Why should I install loft insulation?

Insulating your loft is one of the best ways to improve the EPC rating of your home. If you have a virgin loft (i.e. 25mm or less of insulation) then insulating it will produce massive savings on your energy bill and the great thing is that for many of us, the energy companies offer this insulation free.

Without proper loft insulation, a lot of the warmth produced by your heating system escapes through the roof of your property; in fact, as much as 25% of the heat in an uninsulated house is lost in this way. Loft insulation acts as a barrier, slowing the movement of heat out of the property during the winter and into the property during the summer.

Even if you can’t get it installed for free, it is an incredibly easy DIY job. In the tabs above, you can find out exactly how to do it.

The first decision to make is whether you are looking to create a warm loft or cold loft. The majority of us just use the loft space for storage so normally a cold loft will more than suffice, but for some we use the loft space for a games room or a study. To be honest, insulating your loft as a cold loft is far easier than trying to produce a warm loft – mainly because you don’t need to fight gravity. The method of insulating your loft varies considerably whether you have decide to push forward for a warm loft or a cold loft, but since the vast majority go for a cold loft lets start there – at the joists.

Insulating your loft at the joists

The purpose of insulation is to produce a barrier that slows the movement of heat either in or out of the property. When you produce a cold loft, you need to lay insulation directly above the ceiling to produce this barrier to slow the movement of heat out of the home during the winter and visa versa in the summer to prevent the home overheating.

The latest building regulations stipulate you need to reach a U-value of 0.16 to conform – now for most of us who don’t talk ‘U-values’, this simply means you need a 300mm blanket of wool insulation (if you decide to use rigid insulation board like celotex or Kingspan then you can achieve this u-value with less thickness).

What materials can you use to insulate joists?

Mineral wool

Sheep wool insulation

If you are using sheep wool insulation you will get the added benefits of the material being able to absorb moisture as well. Warm air rises from the heated rooms below and condenses when it comes into contact with cold insulation materials. Unlike other wool products, sheep wool can absorb some of this moisture and protect the joist timbers from rotting, without affecting its own insulating properties.

Loose-fill loft insulation

Rigid insulation boards

Blown fibre insulation

Another type of loft insulation is blown fibre insulation, which must be installed by a professional. An installer will use specialist equipment to blow insulation material into the gaps that require it.

Having a carpet of insulation in your roof will significantly reduce heat loss out of your home. The reason why we are such advocates of loft insulation and consider it the no.1 method of saving energy in the home is basically because the insulation is incredibly cheap to buy and the process of producing a cold loft is so easy.

Now a couple of important things to mention; while this is certainly the cheapest way to go, the loft space itself will be very cold in the winter. This means that anything you really value should be kept in the home itself, not in the loft. In addition you need to insulate any pipework and cold water tanks up in the loft as these may now be liable to freezing and the cost of repairing bursting pipes will far outweigh the energy savings produced!

For detailed instructions on how to insulate your loft to produce a cold loft please click the tab here.

Insulating your loft at the rafters

Gravity is a pain – it makes producing a warm loft that much harder. Unfortunately if one tries to insulate between the rafters by squishing in lots of wool insulation then 9 times out of 10 it will just fall out.

However if your heart is set on creating a warm loft space then it is definitely possible. There are four main ways to insulate your rafters; the first is to use netting and wool insulation. Using solid insulation board is again a really good way to minimise heat loss out of your home. The third way is simply to use reflective foil stapled to the rafters – this doesn’t produce significant energy savings but is by far the simplest way to go, requiring just reflective foil and a staple gun. You might want to use reflective foil anyway even if you do opt for a cold loft.

What materials can you use to insulate between rafters?

The materials you should use to insulate the rafter space will depend on the way you have chosen to insulate, however the products used will tend to be denser and more rigid than those used for joists.

• If you are looking to insulate between the rafters you can use both wool or insulation boards.
• If you are looking to insulate below the rafters then you may choose to use insulation boards or reflective foil.

Normally the process you decide on depends how deep the actual rafters are. If the depth is rather shallow the best option will be to insulate below the rafters. You can in theory increase the depth yourself by attaching planks of wood top of the rafter, but then you are giving yourself more work and adding complexity to the process.

Mineral wool for insulating between the rafters

This can be glass wool, rock or mineral wool and it comes in rolls. You will need to wear protective material, a mask and have the adequate tools to fix this to the space between the rafters. The material is then fixed to the space between the rafters, whilst ensuring there is gap to the roof membrane to avoid condensation.

The difficulty in creating a warm loft with mineral wool insulation is basically due to the thickness of wool insulation needed to hit the necessary U-value as specified by building regulations (300mm) although to be honest, if you are doing this yourself, you are not required by law to conform. The way to keep the insulation in place is to use a net that you can then staple to the rafters which acts as a hammock for the insulation.

Sheep wool for insulating between the rafters

If you are using sheep’s wool, which is not an irritant, then you can handle the material without wearing protective clothing. If you are using sheep wool insulation you will also get the added benefits of the material being able to absorb moisture. Warm air rises from the heated rooms below and condenses when it comes into contact with cold insulation materials. Sheep wool, unlike other wool products, can absorb some of this moisture and protect the rafter timbers from rot, without it affecting its own insulating properties. When insulating rafters, a more rigid form of sheep’s wool insulation can be used, which is more suited to rafter insulation.

Insulation boards for insulating between or below the rafters

Insulating board can be fitted between the rafters or below the rafters. Note: Because the material is thick, if you are going below the rafter space you will certainly lose headroom in the loft space. If your rafters are shallow then you have no choice and have to insulate below.

These boards, produced by companies like Celotex or Kingspan, are ideal for insulating loft spaces. They are more expensive than the basic mineral wool, however they offer double the insulating properties (therefore where you would normally use 200mm of wool, you would only require 100mm of the insulating board). They can be cut to size using a saw to fit between the spaces and drilled through for cabling.

Reflective foil for insulating below the rafters

Spray foam

A layer of foam is sprayed into the rafters and sets hard. This can only be installed professionally.

When professionals come in and install spray foams, they can achieve high thermal efficiency with very little depth. The two downsides of this firstly that it is very expensive compared to the other methods and also it doesn’t allow the roof to breath, locking in the water next to the timber – which as we have mentioned previously can lead to problems.

While having a warm loft space is great because you can then use the space – you are now heating an extra ‘room’ that you wouldn’t normally heat if you insulated just above the ceiling (i.e. a cold loft) – which means your heating bill will be higher.

Benefits

• A warmer home.
• Can be done cheaply.
• Potential savings on your energy bills.
• CO2 saving of 210kg to 730kg p/a.

Limitations

• None

Installing loft insulation

Interested in installing loft installation? The Green Homes Grant is a Government run scheme, offering grants of up to £10,000.

If you are interested in this scheme, we advise you look in to this on the Government website.

As we mentioned in our Introduction, there are two main ways to insulate your loft: one is via the rafters and the other is by insulating your joists. Insulating the joists is often the easier of the options and especially makes sense if you have no real plans to use the loft space.

Key points before you start

If your loft is easy to access, the insulating process should be pretty straightforward and can be undertaken as a DIY job. However, if you have any doubt in your own ability to carry out the work, we recommend getting a professional to do it.

Preparing the loft space ready to insulate

Before you get to the business end of installing loft insulation up in your roof, you need to make sure you have prepared the loft space and also bought the right quantity of materials to do the job. Below is a quick step-by-step guide on what you should do before you begin any work – but before this a quick word of warning!

Before installing the loft insulation:

• Clean the space between the joists by vacuuming between them, removing any dust that may have settled there over time.
• Make sure you pay attention to any cracks, dry rot or damage to the joists. If the are looks unsafe to work in, stop what you are doing and immediately seek professional help to repair these areas.
• Ensure good lighting in the loft to provide decent visibility to help you do the work.
• If you have boards fixed to your joists you need to remove these before you begin insulating the loft space.

Once you have the loft space ready to insulation we recommend doing a quick equipment check – below is a list of all the equipment you will need:

The protective overalls, gloves, goggles and mask are really worth using – the mineral wool insulation most people tend to use to insulate the loft is incredibly itchy, so making sure your skin is covered is a good way of avoiding this.

Using sheep wool insulation is another way to get around the itch issue.

Measuring the size of your loft

After you have cleared bulky objects you can see the area more clearly on what you can insulate. When measuring your loft space you need to start with the following:

• Take a measuring device and measure the whole area of your loft (this is simply the width multiplied by the length).
• Take into consideration the thickness you want to insulate to and if there is any pre-existing insulation in place, we recommend using 300mm if using wool insulation and 150mm if using the rigid insulating boards like Celotex or Kingspan.
• Measure the width of your joists – for example our wool insulation comes in two widths 380mm and 570mm – the idea is you go for the one that is closest to width of your joists so it minimises cutting.
• Measure the height of your joists – normally this is about 100mm. This means that if you are looking to insulate to a depth of 300mm in total, you will first lay down a layer of 100mm thick wool between the joists, then use 200mm thick wool laid across the joists at a 90 degree angle.

Write down these measurements on a piece of paper and then take them with you to a DIY shop to buy the insulation or visit an online retailer. Just a word of warning: insulating wool is really bulky and so unless you have a huge car, you might be better off having it delivered directly to your home.

Installing loft insulation between the joists

Insulating the loft at joist level is actually pretty easy to do as a DIY job, but if you feel uncomfortable doing the work then please call in a professional. Since different insulation products have slightly different insulating properties, building regulations use a U-value that needs to be attained to conform. This allows you to calculate the thickness of your chosen insulation product required to conform with building regulations, for example if you opt to use mineral wool, you will need to use 270mm-thick insulation to reach the 0.16 U-value specified in building regs.

To insulate your loft at joist level, please follow the steps below:

STEP 1: The first thing to do is to check whether there are light fittings that protrude between the joists (e.g. a GU10 spotlight will always have the fitting protruding into the loft), if there are, these will require capping prior to laying any insulation. These caps, sometimes referred to as downlight fire hoods or insulation guards, allow sufficient space around the light fitting for the heat to dissipate to stop the light getting too warm. Each light fitting will require a cap to prevent this overheating – they are simply placed over the light fitting and then you are good to go with the insulation.

STEP 2: The first layer of wool insulation needs to be laid between the joists, so you need to measure the distance between the joists to ensure you can get the right width of product. Typically the gap between the joists is either 380mm or 570mm so you will need a width of insulation similar to this, so it can fit snugly between the joists. Most insulation you buy will be partially perforated, allowing you to cut the roll of insulation easily to produce either 2 rolls that are 570mm wide or 3 rolls that our 380mm wide. If the insulation isn’t partially perforated, you will need to use scissors to cut it to the necessary thickness.

STEP 3: Once the insulation is the correct width, you need to roll it out between the joists; lightly press the insulation material to fit between the joists, but be careful not to overdo it and compress the material. Joists tend to be only about 100mm high (although this can vary), so match the insulation thickness you buy with the joist height – once installed, the insulation should come up to the top of the joists. You will need to work the insulation around and over any downlight caps that may now be present.

STEP 4: You now need to spread an additional 170mm – 200mm thick insulation at 90 degrees to the joists. Starting at the furthest point from the loft hatch slowly unroll the insulation over the top of the joists – make sure you use kneeling boards to spread the weight load and reduce the risk of ceiling collapsing as you move around in the loft space. This second thicker layer of insulation should have no gaps between the strips that you lay out – it should produce a continuous layer of insulation – you will no longer be able to see the joists. This will take the total thickness of the insulation in the loft to 270mm – 300mm as specified by building regulations. You may like to install even thicker than this, but the energy savings of doing so will be negligible.

STEP 5: As a final step you will need to insulate the loft hatch, by strapping on some material to the top of the hatch. This can be stapled to the top of the loft hatch, helping to preserve a consistent thermal barrier. You can also fit draught proof strips on the outside of the hatch to stop gusts of cold air in the winter. A really easy way to do this is to fill a black bag with insulation and then tape this down to the top of the hatch using thick tape.

Although 270mm – 300mm is the optimum depth recommended for mineral wool, but if you are planning on using one of the other insulating materials such as loose fill, it is worth reading the guidelines provided by the manufacturer to ensure you use a sufficient volume to give the required depth. Putting more than 270mm on insulation within your loft (e.g. 350mm) will help you heat your house for less, but the savings equal the cost of laying the additional insulation so you may deem this unnecessary.

Storing items in the loft but still insulating to building regulations

As we have said, the more insulation the better and to adhere to building regs you need 270mm of wool insulation as a minimum. One of the issues with putting this much insulation in the loft space is that you lose sight of the joists. Many people like to use the loft space as storage, however, so will insulate only to the top of the joists and then attach chipboard directly to the joists making a solid, walkable surface. Obviously if you install 300mm this is not possible, so prior to STEP 4 above, you will need to install loft stilts (or loft lifters).

These are relatively simple to install, and are essentially strong plastic stilts that raise the height of the joists, allowing you to install the extra insulation and then attach chipboard on top of the them. This allows you to still produce a useable surface while also maximising the thickness of insulation you install.

Using rigid insulation board as loft insulation

Insulating water tanks in the loft

One issue that arises from insulating the loft space just above the ceiling (i.e. in the joists) is that the loft space itself will become incredibly cold. During very cold weather the temperature could even become sub-zero, which if you have water tanks in the loft, could be a big issue!

If you do have cold water tanks in the loft, first of all, never insulate underneath them; always allow heat to travel up through the roof into the bottom of the cold water tank. Also, it is worth insulating the cold water tanks themselves and lagging any pipework you can see in the loft that sits above the insulation you have installed in the joists. The kit required to insulate the cold water tanks is known as the Byelaw 30 and can be purchased from any good DIY store.

Key points before you start

Insulating the rafter space will give you a warm loft. This means insulating between or below the sloping beams that form the construction and support a sloping roof. The rafters are joined together by a horizontal ridge board at the top and tied together by ceiling joists at the bottom.

Having chosen to insulate your rafters and potentially use the loft space as an extension of your living area, you need to be aware of some safety features before you read on:

1. Ensure if you are placing heavy objects or walking in the loft space you have fix boards to your joists, otherwise there is a danger you may fall through the ceiling.
2. Be aware of pipes and electrical cables.
3. Making the loft warm is not a substitute for a full professional conversion.

Insulating your rafters as a DIY job

There are two ways you can do this as a DIY job:

• Insulating between the rafters
• Insulating below the rafters

Preparing the loft space ready to insulate

Before you get to the business-end of installing the product you need to make sure you have prepared the workspace in the loft and have also bought the right quantity of materials. There is a quick step-by-step guide below on what you should do before you begin any work:

• Clean the rafter space by vacuuming between them, removing any dust that may have settled there over time.
• Make sure you pay attention to any cracks, dry rot or damage to the rafters and the roof membrane. If it looks unsafe to work, stop what you are doing and immediately seek professional help to repair these areas.
• Check the wiring is ok.
• Ensure a good level of lighting in the loft to provide decent visibility to help you do the work.
• Ensure you have boards laid out on the joists, as you will be moving around the loft and transferring your body weight onto the ceiling below.

Once you have all the space figured out you will need to do an equipment check.  Here is what we recommend you find before starting:

• Tough pair of scissors
• Measuring tape
• Protective overalls and gloves when handling rock or glass wool
• Safety goggles
• A disposable mask
• Safety helmet

If you are handling insulation boards then you may also require the following:

• A saw
• Drill
• Nail gun
• Wooden battens

Measuring the size of your rafter coverage

After you have cleared bulky objects, you will be able to see the area more clearly. When measuring your loft space here is a simple guide:

• Take a measuring device (tape measure or a laser measure) and measure the rafter area – this can be done by measuring from the apex of the roof down to where the sloping roof meets the horizontal joists and multiplying by the breadth of the roof.
• Take into consideration the thickness you want to insulate – it is recommended you insulate to at least 100mm to get the optimal performance
• Measure the width of your rafters – this is important if you are thinking of insulating below the rafters
• Write down these measurements on a piece of paper and then take them with you to a DIY shop to buy the insulation or order the materials online.

DIY rafter insulation

Before you apply the insulating material you will need to measure and leave a space of about 50mm between the roof (breathable membrane or tiled) and your insulating material so air can travel freely through, otherwise you could have issues with condensation and damp.

The depth of rafter will obviously influence the thickness of insulation you can fit between them, but you can always extend the rafter by attaching a wooden extension to it, since the more insulation you can fit in place, the warmer the loft space will be.

• When handling wool, ensure you take enough rolls with you into your loft space. Use scissors to cut through the packaging and lay out the material. You will need to start at the top, stapling the wool material to the sides of rafters on each side. Carry on fixing the material until you have the whole space covered. You will need to have your dimensions correctly mapped out as you need to have material that covers the width of the rafter space.
• Make sure the insulation is 50mm below the actual roof, which can be done using the battens as your measuring gauge for the breathable area between the roof and the insulating material.
• Depending how deep your rafter is you may be able to fit two layers of 100mm thick wool insulation. To ensure bits don’t fall off you can then attach a layer of netting that will ensure the material is further supported from the forces of gravity.
• At this point, if you are bothered about aesthetics you can fix a thin layer of plasterboard to the bottom of the rafters (with the material already snuggly fitted between them), and paint over it. Although you will lose you some headroom, it does improve the visuals of the place.

Installing rigid boards

• Your rigid boards will need to be cut to fit the gaps between the rafters. When they are cut ensure there is a relatively tight fit between the edges so that it could be stapled to the rafters. The wooden battens that sit further in the rafter will act as an automatic stabiliser, so the boards could easily sit on top of them.
• Again make sure you select the right thickness of the material so you fill as much of the rafter gap as possible. To ensure you don’t have bits flying off you can get sheets of see-through film and staple it to the underside of the rafters.
• Using rigid boards as opposed to wool is a much more precise process, as the cuttings need to be almost perfect to snugly fit rather than the wool, where your material can be folded and moulded to fit into the rafter space. If you are in doubt please consult a professional.
• When you use solid insulation board to create a warm loft the key thing to remember is ventilation – you must keep a 50mm gap between the roof and the rigid insulation board. We would always recommend having a breathable membrane in place between the tiles and the rafters too to allow the roof to breathe. If there is no vapour layer it might result in damp issues, since the warm air may condense in the loft space on cold surfaces. Water and timber don’t work too well together and it could result in the timbers rotting.
• The best way to achieve the gap is to attach some dowel batons on the inside of the rafters so you can then butt the insulation board up to them ensuring the 50mm gap is still in place. If you measure the thickness of the rafter, then less the 50mm gap – this is the thickness of the rigid board you want to put between the rafters. By doing this the insulation board will then not protrude out past the outside edge of the rafters, which means that you can then very simply attach more insulation boards, fixing them directly to the rafters to achieve the required depth of insulation.

What materials can you use to insulate below the rafters?

If you have shallow rafters or just don’t care about losing the headroom, then fixing material on the underside of the rafters is the much easier way to insulate at rafter level. Here you don’t have issues with condensation or worrying about leaving a gap in the roof membrane.

Installing rigid boards

• Your rigid boards will need to be cut with some logic so that you can move from one side of the roof to the other. Insulation boards come in different sizes, and as long as you figure out a plan as to how you will cover the rafter space then you should be fine.
• You need to nail them to the underside of the rafters to ensure they can be fixed. You can use a nail gun or a conventional hammer and nails to do this. If you are using a nail gun, ensure that you handle it with care.
• At this point you may also decide that it is sensible to do this as a lone ranger. Having someone there holding the material in place while you fix the edges will ensure the process is more efficient. In addition having a fresh pair of eyes and hands means you always have a second opinion during this process.
• At the end you may want to put a decorative finish by covering with a thin layer of plasterboard and painting a finish.

Installing reflective foil

The reflective foil installation is the easiest of the processes, however the thermal insulation result is the poorest.

• Unroll the material and start on one side of the loft. Staple the foil to the underside of the rafter, ensuring as you roll-out the material you staple to all the rafters. You will eventually get to the other side of the room having covered a level with this insulating material.

• You either now move onto the other direction of the loft or you position the foil below or above the level you have just insulated. The idea is that by the end of the process you would have covered the whole loft space.

Last summer the Daily Mail published an article claiming that too much insulation installed under the could cause overheating of homes and endanger old people.

Since we are now approaching warmer weather (or what passes for warm weather in the UK), I thought it would be right to tackle this accusation and explain just why the opposite is in fact true!

How does insulation work?

During the winter, the air inside the home is warmer than the air outside. The insulation slows down the movement of energy from the warm area to the cold area, creating a thermal barrier that means your boiler doesn’t have to work as hard to keep the home warm. The thicker the insulation, and the lower the U-value, the better this thermal barrier is and so the slower the heat will escape the home.

During a summers day when the temperature may hit 30 degrees, the air outside is generally warmer than the air in the home. With the heating off, the house warms up gradually through the day as the walls and roof absorb the heat of the day. But because the air outside is warmer the thermal barrier created by the insulation will again slow the movement of heat, but in the opposite direction. Warm air in the loft will not be able to penetrate into the home as easily, whilst insulation in the walls will prevent them from warming the home as quickly as well.

Will insulation make nights too warm?

It is true that if you home is too warm when you go to bed, insulation will slow the release of heat from the property. This is easily negated by ensuring that you keep the home well ventilated, opening windows, for example. Anyone who doesn’t open their windows in a heatwave is asking for trouble – a bit of common sense is all that is needed!

To be honest there are about half a dozen days a year in the UK where we do find ourselves in the midst of a heatwave conditions, but there is normally about 6 months when we need to have the heating on, so on balance it is clearly better to install the insulation and take action when it is too warm rather than visa versa.

Are there any negatives to installing insulation?

Insulation is a safe, important way to make your home more comfortable, and it will help make your heating bills more affordable. There is absolutely no reason why you should not insulate your home, as long as it is done properly and appropriate measures taken with regards to safety.

Poorly installed loft insulation that does not consider your wiring and lighting can cause fires, but this is easily avoided by capping the light fittings and taking care not to cover wires. Any installer worth their salt should be able to do this. For cavity wall insulation, vents are sometimes required to prevent damp and provide sufficient ventilation for the property.

Is air tightness a problem for air quality?

It is important for your home to have good air quality – poor air quality can be hazardous to health. Having said this, some properties with extreme air tightness, like passivhaus buildings, have very good air quality. They utilise natural ventilation to improve the air, so whilst it is worth considering your air quality, it should not be a reason to avoid installing insulation.

Insulation is vital for your home

Wherever you live and whatever the type of property, insulation is absolutely vital. With spiralling energy costs it will become even more so. Make sure your home is up to scratch and don’t let the papers stop you from keeping your home warm and saving you money!

Installing Cavity Wall Insulation

Need cavity wall insulation? We have scoured the country for the best tradespeople, so that we can make sure we only recommend those we really trust.

If you would like us to find you a local insulation installer, just fill in the form below and we will be in touch shortly!

Want to use your loft for storage, but still want it insulated?

Many of us store old bits and pieces in the loft like luggage and Christmas decorations, but one of the biggest problems is storing these on wool insulation in the loft. For one, boxes will compress the insulation, making it less effective in terms of energy savings. In addition, the wool is pretty horrible to touch (although not our 100% sheep wool!) so actually venturing into the loft to get anything you have stored up there is also a pretty traumatic experience!

Obviously one way of getting around this issue is simply boarding the loft and we come across lots of homes that do just that, resting the chipboard across the joists. The issue with this is that the recommended insulation depth is now 270mm (according to UK building regulations) and joists tend to be only 100mm tall, so it means that if the loft is insulated under the boarding – it will be at a maximum depth of 100mm which is not really sufficient.

So how then do you create a solid storage platform in the loft will still managing to insulate to the required 270mm?

Method 1: Creating a warm loft

To be honest, this is our least favourite option, but only because insulating your loft should be really quick and easy. Creating a warm loft is more difficult, because you need to attach the insulation to the rafters – which is great once it is done, but having to fight gravity while installing it can be rather painful.

Essentially, a loft can be insulated either at joist level (just above the ceiling of room directly below the loft space) or at rafter level, which is between the rafters that support the roof of the loft.

We have written a far more detailed methodology of how to do this here, but by doing this, you can simply board up the joists (or leave them boarded if they are already) and it will mean that the loft is warm – since insulation at the rafter level means that heat can travel freely through the ceiling of your home into the loft space.

So the two drawbacks are the installation process itself, and the fact you are heating your loft, which in all likeliness is not used very often. The benefit is that since the loft is warm, it will protect anything you store up there. Obviously books and the like will fare better in a more consistent temperature rather than suddenly going from very cold to very warm.

Method 2: Raising the height of your joists

This is our preferred method to be honest, and involves raising the level of the joists, on to which you can then attach the chipboard panels to create a solid storage surface.

The first way is to lay new joists at 90 degrees to the existing joists. This is relatively easy, but will mean purchasing new timber and also adding much more load (essentially weight!) to the existing joists.

In order to do this, you will first need to lay the insulation between the existing joists. Once this has been done, you will need to run joists along the length of the roof space at 90 degrees to the existing joists. You can then insulate between these and then board over.

The second method is to artificially raise the height of the joists – to do this you will need loft stilts which you can buy from us by clicking on the link below.

To install the loft storage stilts, you first need to run the 100mm thick insulation between the joists as normal. If you have spotlights coming in to the roof, we suggest getting caps that sit on top of the fitting to help prevent them from overheating.

Once the initial layer of insulation has been laid between the joists, you then need to attach the loft storage stilts to the joists. They need to be spaced no more than 600mm apart to ensure that there is enough of them to support the weight of the chipboard and the items that are being stored. Once these are all in screwed into place, you can then lay the next 200mm thick layer of insulation at 90 degrees to the existing joists and then screw down the chipboard into the stilts.

The top platform of each of the stilts is 150mm wide, allowing you to support either 2 chipboard edges on the stilt or 4 corners.

You can see in the photo below what the finished installation should look like.

Method 3: Using chipboard with 100mm compressed insulation backing

The final method for insulating the loft is to use a chipboard product with a non compressing insulated backing.

These again are available from B&Q – click here to go to their site (although I am sure you can by similar products from other DIY stores).

With these, we recommend still filling between the joists will 100mm insulating wool as normal (and remembering to cap any light fittings that protrude into the roof space). Once that has been done, you then simply lay these boards ensuring that each individual board is supported by 3 or more joists. They fit together very much like a puzzle (with the tongue and groove) and can then be screwed in to place to give you a really firm supporting surface.

A final thought!

Finally we want to ensure that you only undertake this type of work if you are DIY competent. If you have any doubts, we strongly recommend getting in touch with a professional to help. Not only is falling through the ceiling between the joists embarrassing – it is also rather dangerous and expensive!

Continuing on from the blog last week, discussing some of the early feedback on the Green Deal, I want to look at some of the misconceptions people can have when considering energy efficiency improvements. These can stem from a variety of sources, for instance: out of date knowledge on certain technologies, biased opinion from contractors selling their products, and in some cases just uncorrected assumptions from the home owner. It is of course important for a Green Deal advisor to try and clear up these misconceptions, and allow the home owner an unbiased and straight-forward explanation of energy efficiency measures and here are some common examples:

Walls, Roofs, Windows and Doors Energy Misconceptions

• One important point is to remember that some of the larger, more expensive improvements are not necessarily the best ways to save money or improve efficiency. And some of the smaller scale, simpler improvements can make potentially a bigger difference. Double glazing seems to be a great example of this. In most homes, insulating the loft or rafters under the roof will make a bigger difference (and cost significantly less), than getting expensive double glazing – although there are of course other reasons for getting double glazing installed, such as its acoustic insulating ability.
• Walls are another area of the home that people are often ignorant about. Some people may suggest that a thick wall means better efficiency, however that is not necessarily the case. Brick is a poor insulator and therefore thickness is not particularly important. The construction of the walls however is very important, and older solid wall properties will lose much more heat through the wall than a more modern cavity wall. Often people are confused over cavity walls and insulation – cavity walls are only insulated once they have been filled, even though an uninstalled, unfilled cavity is more energy efficient than a solid wall.
• Draughts really do make a big impact on the efficiency of a home. Most heating in homes is in the form of convection space heating, so the radiator (or convection equivalent) warms the air. The problem is air has a very low thermal capacity, so a cool draught will very quickly remove the heat from the air. Getting draught proofing for doors and windows and ensuring fireplaces are properly draught-proofed is essential, and costs very little in comparison to savings made, potentially paying back in a couple of years or less.
• Thickness of loft insulation is also important, and the building regulations for the recommended thickness seem to be continually changing.  Even if your loft was insulated 5 years ago, it is very likely that more insulation will be required, as it is now recommended to install loft insulation to a thickness of 270mm or more.

 Boilers and Hot Water Tanks Energy Misconceptions

• The hot water tank jacket is an often overlooked piece of insulation, yet can repay itself in a year in some instances. Confusion can arise over the spray foam often factory applied to the tank. In many cases this is not very thick, and a simple wrap-around jacket can save money.
• Water saving measures like shower heads, cistern displacement devices, shower timers and tap aerators all help reduce water and heating bills. For those on water metres there is a double saving to be made, as these measures help reduce the hot water used (and thus heating bills) and the will also reduce the volume of water used.
• A new boiler can be very expensive and in some cases not necessary. Getting a highly efficient boiler when the house is poorly insulated will often make less of a difference than getting walls and roof spaces properly insulated.
• Further, heating controls are also very important. Without being able to control room temperatures and set timers, much energy is needlessly wasted. Those without sufficient controls often leave the heating on too long, and end up needing to open a window to let the heat out, or forget to turn the hot water off. Without individual room controls, rooms not in use or not in need of heating get unnecessarily overheated, and waste valuable energy.

Habits and Lifestyles

• People today are often aware that they can save energy from certain simple measures. Many of which require little or no cost, but they are often not aware that these measures can add up to create big savings.
• Common examples of bad habits widely practiced by the public include: leaving lids off whilst cooking on the hob, overfilling the kettle, and leaving appliances on standby. The cumulative effect of the dozens of household appliances with stand-by modes left on continuously has a huge effect on electricity bills.

A final Point

Another point that has been stressed in previous blogs is that halogen bulbs are not low energy! They are in fact very inefficient and switching to LED bulbs will save a lot of money, relative to the cost of the bulbs, also since the last significantly longer (10-20 years longer), you won’t have to get your ladder out every 6 months to replace a blown bulb!

 

Having done a number of Green Deal assessments to date, it has been interesting to get the customer feedback on how they potentially see the scheme helping them increase the energy efficiency of their home and also go over some of the concerns that they have raised about it so far.

Typically, it seems that most customers seem to have a positive view of the Green Deal and what it is trying to achieve, however they are surprised some of the measures on their ‘wishlist’ are not immediately recommended when the Green Deal reports are finalised.

How the Green Deal recommendations work

The RdSAP software (reduced SAP) works by targeting the improvements that will best improve the energy efficiency of the home. Normally, the measures suggested will target the envelope of the home first; so the roof, walls and floors. It is the roof and the walls combined that account for over 50% of potential heat loss of property. Improving these areas by increasing insulation or draught proofing is the most common recommendation; and except in very few circumstances these will be recommended ahead of having a new boiler installed or fitting double glazed windows. So if you have an old boiler that you feel may be coming to the end of its useful life, the Green Deal won’t necessarily fund a new one, if other measures would make a more significant impact on your home.

The Green ticks vs. Orange ticks

There is a difference between what the Green Deal will finance under its framework and what it will not. A lot of customers have asked the question on the differences between the ‘green’ and ‘orange’ ticks. Well the green tick means there is no upfront cost for the customer as the measure is forecasted to pay for its self with the projected savings. On the other hand an orange tick means the customer will have to make a contribution to the Green Deal plan, whether that is in part or in full.

An orange tick also means the projected savings are not big enough to pay off in a sensible period of time, so financing energy efficiency improvements via the Green Deal isn’t the best of way of doing it.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO)

A lot of customers have asked whether they can some ECO financing towards their Green Deal Plan. First of all what is ECO? It is an amount of money (precisely £1.3billion) that the energy companies have to set aside to assist helping improve the energy efficiency of properties where the occupants are in fuel poverty, vulnerable or disabled.

Within ECO there is also a tranche, called the Carbon Saving Obligation and this is meant to help finance some of the hard to treat walls. For example if you have an un-insulated solid wall or a narrow cavity you may qualify for some ECO money if the Green Deal Report recommends solid wall insulation. If you see a green tick for solid wall insulation make sure you speak to your Green Deal Provider and find out how much of the total Green Deal Plan would be part financed by this grant.

Just to manage expectations, the ECO may not actually finance all of the cost of solid wall insulation but it should certainly help cover some of it.

Green Deal cashback mechanism

This is the biggest unknown that I have found so far when summarising to customers what they could do next. The Government have actually put aside £40million for early adopters of the scheme. So if you actually have Green Deal measures installed in the property you could qualify up to £1,000 of cashback. The amount will vary by measure.

The Green Deal and financing home improvements

Finally, there are a lot of scare stories about what you would do if you wanted to sell the property and having the Green Deal on the electricity meter would put off potential buyers. This view is wrong. By having the Green Deal quality sticker on the property will demonstrate that the property has improved energy efficiency and therefore in the long run also have lower bills – surely this makes it a more attractive proposition.

Author: Nicholas Miles (Green Deal Advisor)

 

 

An Easy to Understand Guide to the Green Deal

This week sees the launch of the Government’s flagship Green Deal initiative. Some have described it as being an overly complex initiative that’s doomed to failure, but in this article we hope to demystify it. We aim to show you that it really isn’t that tough to understand, and you can reap the rewards and see the financial benefits from the scheme very quickly.

Why do we need the Green Deal?

Currently, between 25 – 50% of the energy we use every day is used to heat our homes. Many houses in the UK have inefficient heating systems, or are poorly insulated, meaning much of the heat in the home quickly escapes through the walls or the roof, so the boiler has to work harder (use more energy) to maintain a comfortable temperature.

By installing loft, floor, solid wall or cavity wall insulation in your home, it helps trap more of the heat in, by slowing the movement of heat through the fabric of the building. With the new energy efficient boilers, the higher their efficiency rating, the better they convert fuel to heat, so less fuel is required. So if either of these are installed in your property you will see your energy bills come down, thereby saving you money.

Looking at the bigger picture, why is the Government anxious for homes to use less fuel?

There are several reasons.

Firstly by spending less on heating bills, it means that homeowners have more money and disposable income. We are in the middle of a recession, which has seen a major squeeze on living standards and some of the biggest cuts to public services ever witnessed, therefore any savings for homeowners at this stage will be seen as welcome relief that will reflect well on the government.

The second reason is linked to meeting future energy demand. In 2020, we will be facing an ‘energy black hole’. The capacity of our grid is just about maxed out right now and there is further pressure on supply, with plans to decommission nuclear power plants towards the end of the decade.

Therefore, there is no way we will be able to meet future demand unless money is spent quickly to somehow increase capacity. So if the government can push initiatives that lead to a lower demand for energy, they should buy themselves some time and push back this potential headache for a few extra years.

The third reason, which perhaps is the most important, is to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions, as we promised to do in December 1997 when we signed the Kyoto protocol.

So now we’ve looked at why we need the Green Deal; the next section examines the ‘who’ & the ‘how’.

Who can get the Green Deal?

It is the Government’s intention that the Green Deal will be available to most residential properties in the UK, both commercial and residential. Tenants as well as owner landlords will also be allowed to apply and benefit from the Green Deal.

The following properties are eligible for Green Deal installations:

• Owner Occupied (terrace, semi, detached)
• Privately Rented – an existing tenant can apply for the Green Deal with the support and permission of the landlord/property owner
• Local Authority and/ or Housing Associations – local authorities are likely to establish specialised financing arrangements (still to be decided) under the Green Deal scheme to improve the energy efficiency of their housing stock.

How can I get the Green Deal?

Anyone can get a Green Deal assessment: you can log your interest by contacting us at: mailbox@TheGreenAge.co.uk. Leave your name and number and we will respond to you within 24 hours.

The Green Deal assessment process

There are two parts to this assessment:

(1) The EPC (you might be familiar with the EPC if you have sold, bought or rented a private property since 2007)
(2) The Occupancy Assessment.

This Green Deal assessment will take a couple of hours to complete. The first bit will be a non-intrusive survey by the assessor (don’t worry– no floor boards will be lifted up!), and the second half will be an interview with you to learn more about your energy usage habits.

Once this has been completed, a report is generated on the spot, which will suggest a series of energy efficiency measures that can be installed in your home. These will vary from house to house. Energy efficiency measures will qualify under the Green Deal only if installing them will meet the “Golden Rule”.

The Green Deal Golden Rule

According to the DECC website: ‘The key principle, or Golden Rule, for accessing Green Deal finance is that the charge attached to the bill should not exceed the expected savings, and the length of the payment period should not exceed the expected lifetime of the measures’.

So what does this actually mean for you?

The installation cost of energy efficiency improvements will be paid for directly by the savings made by the increased energy efficiency of your home, and will be recouped in clearly set out instalments attached to your utility bill. These payback instalments are to be spread out over a number of years.

It is probably easier here to use an example to demonstrate how it works in practice.

Say each year, your energy bill is £500 and an energy efficiency measure costs £100 to install.

If the savings that result from installing your insulation amount to £20 a year for example, then you bill will be as follows

Yr1 to Yr5 – £480 energy bill + £20 towards Insulation costs so £500 total
Yr6 – £480 energy bill

So in the first 5 years you still pay £500 to your energy supplier, but in year 6, you will have paid back the insulation costs, so going forward you will see the financial rewards of installing the energy efficiency measure.

This example has ignored finance costs, but in reality the utility company is providing you with a loan to pay for the insulation up front, so actually you will pay back a capital amount and a small financing cost, but the principle above still stands – your utility bill should not cost any more than before you installed the energy efficiency measure.

What if the Green Deal Golden Rule is not met?

There is an additional fund known as Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) that is available to most vulnerable members of our society, the elderly and those that are energy poor. The ECO fund pays for Green Deal Providers to still install efficiency measures that may not meet the Golden Rule of the Green Deal. So be sure to speak to your Green Deal Assessor to see if you may be eligible for this.

Choosing the energy efficiency solutions that are right for you

Once you have the list of possible solutions from the Green Deal report, you can discuss the pros and cons of each one with your Green Deal Assessor. Some of the solutions may result in your having to take on major upheavals in the home. For example, for internal solid wall insulation, you have to make some changes to the standard living space and move your furniture around as the installation process is happening.

When you have decided on the solution you want to choose and install, you’ll need to sign up to a Green Deal Plan. This is a contract between you and a private company that will install the measure, known as the Green Deal Provider (such as British Gas).

The Green Deal Provider will then arrange for a certified Green Deal Installer to come and carry out the agreed work.

Once the work has been completed, your utility company will start sending you bills that are split via the energy you use and the Green Deal payment you are making (+the financing cost). As the Golden Rule states, this should be the same or less than your previous bill payment. Note: once you have paid off the Green Deal charge, the savings the energy efficiency measures bring should be reflected in lower energy bills for your home.

What happens to the Green Deal charge if I move house?

If you move house, you will not be liable to continue paying for the Green Deal measures. The Green Deal plan is attached to the electric meter of the home and not the individual. So any new tenant or home owner moving into the property will have to take on these payments, but knowing they will reap future benefits of the Green Deal could be an encouraging point for future home buyers.

Summarising the Green Deal

• Government flagship policy to upgrade existing housing stock so they are brought to the best possible energy efficiency standards
• Save money on energy bills without paying anything upfront
• Green Deal available to most residential properties in the UK, both commercial and residential
• Find a Green Deal Assessor near you by searching on Google
• You will qualify for the Green Deal if you meet the “Golden Rule”
• ECO is there to help those that are most vulnerable
• Chose energy efficiency measures that are right for you
• If you move home the Green Deal payment stays with the electric meter, so the new inhabitants will take on the payments.