How to Save Energy

Solid walls can be insulated internally or externally (check if you have a solid by visiting the Energy Saving Trust's website). New cavity walls will be built with insulation inside the cavity of the wall (check if you have a cavity wall by visiting the Energy Saving Trust's website), however, some older cavity wall houses do not have insulation or require an additional amount of insulation and would benefit from this. 

A large amount of wasted heat is lost through the roof if uninsulated. Insulating your loft, attic or flat roof is an effective way to reduce heat loss. Insulation should pay for itself many times over. 

Making fabric improvements to your home reduces energy demand to as low as possible so that when technologies, such as a heat pump, are installed, they can run efficiently and cheaply because they are not required to meet as significant a demand.

Cavity Wall Insulation

Cavity walls are external walls made from two ‘skins’ with a cavity between them, essentially a gap between the two walls. These are typically a brick outer leaf and a blockwork inner leaf. The cavity can be filled with insulation to stop warm air from escaping to the outside.

External Wall Insulation (EWI)

External wall insulation involves adding a layer of insulation to the outside walls of your home. EWI won’t affect the size of the rooms in your home, but you must consider how it will affect the external appearance. External wall insulation is typically finished with a protective render coating or cladding such as brick slips/tiles. 

Internal Wall Insulation

Internal wall insulation is a good option for insulating solid wall buildings where, for heritage or aesthetic reasons, it is not suitable to use external wall insulation. There are several different internal wall insulation products, varying from rigid insulation boards fixed to the existing wall, timber stud frames filled with insulation and insulated plasters.

Loft insulation

Before insulating your loft, it is important to make sure the loft space is in good condition and dry so that no moisture or mould is trapped in. Standard loft insulation is suitable for most homes and is typically supplied in rolls which are laid between or over floor joists. This is seen as a typically straightforward job and rolls of mineral wool insulation can be bought from DIY stores or builder’s merchants.

Flat Roof Insulation

The easiest way to insulate a flat roof is from above the structure. This can be done as an overlay to the existing roof covering (only if the roof structure is sound) or as a total renewal where the roof is insulated above the structure and a new roof covering is installed.

Pitched Roof Insulation

In most homes, insulation is not required in pitched roofs as the insulation layer is in the loft floor (see loft insulation). If you plan to renovate your loft space into a habitable room, then the pitched roof will need to be insulated.

Floor Insulation

Insulating the ground floor of your home is an excellent way of keeping your property warm. If you’re on an upper floor you don’t usually need to insulate the floor space as most heat is lost through the ground floor. Insulating the ground floor is disruptive, particularly for solid concrete floors and therefore it is best done when the floor needs replacing or as part of wider works, for example a ground floor extension.

You can find out more about insulation on the Energy Saving Trust's website.

Kingston Retrofit Guidance for Households

To read more information about all these measures, Kingston Council has developed a Retrofit Guidance for Households to provide information on energy efficiency improvements which can help to reduce energy bills.