House Insulation in The UK - 2024 Guide

Energy prices across the UK have skyrocketed over the past years as homeowners grapple with rising costs of living. More often than not, the culprit for these soaring energy bills is draughty homes and poor insulation, reflected by home energy systems that run overtime in an attempt to top up the constant heat loss. Luckily, effective home insulation is an eco-friendly and long-term solution to bolster your home's energy efficiency whilst saving you lots of money. 

Here are just some of the incredible benefits you could experience with proper home insulation: 

If you’ve wondered how to prevent heat loss in a house while saving yourself more money, our complete guide on home insulation will walk you through everything you need to know. Read on for information on how to insulate your home, the expected costs, available government grants, and the best insulation materials the market has to offer.

Already eager to start insulating your home? Finding the right installer for the job can be harder than it seems. Instead of spending hours on websites and calls, look no further than Household Quotes UK to take care of it all for you.

Simply fill out our 30-second form, and receive 3 free home-tailored quotes from our network of trusted local installers; completely free of obligations. Get ahead of the competition with the best bargains and ensure your home receives the treatment it deserves. 

According to a 2020 study by intelligent home climate management firm Tado, poor insulation results in UK homes losing domestic heat up to three times faster than some European neighbours. This is reflected in soaring energy bills and fuel poverty.

The largest contributors are poorly insulated walls and roofs, accounting for nearly two-thirds of a home's heat loss. Draught-prone windows and doors, uninsulated floors, and ventilation shafts further contribute to this heat loss in homes. 

If you want to know how to reduce heat loss in a house, you first need to know that each home will likely have different shortcomings and insulation needs. Identifying where your home stands can help ensure you invest in the insulation that benefits you the most.

Contacting a professional energy auditor in your area is a good step to take. They can conduct a home survey to determine whether your existing heat insulation is up to standard, and suggest home improvements based on the assessment.   

Homes also come with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating that tells you the current efficiency of your home. An EPC rating is valid for up to 10 years, and it is strongly recommended to conduct a new assessment if this period passed. An EPC assessment costs between £60 - £120 depending on the provider, and can even give you tailored home insulation advice.

This section will break down the host of options in which your home's energy efficiency can be improved through insulation. These upgrades will save you hundreds in annual energy bills, positively serve the planet, and bolster your property value on the housing market. 

To give you a rounded understanding, here is a full cost and saving breakdown for each avenue of home insulation you can implement:

Beyond bigger insulation projects, there are many easy and affordable heat-saving tips you can implement to make your home warmer. Draught-proofing your doors and windows, sealing off openings, or adding thermal curtains are some examples of simple tricks that go a long way. 

Proper roof and loft insulation can slash your annual energy bills by up to £270, as well as reduce your carbon footprint by around 0.6 tonnes. Loft insulation costs sit at around £930. Up to a quarter of your home’s heat is prone to escaping just through the roof or loft. 

More than just savings, roof, loft, or attic insulation boasts a quick payback period of just over 3 years, ensuring decades of energy and financial security to come. 

If you’re wondering how to insulate a loft, the first step is figuring out what it’ll be used for. When insulating for storage or living space, there are different steps to take:

UK homes tend to come in 2 different styles; traditional pitched roofs, and flat roofs. If you want to insulate the roof directly, there are several options depending on the style of roof you have, and whether your home has a loft or not:

For traditional pitched roof insulation, sometimes called sloping roofs, there are 2 main approaches to insulating from the inside; warm roof insulation (above and between the rafters), or cold roof insulation (between and below the joists of your loft floor). 

Each style of insulation has its factors to consider:

For flat roofs, the same 2 methods of heat insulation still apply; warm roof insulation (insulation material placed above the roof deck, under the roofing material), or cold roof insulation (insulation material placed under the roof deck, between the rafters from the inside). Here is what you could expect for each option:

Warm roof insulation is when insulation - normally PIR (polyisocyanurate) boards - is added directly to the roof deck. It is added between a waterproof membrane on top and a vapour check layer underneath to make sure there’s no moisture build-up. Roofing material is then placed on top and secured in place.

Cold roof insulation is a form of ceiling insulation when the insulation material - normally fibrous types such as mineral wool, fibreglass, or sheep’s wool - is added in between and over the rafters in the ceiling from the inside of the home. Then, a vapour check layer is added to ensure moisture doesn't enter the home, and the entire thing is covered with plasterboard or other ceiling material.

In both cases, a professional installer is almost always recommended to ensure the job is done professionally and up to regulations. A roof insulation cost can vary depending on your circumstances, so the best time to carry out flat roof insulation is during repairs and replacements to avoid unexpected costs and prolonged disturbance to your home life.

Having adequate underfloor insulation can save you up to £80 on annual energy bills. Around 8% of the heat produced in your home runs the risk of escaping through poorly insulated floors. 

Here are the main 2 floor types found in the UK:

You can identify suspended timber floors by looking for ventilation bricks on the outside walls of your home, just below ground level. If you have a cellar or basement, you might even see the wooden joists and floorboard undersides by looking up at your cellar ceiling.

Suspended timber floor insulation is relatively straightforward and cost-effective. Firstly, the floorboards are removed, and a fibrous insulator - such as mineral wool or fibreglass - is laid in between the joists. The insulation material is then secured with netting and the floorboards are added back on top. A professional installer is always recommended to ensure no air bricks or ventilation gaps are blocked, and that the job is carried out to the required standards. 

UK properties normally have two types of walls; cavity walls and solid walls. Both can be insulated, saving you £280 - £380 respectively on annual energy bills. More so, poor wall insulation is the culprit for a staggering one-third of your home's heat loss, causing higher home energy bills and CO2 emissions. Here is the difference between wall types:

Cavity wall insulation is a relatively straightforward process that can be completed in just a few hours. Normally, a licensed professional injects foam-based insulation material - such as PUR (polyurethane) foam - into the wall through small holes drilled in the outer wall. Once done, the holes are sealed with cement and become hardly visible. 

Solid wall insulation is a more complex and labour-intensive process that tends to cost more. Since there's no wall cavity, solid walls can only be insulated internally or externally. Here are the main differences:

This is done by fitting solid insulation boards directly on your home's inside walls and covered with plasterwork. In another approach, stud walls are built and stud wall insulation (such as mineral wool or other fibrous insulators) is added behind. 

Internal insulation is cheaper to install, but it does slightly reduce your floor space.

External insulation by fixing insulating material to the outer walls, covered in plasterwork or cladding. Benefits include improved weatherproofing, sound isolation, and an undisturbed home during installation. 

For external insulation, planning permission might be needed due to changes to the outer appearance.

Insulated windows and doors can save up to £210 in combined annual energy savings. Single-glazed windows and draft-prone doors collectively account for around 18% of the heat loss in your home. Quality triple-glazed windows can cut your window heat loss by a remarkable 40 - 60%. 

With doors, insulating and draught-proofing can make a big difference in your home's ability to retain heat. Modern doors often come with insulation built right into the frame, but there are plenty of ways to improve the insulation of older doors. 

Here are some ways you can do just that:

As for internal doors within your home, they would only require draught-proofing if they lead to an unheated portion of your home, such as a garage or porch.

Insulating your ventilation shafts, radiators, water tanks, and even pipes is quite easy and very cost-effective, yet it can help you save up to £226 in combined annual energy savings whilst cutting your heat loss by up to 12%.

Here are some ways you can go the extra mile in house insulation:

Finding the perfect insulation material can seem overwhelming, but luckily there is a wide array of highly effective, versatile, and affordable options on the market to prevent heat loss in homes. Remember, the ‘best’ insulation material highly depends on your property type, the job, desired budget, and energy efficiency needs amongst other things.

Let's look at some of the most popular synthetic and natural insulation materials that are found on the market today:

Here is the full breakdown of costs and performance for each insulation material:

R-value is a score for how well a material resists heat flow, much like a cosy blanket keeps you warm by blocking heat from escaping. The higher the R-value, the better the material is at resisting heat flow. Scores typically range from 0 (no insulation) to 66 (exceptional resistance).

U-value flips the script. It measures how quickly heat passes through a material. An example can be a single-pane window with a high U-value, letting heat escape your home easily. The lower the U-value, the better, typically ranging on a scale from 0.1 (excellent) to 1 (poor).

The cost of insulating your house will be around £12,930 for a 3-bedroom semi-detached house in the UK, including walls and roof or loft. The cost of insulation can vary significantly depending on other factors such as home type, insulation material, and job complexity as well.

If you're focused on wall insulation alone, you can expect to pay around £2700 for cavity wall insulation, or around £7,500 for internal wall insulation, and £12,000 for external wall insulation when it comes to solid walls. Keep in mind that prices can vary based on your home's specifications, chosen materials, and installation complexity.

While it may seem like a steep price to pay, complete house insulation is a very wise investment that safeguards your savings, enhances your property value in the housing market, and contributes positively to reducing mass carbon emissions.

Insulation cost is just one factor to consider. Hiring a professional insulation company is crucial to ensuring your needs are met properly. It will also ensure compliance with government-set regulations and a professionality that will keep your home insulated without issues for decades to come.

However, finding reliable installers can be a challenging task. To help you make the best decision for your home, here are some key points to consider:

Understandably, keeping an eye out for all these details when sifting through endless installer sites can be an overwhelming task. Here at Household Quotes UK, we want to take this burden off your shoulders by linking you with our network of trusted installers right in your area.

All you have to do is fill out our 30-second form, and you can receive up to 3 quotes tailored to your budget and specific home needs. Best part? Our services are completely free of costs and obligations. Get ahead of the market by clicking on the link below!

For those handy with DIY projects who would like to tackle home insulation by themselves, there are certainly some things you can do! However, it’s important to know your limits as most insulation tasks require stringent compliance with regulations, involve complex preparations, and work with potentially dangerous materials and tools. 

There are some DIY-friendly insulation jobs that you can try your hand in:

To curtail fuel poverty and become carbon-neutral by 2050, the UK is placing serious attention on the dwindling energy efficiency of housing in the country. A series of insulation grants and energy efficiency schemes have been rolled out to assist low-income and low-efficiency households in upgrading their existing home and building insulation.

Homeowners who qualify for these schemes can receive whole or in-part assistance with the purchase and installation of home insulation upgrades and other energy solutions. 

This initiative targets the least energy-efficient homes in the UK to combat fuel poverty by providing a single insulation measure per household, tailored to their needs. This is because the scheme wants to maximize its outreach across the UK as much as possible. 

2 main qualifiers that can benefit from this scheme are; the general eligibility group, and the low-income group and social housing group. Each group has further eligibility requirements:

Homeowners who qualify for the Great British Insulation Scheme can receive improvements to one type of insulation: cavity walls, lofts, solid walls, pitched roofs, flat roofs, under-floors, solid floors, park homes, and rooms in lofts!

ECO4 offers grants for energy-efficient home upgrades in general, not just insulation-related. The scheme emphasizes the need to reduce domestic carbon emissions, energy consumption, and fuel poverty across the UK. 

It does so by placing a Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation (HHCRO) on medium to large energy suppliers in the UK, who are then obliged to provide certain measures, including house insulation to low-income and fuel-poor households.

If you're ready for big bill savings and an energy-efficient home, you might be looking for the right installer. This is easier said than done, as researching can have you sifting through endless websites and calls for hours on end. Let Household Quotes UK take care of the heavy work for you!

Simply fill out our 30-second form, and receive up to 3 free home-tailored quotes from our network of trusted local installers; no obligations attached. Get ahead of the market prices with the best bargains and make sure your home gets the highest quality, budget-friendly insulation available.