Insulate
I believe that Insulation is a first priority on housing and businesses as without insulation in an attic, for example, 25% of your gas bill is wasted and unnecessary CO2 is created. The UK housing stock is not well insulated compared to other countries.
Years ago there were government schemes where attics and cavity walls were insulated, paid for by the Gas/Electric supplier. However as of June 2022 I have not been successful in getting quotes for insulating attics as an example for people to use.
See https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/ for general information on energy savings.
RADIATORS – save 45% loss of heat through outside walls
Winter 2023 my lounge was 21 degrees, the outside garden pavement was 7 degrees and the outside 1926 solid wall where the radiator is, was 14 degrees. I was shocked. I was heating the world by 7 degrees. Always known about using aluminium foil to reflect the heat back into the house. Only £27.89 and easy to do.
Energy Saving Radiator Heat Reflector Foil Sheets (3 Pack)
Reduces heat loss through a wall by 45%
13-11-23 https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/radflek-radiator-reflector-sheets-with-radstik-3-pack £27.89 with postage. Very good picture
Or https://www.radflek.com/shop/ 3 reflector sheet pack £26.48, 5 pack £39.48, 8 pack £56.98
The three pack comes with three large sheets of Aluminium foil and a strip to join small parts together. When using the joining strip take only half of the backing paper off.
1 Measure the gap between the brackets on the radiator. On a table cut the foil just less than that width.
2 With the patterned side up on the table turn the top over by 1cm and slide the plastic pieces along so that they are longer than the foil.
3 Turn the top of the foil around the plastic pieces so that the foil does not hang below the radiator. Hang the foil behind the radiator so that it sits on the brackets with the shiny side towards you.
ATTICS – saves 25% off your heating bills.
If you have an attic, it is essential to make sure you have rock wool insulation of 270mm. For example, the rock wool is laid between the rafters and then another layer of rock wool is laid on top.
Costs about £500 and pays for itself within two years. If you do it yourself, make sure you wear a mask etc.
See https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/measures/meta_loft_insulation
You can find an installer from https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/installer-search/A
Sprayed Foam on the underside of tiles in attics.
I see adverts for this but do not see the sense or cost compared to using rock wool on the rafters. A friend of mine who had this done then had a problem with a leak which could not be found without the great cost of taking the foam off.
WALLS
Cavity Walls
If your house has walls with a cavity then insulation can be used. However on the west side of the country with extra rain driven by wind then there can be a problem. One solution is to use Storm Dry as below.
Solid Walls
https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/solid-wall-insulation/ However putting up external or internal insulation is expensive. £14,000 to £10,000
My suggestion when you are next decorating a room is to use
WALL ROCK THERMAL LINER KV600 (to go on the inside walls before decorating)
Energy Saving Trust Listed.
Wall Rock can be done by anyone when decorating. One pack is the same square area as 2.5 rolls of wallpaper.
Their web site says
As a result by applying Wallrock Thermal Liner to solid walls the U value is reduced from 2.1 to 1.79 W/mtr2 K
In conclusion, by applying Wallrock Thermal Liner to a solid wall the standing heat loss can be reduced by 15%. We have used this very successfully on the walls of the porch to our kitchen where the dampness on the walls caused mould.
OUTSIDE OF WALLS
You will know that your walls are solid without a cavity if you can see the end of the bricks.
In addition, if your solid walls are plain brick and not rendered then you could coat them with Storm Dry. It cost me £600 to put this on my walls using a small roller.
https://safeguardstore.co.uk/stormdry-masonry-protection-cream/
Small print says use gloves, glasses and face protection. I used Scan Premier Valved Disposable Odour Masks FFP2 NR
Their web site says verified by the Energy Saving Trust.
Lasts for 25 years. Is absorbed into a depth of 12mm of the brick
https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/solid-wall-insulation/
I used it as I had a problem with mould and felt that if the outside walls were not damp then there would be less loss of heat as heat does not travel so well through dry wall
2021-22 ENERGY PRICE INCREASES
Better insulation is the first step in saving money on your heating bills. Here is a bit of encouragement on reducing heating bills further.
In the Autumn of 2021, our gas price went up by 50% and electricity by 34%. We wore more clothes and turned the heating down. Used an electric halogen heater at 400 watts instead of 2000 watts in my office plus wore an indoor warm jacket. By March we were in credit on our bills when we would normally be in debit.