Energy Efficiency Floor insulation
Insulation beneath floorboards has been proven to both reduce heating bills and improve the comfort of your home. It has been suggested that around £50 per year could be saved when under-floor insulation is in use, not to mention the added ‘homely’ feel that it provides. Gaps and cracks around floors and skirting boards are also proven to increase heating bills, but there is no need to panic, cracks and gaps are easy to fill yourself using a tube of sealant and are thought to reduce heating bills by around an extra £20 per year.
But how exactly does under-floor insulation work? Timber floors can be insulated by simply lifting up the floorboards and laying mineral wool insulation supported by netting between the joists.
A regular tube sealant, such as silicon, can also be used to fill gaps between floorboards and skirting boards to stop draughts efficiently. It’s all good and well insulating your home to the max, however, it’s important to remember not to block under-floor airbricks in your outside walls. Floorboards will rot without the correct amount of ventilation.
As well as the cost, there are also other ‘savings’ to consider when insulating your home. Around 340kg of carbon dioxide can be saved per year by combining both these measures in a semi-detached 3 bedroom house.
The initial expense may at first seem daunting, although not all home insulation work needs to be performed by a professional. It may work out cheaper to do the smaller jobs yourself with materials that can be easily purchased from your local DIY shop. Filling the gaps in between the skirting board costs as little as around £20 if completed by you, with costs at around £100 to insulate the floorboards on the ground floor. What a bargain!
Socialize