5 Ways to Boost Your Property’s Insulation for Winter
According to AXA, approximately £1 for every £4 spent on heating a home in Britain is lost due to insufficient insulation, meaning that it takes longer to heat a property, and is more expensive, and the heat is retained for less time.
Properties with poor insulation will cost you and your tenants more both short-term and in the long run. So here are some cost-effective ways to give your properties a boost to their insulation:
1) Draught-proof where possible
Around a fifth of a home’s heat can be lost to draughts around a property. There are common areas which can be draught-proofed, such as around:
– Doors & windows.
– Electrical outlets.
– Any cracks in walls and ceilings.
– Pipes leading outside.
– Gaps around loft hatches.
Draught-excluding tape can be bought and applied as necessary, if further insulation is needed, then draught stoppers can be placed under doors.
2) Insulate/lag pipework
One common area which is often overlooked when looking at a property’s insulation is the pipework which carries hot water. Heat can leak and be lost from pipes and tanks before it even circulates around the property.
Pipe insulation can be wrapped around heated pipes in order to retain heat for longer.
Heated water tanks can also be wrapped in a heatproof jacket to achieve the same effect.
While you are doing this, it may also be worth considering installing radiator reflectors, which reflect heat back into the room (which would otherwise be lost to the wall behind the radiator).
3) Update curtains/blinds
Around 18% of heat in a room can be lost through windows, by upgrading the current curtains or blinds to a thicker or thermal alternative, you can reduce some of the heat which is typically lost to windows.
Click here to see how heat is typically lost in a poorly insulated home.
4) Fit carpet underlay
Another relatively low-cost solution for general insulation is by adding underlay to carpets and flooring where possible, this is good for sealing any draughts and keeping as much heat in the room as possible.
If it’s not feasible to install an underlay, you can instead place rugs to help with retaining heat and blocking any draughts.
5) Consider installing a smart thermostat
Smart thermostats are renowned for their simplicity and ease of use, they enable the occupant of a property to accurately control the heating from anywhere using their phone or computer.
Smart thermostats also allow users to set timers and schedules – which are proven to save money compared to more traditional methods, it means that the heating is not left on for too much time and relieves the worry of forgetting to turn the heating on or off.
All in all, if you implement just one of these 5 tips, you will be making an improvement to your property’s insulation, which results in a reduction in the amount of heat lost and means that you spend less trying to heat the property.
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