Insulation in Properties: Key Benefits and Methods

Insulation is a subject that many homeowners take for granted, being a largely invisible addition to the home. But the impacts of proper insulation on the average home can be nothing short of profound, in a number of crucial ways.

These impacts form the core motivation for the collective action taken by Extinction Rebellion offshoot Insulate Britain – which made the news for its disruptive protests in favour of a government-led home insulation programme. Here, we will examine some of the key benefits to addressing insulation, and the main kinds of insulation that can positively impact the average household.

Why Invest in Home Insulation?

Home insulation is central to creating energy-efficient spaces – something which has become increasingly important over the past decade, and particularly prescient in recent months. The worsening of the global climate crisis has led to national legislative reform, including new emissions reduction strategy for new constructions and existing properties; insulation has become a powerful weapon for reduction, as the UK’s built environment contributes 25% of national greenhouse gas emissions.

A new angle has emerged in the form of the UK’s energy crisis, which has seen household energy bills increase significantly since the winter of 2021. As households struggle all the more to balance their books, energy-efficient homes become much more appealing to newer and first-time buyers. Insulation serves to reduce the transfer of heat from inside to outside, minimising the costs associated with heating. But what are the most effective ways to insulate a home?

Roof Insulation

A large portion of home heat loss occurs via the roof, as convection carries hot air upwards and transfers heat through ceilings and eventually the roof cavity. Installing roof insulation in properties can curb the extent to which convection wicks heat from spaces, both by mitigating heat transfer and creating an air cushion in the attic.

Wall Insulation

Insulating the walls of your property, however, is the single most effective form of home insulation if carried out comprehensively. This is because the external walls of your home are most responsible for heat loss overall.

Newer properties have cavity walls, in which two leaves of brick wall are built with a cavity between for insulation; cavity wall insulation, wherein insulative materials are injected into external walls, can result in up to 1600kg of annual carbon dioxide savings. This amounts to nearly £1000 a year in energy bill savings for the average detached household.

Pipe Insulation

Lastly, there are smaller measures you can take with regard to insulating your home that add up to considerable annual savings. One such measure is pipe insulation, which sees the various hot water pipes that supply your faucets and radiators sheathed in insulative sleeves. These sleeves prevent unnecessary heat loss from the pipes, allowing your central heating to operate more efficiently.