This will require a professional approach – but you can lay loose fire-retardant insulation material into your loft using the blow loose method. A professional will literally blow this material into the loft using specialist equipment. Not something the homeowner or DIY enthusiast can attempt to make sure they get their professional and efficient loft insulation.

If your loft space is irregular then the loft joists will be irregular and stand a chance of being a different distance apart from that of the mineral wool insulation rolls. This is where loose-fill insulation is beneficial. The insulation needs to be deep enough though and is poured between the joists to the correct thickness.

The final thing to note before preparing or completing any loft or roof insulation is too look into the loft for any existing damp or condensation problems. Insulation works by stopping heat escaping from living spaces. This means that the loft space will become cooler and this could make any existing probkems worse. Also seek professional advice before you start with loft or roof insulation if you think that there are any damp issues at all. It is worth the check, otherwise you would complete the insulation and the loft will be damp and not a nice area to store anything.

The boards will need to be cut to size and fit and fitted between the roof rafters. These will often then be covered with plasterboard. The rafters will also need to be insulated and this can be done using insulated plasterboard.

If the loft space is to be used as storage for those Christmas decorations and boxes, then you will need a solid floor. If insulation is only laid inbetween the joists it will not be thick enough. Mineral wool can be used to insulate inbetween the joists and then rigid insulation boards laid on top with wooden boarding on top of that.

The main thing is to ensure you don’t squash the mineral wool when you fit the boards on top – as it will reduce the insulation value.

If you choose to go down the route of internal insulation then its important that you sort out any problems such as damp and consider a few things before going ahead with it. Insulation will ever so slightly reduce the floor space in any room where it is installed, it requires skirting boards, door frames and external fittings to be removed and it can make it difficult to attach heavy items to the wall afterwards although special fixings can help with this.

Exterior insulation is generally more expensive but has the advantages of not reducing the floor space in your house, improves weatherproofing and sound resistance, reduces drafts and condensation and can be installed without disrupting the household. It is worth considering though that it does require good access to the walls to be possible and may require planning permission.

Internal solid wall insulation is usually done by attaching rigid insulation boards to the wall or by building a stud wall and filling it with mineral wood fibre. External solid wall insulation is usually done by attaching a layer of insulation material to the wall and then covering it with a special type of render. It can be finished in any number of ways from smooth to tiled or pebble dashed.

You can keep the cost of insulation as low as possible by doing it at the same time as other work. Especially in the case of interior insulation it is worth doing it when you were planning on redecorating anyway.

So some main quick points to consider when getting your home ready to sell:

If the house is not being used frequently, you may be able to clean the carpets. If this is not an option at least get rid of any stains or marks on the carpet. There’s no need to re-lay an entire house, just clean and make presentable what is already there.

The kitchen is an essential part of a house – try and have a good look at the cupboards and if they are dated or dark think about replacing just the doors with lighter colours or even consider having a really good clearout and de-clutter.

Make sure your windows and doors are at least double glazed. If possible triple glazed. You may not need to replace them, but be prepared that the value of the house might be slightly lower to compensate for the windows having to be replaced.

Check your loft or roof insulation and make sure that the area where most heat is lost is as insulated as possible.

Tidy the garden and keep it tidy. People will have their own designs and ideas in mind, but if the garden is messy it may put people off at the initial viewing.

Quick to Access Loft and No Storage Usage

If you are easily able to get into your loft and there is no existing problems with damp or condensation then you may be able to insulate your own loft.  If you can get up into your loft have a look at what is there and make sure the joists are a regular width apart. This will also be essential to seeing if you can lay the insulation yourself. If the joists are a regualr distance apart from each other then laying will be easy enough as you won’t have to do any cutting or separating the insulation. This can make it in-effective and also be hard work for the homeowner to cut correctly and precisely through mineral wool insulation.

Prepare the loft first and make sure everything is out of the space you are working in. It might have been tempting to use the space across the joists or in the small area that was boarded with Christmas decorations or boxes that you only use once a year or not enough to warrant them taking up space in the home. However, when you are working with loft insulation rolls and working  in a small space you will need all the space you can get and use to move around.

Check you have enough rolls for the area you are covering and that the insulation is of course fire-retardant. The rolls are fitted within the space between the joists and then the next layer cross-laid at right angles to cover the joists. Nothing worse if you have planned the loft measurements, laid the first layer and then run out and have to purchase more. We all prefer to get a job finished and start benefitting from the insulation.

The popular insulation is mineral wool insulation, which can be rolled and fitted.

There isn’t really a good reason not to install good loft insulation in your home. Many may be put off by the up front cost but in the grand scheme of things it’s really not that much and loft insulation can pay for itself in as little as a year with the savings from the heat lost. Depending on your circumstances you may even be entitled to an insulation grant covering some or in some cases all of the cost.

Although entirely dependant on the style of your loft and the type of insulation you choose to use (of which there are many) in a lot of cases you will be able to install the loft insulation yourself. In the average home it can take as little as a couple of hours. Some types of insulation are easily installed yourself but other types may require a professional. This may also be true if you have a particularly awkward or hazardous loft space.

Aside from the main appeal of saving money, loft insulation also has other benefits. As mentioned previously, the house will retain the heat better. This means if you go out for the day or evening and choose not to leave the heating on, you will at least not have a freezing cold house to return to. Loft insulation also speeds up the time that it takes for a house to heat up meaning that you won’t need to have the heating on for as long before your home reaches a comfortable temperature.

The in-home display that utility company British Gas install show exactly what you are using and the real-time costs. There is the option to track previous usage, view tariff information and see any important messages from the provider. How often has a phone charger been left plugged in or you have switched the kettle on for 3 times in a few minutes – if you can see the cost of charging your phone or using the tumble dryer we think you might start to reduce your energy consumption.

If the heating is costing alot of money, then a meter which tells you the cost might make you want to hide under the duvet and layer up rather than turning the thermostat up. However, there is an alternative and this would be to think about the potential sources for heat lost that can include roofs, loft, walls and foundations. These areas can be improved with using roof insulation and checking the walls have cavity wall insulation.

Most houses are built with insulation as standard now, but if you home does not have cavity wall insulation then it might be worth considering. It will possibly involve losing a certain amount of space in the room and you will need to get this done professionally to make sure your walls are doing the job of keeping heat in, rather than trapping damp – but this could save money in the long run.

The meters can track historical usage, so why not take a before and after view after adding additional insulation and see if there has been an improvement.

This is key to saving money and making sure your home is being heated without you losing too much money and although not every home will need all of these boilers, it is worth knowing what different boilers are available.

Back Boilers

These are longer the choice for customers looking to get a new boiler some home do still have back boilers. These are not always the most efficient and condensing boilers tend to be the preferred choice unless the installation process is too complicated. However, they are reliable and a good space saving boiler.

Combination Boilers

Combination (or Combi boilers) tend to be the the most popular type of boiler as they are small, economical to run and you can heat water from the mains so you dont have to wait for water to heat up. Not always suitable for big homes if there is a high hot water demand as a lower volume of water is stored  as the boiler heats ‘on demand’.

Condensing Boilers

All new boilers installed in the UK must be condensing boilers and only in exceptional circumstances will another boiler be installed. These condensing boilers have improved efficiency over 90% in many households. There are several models of condensing boilers available. The three types of condensing boiler all have the ability to extract and use heat that would have otherwise been wasted flue gasses. These are more expensive to purchase but can reduce energy bills.
System Boilers

These are the option between combi boilers and the high efficiency condensing boilers. They are heat only boilers that use a copper cylinder to heat and store hot water. These are suitable for larger homes and there is hot water from multiple outlets.

All of these boilers will generate heat and hot water but depending on the size of your home and general household use one might more efficient than the others. However, any heat generated will be irrelevant unless your home is insulated to its full potential, by using loft insulation  to maintain that heat.

Cavity wall insulation - reduce heat loss and save money.

Filling up this gap is very effective since a high amount of all the heat lost in an un-insulated home is through the walls and insulating cavity walls can help significantly reduce heat loss and help you save over £100 on your energy bills a year.

As well as saving you money, cavity wall insulation is a great way to use less energy which means that you will be reducing your carbon dioxide emissions. Since this is one of the biggest causes of climate change, you will be doing your bit to help the planet, as well as keep some extra money in your pocket.

If you have cavity wall insulation installed, then there is a scheme which will guarantee your insulation for 25 years so you know that you have peace of mind when getting a cavity wall insulation job done.

Loft Insulation – reduce the amount of heat lost through your roof with loft insulation or roof insulation. If your loft/roof is well insulated then the amount of heat lost from within your house will be reduced greatly.

Cavity wall insulation – when mineral fibre wool is injected into the cavity of the walls of your house. There is a cavity wall insulation guarantee scheme to guarantee your insulation for 25 years

Solid wall insulation – this is an alternative to cavity wall insulation if you don’t have an inner and outer wall

Draught proofing – make sure all draughts from windows, floors, doors and around plug sockets are draught proofed to stop reduce warm air escaping

Tanks and pipe insulation – adding a 75mm thick ‘jacket’ to your hot water cylinder will cut your heat loss by over 75% and is very easy to install.

Floor insulation – insulation can be installed underneath your floorboards to help reduce heating bills. You can also help by filling gaps and cracks around floors and skirting boards with sealant.

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Some of these types of home insulation are covered by insulation grants which can significantly reduce costs, or in some cases even entitle you to free insulation.