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Lag your loft
What
When your home has good quality loft insulation you can dramatically reduce your carbon pollution. Not only that, you’ll be warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer and save some money, too.
Benefits
For people
25% of heating energy disappears through the roof of an uninsulated house. That's your money just wafting away from you, never to come back. Not great for the environment, and also not great for your household budget.
Your loft insulation could pay for itself within a couple years and will continue to save you energy for more than forty years. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that insulating your loft will cost between £50 and £350 and save you about £175 a year on your energy bills.
For planet
Snug as a pug in a rug? That's how your house will feel after wrapping it in a nice thick layer of insulation. Thermal loft insulation reduces heat loss (and heat gain) by providing a barrier between the inside and outside of your home. It helps to reduce the amount of heat that escapes from it in the winter and protects it from getting too warm in the summer.
Insulating your loft will save in the region of a whopping 720kg of CO2 a year every year when you insulate your loft.
If everyone in the UK installed the recommended 270mm loft insulation, not only would we save nearly £500 million as a nation, we'd save 2.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, the equivalent of taking nearly 100,000 cars off the road.
How
There are two routes to getting your loft well insulated: You can do it yourself or you can get a specialist installer to do it for you.
DIY:
For many lofts or 'rooms in the roof', you can install your own insulation within in a day, no matter how experienced or otherwise you are at DIY.
It is important to go for an approved material, one that has been properly tested to ensure it is safe to use in your loft. Look out for Energy Savings Trust recommended products.
Watch this handy video from Wickes about how to install your own insulation, or read B&Q's comprehensive advice on how to get cracking.
Bring in the professionals:
If your loft is damp, your roof is flat, or it's just not easy to access, you're definitely best to bring hte professionals in.
There are a lot of professional energy efficiency advisers and installers for you to choose from, go to the National Insulation Association website to find a registered installer in your area.
Funding:
And before you make any decisions, why not have a quick word with your energy supplier or local authority to find out what deals are available locally. The energy companies have carbon emission targets they have to meet and as a result they may be subsidising or even giving away loft insulation.
References
Loft insulation can save up to 1000kg of carbon pollution:
Energy Savings Trust
Step impact calculations:
Energy Saving Trust (2019), Home Insulation: Roof and loft.
Figures based on average savings for houses of various types in Great Britain.