The benefits of insulation

by Ally Hunt on 09 September 2009  |  13 comments
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We're already feeling the benfit from insulating our loft and cavity walls - but will it make a difference to our fuel bills, too?

After a lot of faffing we've finally got around to getting our loft and cavity walls insulated.

It's well worth doing; thanks to pressure on the utility companies by the government, most homeowners and tenants are entitled to some form of grant, with many older people being entitled to free insulation.

And our dire loft insulation actually worked well for us - as it was so low (recommended thickness is 270mm) we were entitled to slightly more.

Emptying the loft was an experience in itself - the house had been owned by an elderly couple who hadn't really removed their stuff when they moved out.

Various discoveries were made - small rolls of every carpet the house had ever had fitted, some broken trunks and a massive old wireless that my husband is determined to take to "Antiques Roadshow" as he reckons it'll cover the kids' college education.

Plus an old damaged folding screen that looked like tat to us but caused much excitement for the boys at the dump when taken there (let's hope that doesn't crop up on said programme).

Getting the insulation fitted was unsurprisingly noisy, but did leave our 18-month-old son in raptures as he stared and pointed through the window at the guys in their bright yellow protective suits as he ate his breakfast (he's going to love "Ghostbusters" when he's older).

And do you know what? We can already feel a difference in the house. During a recent sunny spell when the bedrooms would normally become extremely hot, they were comfortable. I've got high hopes for a cosy house and lower fuel bills this winter.

The only downside is that my husband is so happy with the new luxuriously insulated loft that he now refuses to board it, so it can no longer be used for storage. Hmm, wonder how long that will last now his treasured old Amiga and Spectrum computers are languishing in the garage?