Insulation & Damp Proofing

Insulation and damp proofing your home is cost effective as it will not only lower your heating bills but will also ensure your home is in good condition, and in addition is comfortable and safe.

Obviously, the better insulated your home the less it will cost you to heat it and keep it warm during the cold winter months. Home insulation covers cavity wall insulation, solid wall insulation, roof and loft insulation, draught proofing and floor insulation. But the three main types are roof, loft and cavity wall insulation – which all prevent heat escaping from your home.

Builder Guide has a number of qualified insulation installers and damp and draft proof technicians who will be able to carry out any of your insulation or outer wall work requirements.

If your property is well insulated it will have numerous benefits. Homeowners are becoming increasing energy conscious, particularly when it comes to adopting energy efficiency methods to lower energy consumption and cut energy bills. The main advantages to having a well insulated home include:

• Installing insulation is one of the most cost-effective ways of keeping your heating bills low.

• It will also help to reduce your household’s CO₂ emissions.

• Insulation will help to prevent heat escaping from a particular area, as heat will always pass from a warm area to a cold one, therefore helping to maintain a warm and comfortable home.

Damp proofing, despite being linked to insulation, is independent as it is not affected or prevented by adding insulation. It is tied with the condition of the outer wall, not the insulation inside the walls or the loft.

Poor ventilation is the biggest cause of damp. In most cases damp in a property can be blamed on condensation, or rising damp and rain penetration. Although other issues, such as leaking pipes could also be attributed to the problem.

There are different kinds of damp – condensation, rising damp and penetrating damp. Damp patches, steamed up windows, black spotty mildew and peeling wallpaper are some of the most obvious signs of damp issues. Rising damp, on the other hand, isn’t always that easy to spot. It’s presence in the home may not be obvious because much of what is occurring happens below floor level.

It’s only when rising damp begins to creep of walls that it starts to become noticeable. Look out for damp smells and damp patches above skirting boards. If left untreated rising damp can be very problematic, resulting in damage to wood, brick and concrete structures.

A damp proof course in a building’s foundations is designed to offer resistance to ground moisture. Therefore, if the existing damp proof course isn’t working effectively – or a property doesn’t have a damp proof course – homeowners can opt for a chemical damp proof course which is injected into the wall of a building as a means of preventing moisture from rising to a certain level.

Home insulation grants

There are subsidies available to assist homeowners with loft and cavity wall insulation, and in some cases (age dependent, in receipt of certain benefits, etc.) homeowners can benefit from free cavity wall insulation and loft insulation.

Under the Government’s Warm Front scheme, home insulation grants are currently available to all homeowners in England, and people who rent their property from a private landlord. Which means you can get loft and cavity wall insulation for your home at considerable reduced rates, if not free. For more information about the Government’s energy grants call 0800 316 2805 or visit the website directly.