, making it safe for both installers and residents. Denim insulation is commonly used in lofts, walls, and floors, providing a sustainable and effective alternative to traditional materials.

Perlite Insulation: Perlite is a natural volcanic glass that expands when heated, creating a lightweight and porous material ideal for insulation. It’s particularly effective in cavity walls due to its moisture resistance and excellent thermal properties. Perlite is also fire-resistant and provides long-lasting insulation, making it a popular choice for enhancing energy efficiency in UK homes.

Why should you consider eco-friendly insulation?

  •          Recyclable: Some of the products are derived from natural products; most of the products are eco- friendly in that they can be recycled or disposed off in the environment. On the other hand, the ordinary synthetic insulation still remains in the landfills for about centuries.

  •          Healthier: Natural insulation materials are non-toxic and do not release formaldehyde or other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the indoor airspace to improve our indoor well being.

  •         Effective performance: These environmental friendly insulators can be as effective as synthetic insulators, and in some occasions better in heat retention making energy efficiency to be an awesome feat.

R-value / U-value

When discussing the insulation properties of materials, you'll often encounter two key terms: R-value and U-value. Here’s what sets them apart:

R-value is a term that defines thermal performance expressed as the rate of heat non-fraction per unit of time through a given insulation thickness. This is the measure of how well a material resists the flow of heat through it, in other words how well the material insulates.

U-value conversely will tell you how quickly heat will transfer through a material. They are virtual opposites, really, because it measures how readily heat can flow through whatever it is that has the given U-value.

To understand it clearly, R-value is the measure of heat resistance while U-value determines heat transmit. But which one matters more? And what does it mean when speaking of a rating: Line 5 – a good rating?

When using the R-value, the scoring can therefore vary between 0 and 66. A greater value means a better ‘stand’) against heat transfer. On the other hand, scores for U-value are often between 0.1 – 1. The lower the U-value the better they are as this is taken to mean a slower ‘transmission’ of heat.

Cost and Savings of Insulating Your Home

The price range for installing the insulation in a standard three-bedroom semi-terraced house with cavity walls and with the roof or the loft is about £12,930. But this figure can vary depending on parameters of your home, type of insulation material, and complexity of work.

Exclusive of the costs related to loft insulation which may set you back up to £420, cavity wall insulation costs about £2700 while solid walls insulation cost approximately £7500 internal and £12000 external insulation. Please remember that these costs vary based on the design of your home, the types of insulating material you choose, and the level of work complexity.

Effective insulation of cavity walls and lofts can result in as much as two-third reduction in heat loss and costs about £550 a year on energy bills. Moreover, the monetary value of a home can considerably be boosted by effective insulation which also provides long-term earning capacity for any typical house.

It should also be noted that good insulation will reduce your energy consumption levels and therefore your carbon footprint by as much as 1.27 tonnes per year on average. That is an investment that serves the purpose of savings, enhancement of value of an investment and is environmentally sensitive.

Fancy insulating your home? Regardless of costs which may seem high, there is always an option to turn to the right professional installer and have the desired effect. Different from spending time surfing the internet and making phone calls, ByEco saves your time and provides you with the list of THE specialists in one click.

How Insulation Reduces Carbon Emissions

Proper home insulation is one of the most effective ways to reduce a household’s carbon footprint. In the UK, domestic energy use accounts for around 27% of the country’s carbon emissions, primarily due to heating requirements. By reducing the need for excessive heating, insulation helps to lower CO2 emissions and supports the UK’s broader climate goals.

A fully insulated home can cut emissions by up to 1.7 tonnes per year, making it an essential upgrade for environmentally conscious homeowners.

Benefit from UK Government Schemes

The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)

Starting its activities in April 2023, GBIS aims to deliver cost-effective insulation measures to a broad range of households. Focusing on both broader and low-income groups, the scheme enhances access to insulation, contributing to quicker, more effective energy efficiency improvements across the UK.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme, active from April 2022 to March 2026, targets the enhancement of insulation and heating systems in homes across the UK. Focused on supporting low-income, fuel-poor, and vulnerable households, ECO4 facilitates the adoption of energy-saving measures. Providing funding for upgrades like cavity wall , loft , and underfloor insulation , ECO4 is instrumental in reducing energy bills and carbon emissions. It makes homes warmer, more comfortable, and environmentally friendly, representing a critical step towards nationwide energy efficiency and sustainability goals.

Unlocking Free Insulation: Are You Eligible?

Discover your eligibility for free insulation services under ECO4 or GBIS by completing our form. Our partnership with the government ensures that qualifying homes receive the necessary insulation upgrades for free or at a reduced cost, making sustainable living accessible to everyone.

Why Choose ByEco?

ByEco stands at the forefront of renewable energy solutions, offering free insulation services backed by government schemes like GBIS and ECO4. Our commitment is to break down financial barriers, providing you with expert assessments and installations that lead to a greener, more efficient home.

Embarking on Your Sustainable Journey

Start your path to a greener, more energy-efficient home with ByEco. Our free consultation will guide you through the application process for the UK government-backed insulation grants, enhancing your home's comfort and contributing to a sustainable future.

DIY vs. Professional Installation

When it comes to insulating your home, deciding between a do-it-yourself (DIY) project and opting for professional installation is crucial for achieving the best results. While DIY insulation may seem cost-effective initially, it requires a thorough understanding of materials and techniques to avoid common mistakes. Choosing professional installation services from ByEco ensures your insulation is expertly and safely installed, maximising its efficiency and longevity. Our deep expertise guarantees the use of the most suitable insulation for each part of your home, following the highest installation standards.

diy vs. professional insulation installation

Our expert approach minimises potential risks, enhances your home's energy efficiency, and offers professional guidance, potentially unlocking special offers and government incentives. Opting for ByEco's professional installation ensures you'll enjoy an effortless, hassle-free process, guaranteeing top-notch insulation effectiveness and giving you confidence that your investment is enhancing your home's comfort and reducing energy costs. Start your journey towards sustainability with us, taking advantage of expert advice and support from the outset.

While insulation of homes is primarily viewed as an energy saving initiative and hence an effort towards inflation control, it is much more than that – it is an effort towards sustainable living. As ByEco, we offer all forms of insulation that are supported by the government to assist homeowners in making environmentally friendly homes with efficient use of energy. No matter if your concern is a loft, cavity wall insulation or even expanding foam DMS can provide you with the professional services of its talented team.

 

Looking forward to getting your home insulated so that you can save more? Phone ByEco right now and receive an individualized quote on a grant application.

FAQs

Quick, Essential Answers

Insulation is crucial for maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures throughout the year, significantly reducing heating and cooling bills, and decreasing your household's carbon footprint. It's an essential step towards creating a more sustainable and energy-efficient living space.

The best insulation for your home depends on several factors, including your home's structure, existing insulation, and specific energy efficiency needs. Our professional team conducts a comprehensive assessment of your home to recommend the most effective insulation solution.

Eligibility for free insulation services is determined by specific criteria set by government schemes like the ECO4 Scheme and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS). You can discover your eligibility by completing our form, and potentially receive necessary upgrades at no cost.

High-quality insulation can last for decades, making it a long-term investment in your home's energy efficiency and comfort. Different types of insulation have varying lifespans, but most will serve your home effectively for 40 years or more with proper installation and maintenance.

No, properly installed loft insulation balances your home's internal temperature, keeping it cooler in summer by preventing excess heat from entering through the roof, and warmer in winter by retaining heat

Most insulation types offered by ByEco require minimal to no maintenance. However, it's important to periodically check for any signs of damage or moisture, especially after severe weather conditions.

The ECO4 Scheme is designed to help medium to large energy suppliers promote and implement energy efficiency improvements, such as insulation, in low-income, fuel-poor, and vulnerable households, from April 2022 to March 2026.

Cavity wall insulation is used in homes with space between inner and outer masonry layers, filled with insulating material to reduce heat loss. Solid wall insulation involves adding insulation to the interior or exterior of walls that don’t have a cavity, enhancing energy efficiency in homes without cavity walls.

Yes, many insulation materials also serve as effective sound barriers, reducing noise transmission from outside and between different rooms or levels within your home, contributing to a quieter and more peaceful living environment.

Begin by filling out our form or contacting us directly for a free consultation. We'll assess your eligibility for government-backed insulation grants and guide you through the process, from application to installation, enhancing your home's energy efficiency at no or reduced cost

The U-value measures the rate of heat transfer through a material, with lower values indicating better insulation as they reduce heat loss more effectively. It's expressed in watts per square metre per degree Kelvin (W/m²K). Conversely, the R-value indicates a material's resistance to heat flow, where higher values denote superior insulating properties, reducing the rate at which heat escapes. R-values are usually measured in square metre degree Celsius per watt (m²°C/W). Both values are essential in selecting appropriate insulation materials for optimising energy efficiency in building environments.

Yes, you can insulate your house by yourself with some basic DIY approaches. For areas like the loft and under the floorboards, you can manually place mineral wool insulation sheets between the joists to enhance thermal resistance. Additionally, you can draught-proof doors and windows using adhesive draught-proof strips and silicone sealants, which are readily available at most hardware stores. These simple measures can significantly improve your home’s insulation without the need for professional help.

To ascertain the effectiveness of your existing insulation, a thorough evaluation of several key indicators is essential. Firstly, observe the uniformity of indoor temperatures; ineffective insulation often leads to noticeable fluctuations and cold spots within a building. Secondly, examine your energy bills; a significant increase might indicate that heat is escaping due to inadequate insulation. Additionally, a physical inspection of the insulation material itself for signs of damage such as dampness, mould, or compression is crucial. For a more precise assessment, consider employing thermal imaging technology to detect areas of heat loss. Engaging a professional for a detailed energy audit can provide a comprehensive analysis of your insulation’s performance and advise on necessary upgrades or replacements.

To qualify for the measures provided under the government’s ECO4 scheme, you must reside in private accommodation intended for domestic use. This encompasses both homeowners and tenants renting from private landlords. However, it’s important to note that these grants are not available to individuals living in Council or Housing Association properties.