How to tackle the heat loss hotspots in your home

Unfortunately, houses which leak heat are relatively common in the UK. In fact, a study by intelligent climate management company tado° found UK homes lose heat up to three times faster than our European neighbours¹.

This means heating systems have to work harder, cost residents more money and provide less comfort in the home. It's also bad news for the climate.

So how do you find the main heat loss hotspots in your home? And what can you do about them?

The good news is that heat loss is often simple and affordable to fix — the first task is to find the problem.

In most UK households, over half the money spent on fuel bills is on heating and hot water². A lot of this energy though goes to waste when the heat it generates gets lost because parts of the house are poorly insulated.

One of the prime places for heat loss is the roof. If you check out the properties on your street after it has snowed, those which still have white covered roofs once the flurry has passed are the ones keeping their heat in. As much as 25% of the heat lost from a home is through an uninsulated roof³.

In the case of a pitched roof, typically one with a loft or attic beneath, having loft insulation professionally installed presents a good opportunity to make more of that space — perhaps by boarding it for storage, or by creating an extra room up there.

Either option affects the volume and type of insulation needed. Boarding for storage, for instance, requires thicker insulation laid under the new floor level.

Converting the area into a living space means creating what is known as a 'warm loft', with extra insulation added at roof level between the rafters.

Flat roofs are different. Here, the insulation is normally applied on the outside, with extra weatherproofing on top. The most cost-effective time to upgrade therefore, would be when the existing roof needs replacing anyway.

When it comes to walls, insulation can cut heat loss by as much as a third⁴, making a positive impact on both running costs and 24-hour comfort. There are two main types of walls: those with a cavity and those without.

Cavity wall insulation comes with a 25-year guarantee and installation is straightforward. First, small holes are drilled in the outer wall. Then, either bead or fibre insulation is injected into the gap between the outer and inner walls. To finish, the holes are filled to match the exterior.

With no cavity to fill, solid wall insulation has to go either on the outside or inside of the home, involving much more work, plus perhaps scaffolding or redecorating. It's also worth seeing if you're eligible for a cavity wall insulation grant too, to keep costs down.

Not all fixes to keep heat in need an expert. There are many things homeowners can do themselves including insulating the water tank, pipes and radiators, which saves both energy and money spent on heating and hot water.

Simple draught proofing is another potential DIY fix. Draughts from windows and doors are tell-tale signs of where the cold air comes in and heat goes out. You can try using foam, metal or plastic draught excluders around windows and at the bottom of doors to keep the cold air out. Installing secondary or double glazing also makes a big difference, though this is obviously a job for a professional.

For many energy saving measures, including insulation, there is funding help available for householders. So, whilst insulation might not sound terribly exciting, it can mean you save on energy bills, enjoy more comfortable living conditions and do something significant to cut your home's carbon footprint — all of which makes it a real winner when the temperature drops.

<sup>1. Tado° press release: UK homes losing heat up to three times faster than European neighbours
2. Energy Savings Trust: Heating your home  
3. Energy Savings Trust: Roof and loft insulation
4. Energy Savings Trust: Cavity wall insulation</sup>