Everyone is trying to save on energy at the moment. You may have turned down the thermostat, started wearing thermals round the house, or even considered switching providers.
A great way to do save energy, and money, is by insulating your home. Naturally, there are lots of different parts of your house where this can be done.
In this guide, we will be talking about cavity wall insulation. It doesn’t get talked about as much as loft insulation, but that doesn’t mean that it’s any less valuable. So, if you’re in the market for an energy efficient home, our handy guide will walk you through the ins and outs.
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Cavity wall insulation inserts an extra layer of material between your inner and outer walls, which helps to keep heat in. It can make a huge difference to your energy usage, with one third of heat in uninsulated homes lost through the walls. The materials used vary from organic to synthetic, with mineral wool and polyurethane foam two of more popular.
Once installed, not only does cavity wall insulation help keep your house warm, but it also saves you money and reduces your carbon footprint.
So, it seems like a no-brainer, right? Sadly, not every house is suitable for cavity wall insulation.
Unsurprisingly, this depends on whether or not your house has a wall cavity. There are a few ways that you can find this out.
The first thing you will want to check is when your house was built. Homes built after the 1920s will most likely have a cavity, and if they were built after 2000, the chances are it has some form of insulation already.
If you’re not keen on digging around for your home’s history, you can just take a look at the bricks. Buildings that have even brickwork, i.e. all of them are horizontal from the outside, have a solid wall. If, however, the bricks are laid in a pattern, with some placed lengthwise and others width-wise, you’ve got yourself a cavity.
In some situations, you won’t be able to see the brickwork at all, as it’s covered in paint or cladding. Should this be the case, you will either need to measure it (walls of 10 inches or more often have cavities), or get a professional in to take a look.
Installation costs will vary dramatically depending on the space that needs to be insulated. Fortunately, the Energy Saving Trust has calculated how much it will set you back on average:
Exactly how much it costs will of course depend on the material you need to use. For example, if your cavities are uneven or particularly narrow, you might have to employ expanding polyurethane foam, which is more expensive than other types of insulation.
To provide a little more detail we’ve listed the average costs of the three most common cavity wall insulation materials:
It’s important to note that unlike other types of insulation, cavity walls generally require a professional for it to be fitted. This means that on top of the cost of materials, you will need to factor in labour costs, which will vary from company to company.
If your home is uninsulated, it’s expected that you will lose around one third of your heat through the walls. While insulating them won’t stop all of your precious warmth from escaping, it will certainly help.
Once again, we can lend our thanks to the Energy Saving Trust, who have calculated how much money you can expect to save for different house types per year:
Based on this, most installations will pay for themselves within two to three years. It’s also important to note that these calculations were made before the upcoming price cap increase. This means that you will almost certainly be seeing better returns as the cost of energy will rise by 54% from the start of April 2022.
The first thing you will need to do is book an installer to come and do a survey on your house to make sure it’s suitable. Once this has been established, it’s best to let them get on with the work. Wall cavity insulation is not generally something that you can do without the proper expertise.
Fortunately, the entire process is relatively short. Once holes have been bored in the wall, all a contractor needs to do is blow the chosen material into the cavity. This shouldn’t take more than a few hours (house size depending of course), and when they’re finished you should get a guarantee, which should last for around 20 years.
Once it’s all done, you can sit back, enjoy the warmth, and start thinking about how you’re going to spend all that extra cash.
If your home’s walls don’t have cavities, then you can also get solid wall insulation as an alternative. However, just because you’ve got your walls nice and insulated, doesn’t mean you should stop there.
Many companies will offer comprehensive installation packages, meaning that if you have the money, you might consider having your entire home insulated. With energy prices what they are, ensuring your house is as efficient as possible is a fantastic way to save money, all the while doing your bit for mother earth.
As well as cavity wall insulation, the most common types of insulation are: