Poorly insulated homes are like ‘energy colanders’

 In Energy Bills, Heating, Home Improvements, Home Insulation, Loft conversions

POOR insulation and inadequate energy efficiency measures mean that many older homes are like ‘energy colanders’ that leak heat and drain money.

According to the latest figures from the English Housing Survey, of the 4.6 million properties in the private rented sector, 33 per cent were built before 1919.

Meanwhile, 20 per cent of owner occupied homes were also built in the early 20th century – and therefore constructed without the money-saving benefits of adequate insulation.

It is these older houses that often fall into the lowest bands for energy efficiency, meaning higher fuel outgoings and an uncomfortable home environment.

How energy performance ratings work

An Energy Performance Certificate provides an energy efficiency rating on a scale of A to G, where A is the most efficient and G is the least efficient.

It’s estimated that around 66 per cent of all English housing stock – which in total is about 22.5 million homes – was built prior to 1975.

Without energy efficiency measures such as insulation, these properties become like energy colanders – with heat literally pouring out.

If your home has an energy rating of E or lower, annual household energy bills can be in excess of £2,000.

That figure drops dramatically if your home has a higher energy band. Still, most homes fall between a C and D category which can mean bills of between £800 and £1,200.

How to improve the energy rating of your home

The good news is that as building standards have improved, so too have the energy efficiency ratings of newer homes.

Modern homes built after 2012 with an energy efficiency rating of A may pay as little as £400 in household energy bills. What’s more, as we move into the future and more people take up renewable forms of heating, coupled with high quality insulation, this figure could even come down to zero.

However, there simply aren’t enough highly-efficient modern homes being built.

For anyone who lives in an older property, the single most effective solution to cutting bills and moving up the bands is installing high quality insulation. Around a quarter of a home’s heat is lost through an uninsulated loft and more heat escapes through uninsulated cavity and external walls.

Loft insulation will repay for itself quickly if you consider how much money you can save.

You can literally stop bills going through the roof.

For more information about loft insulation or insulation for cavity and external walls, call 01782 756995.

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