At Home with Sarah Beeny 2013 - (Page 180)

Are you well covered? insulating your home is vital all year round – and it’s not difficult to do. Draught-proofing is quick, easy and one of the cheapest ways to save heat { { W hat’s not to love about insulating your home? It cuts your fuel bills and reduces your carbon footprint while keeping your property warm – therefore, it should be high up on your list of important priorities. ‘Without insulation, up to a third of the heat you pay for may be lost through the roof, walls, windows and floors,’ says guest editor and property guru, Sarah Beeny. ‘There are lots of ways to insulate your home. These include simple techniques such as loft insulation, which you can tackle yourself, to more involved projects such as cavity wall insulation. They’ll all make your home greener, more energy efficient and cheaper to run.’ Lowering your home’s energy consumption will also make it easier to sell, when the time comes. When you sell a property, you are now required to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). This provides details of the energy efficiency of the building and how it can be improved, so the buyer knows what they’re getting. Even if you’re not selling, getting an EPC assessment will show you where you can make improvements. It costs from around £60 to £120. Visit www.epcregister.com to find an accredited energy assessor. Installing insulation can be quite straightforward and inexpensive. What’s more, you may be eligible for how much impact will they have on your home? Here’s the lowdown. feeling hot Stick tin foil shiny-side towards the back of your radiator and it will help reflect heat back into a room instead of letting any escape through the walls a government grant or loan to cover all or part of the costs. The Green Deal scheme was launched in January 2013, allowing you to pay back the cost of improvements over time through your electricity bill. The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme is currently being rolled out to fund energy saving measures in low-income and vulnerable households. Call the Energy Saving Trust helpline on 0300 123 1234 or visit www. energysavingtrust.org.uk for more about both schemes, and to find out if you’re eligible for an ECO grant. Some local authorities also provide grants for installing energy efficiency measures, so contact your local council to find out what’s available. So, what are the different types of insulation, what do they involve, and Lagging pipes and tanks These reduce the amount of heat that escapes, so water stays hotter for longer and uses less energy. Insulating your hot water cylinder is one of the easiest ways to save energy. If your cylinder already has a ‘jacket’, check it’s at least 75mm thick. If not, replace it with a new jacket to cut heat loss by over 75%. Lagging-exposed hot water pipes between the boiler and cylinder will also keep water hotter for longer. The materials – such as foam tubes or felt sleeving – will easily pay for themselves within a year. Look for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended label for the most energy-efficient products in your local DIY store or online. DIY OR PROFESSIONALS? Fitting a hot water cylinder jacket is a straightforward job. Fitting insulation to pipes is easy if they are accessible. If not, ask a professional for advice. COST: £25-£50 for cylinder jacket and pipe insulation. SAVINGS: Up to £55 a year. CARBON FOOTPRINT BONUS: Saves 230kg of carbon dioxide a year. SARAH beeny’S TOP TIP: ‘Once you’ve insulated your house inside, it will be warmer and protected – but the roof space will be colder. This means cold water pipes are more vulnerable to freezing in winter, so you need to lag them as well.’ 180 | APRIL 2013 180-182 insulation FINAL.indd 180 1/3/13 10:38:18 http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk http://www.epcregister.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of At Home with Sarah Beeny 2013

Editor's letter
Sarah's Welcome
Notebook
It's a date
Mellow yellow
Blooming wonderful
Proper copper
Rent revolution
Home upgrade
Leading locations
Property virgins
Safe as houses
On the move
Good on paper
A distressed look
Turn up the heat
Fire it up
Trendsetter
Another 48 hours
Something old, something new
Suite dreams
Inside the box
Bathtime
On stylish ground
On the rise
DIY for girls
The blueprint
A glass act
Final draught
Heat beneath your feet
Silent enemies
Real-life renovation
Eco exclusive
Hot stuff
How very cultivated
Turn over a new leaf
Lofty deals
Keep your antenna up
What Sarah says
How bizarre
Colour cocktail
Last word
Stockists

At Home with Sarah Beeny 2013