Heat Loss Solutions
 Minimize Heat Loss In Your Home                                       

The 5 Sources Of Heat Loss And What To Do About Them

 If you're paying too much for energy, you need to look at how much heat you could be losing from your home. Minimizing heat loss means maximizing the cosiness of your living space and paying less for it.


The chart at left provides a rough guide to the sources of heat loss in the average home located in a cool Northern Hemisphere climate (such as the United Kingdom) where windows are generally small and double glazed.

In a home where windows are larger and not double glazed, the proportion of heat lost through windows can be far larger. 

1. Draughts

Blocking draughts is one of the simplest and cheapest ways of dealing with heat loss. Just a simple door snake to cover the gap between doors and floor in each room of your home will go a long way. As will sealing any cracks in inside/outside walls.

2. Roofs
 You can reduce heat loss through your roof in a number of ways, using the outside surface of the roof, the inside of the roof and attic or loft insulation.

Green roofs (growing of "lawns" or other plants on your roof surface) are becoming increasingly popular. Green roofs are not confined to flat surfaces - you can grow them even if your roof is sloping. A green roof will help insulate your home from heat and cold.


3. Walls
One effective way of reducing heat loss through walls is by cavity wall insulation. A cavity wall consists of two 'skins', usually of brick or concrete blocks, separated by a hollow space (cavity).

Cavity wall insulation can reduce heat loss through walls by as much as 35-40% and has the big advantage of relatively low initial costs and a short payback time. Be sure to have a qualified person survey your walls before you embark on installing cavity wall insulation. Once installed, it will pay for itself in a very short time. You can also insulate walls from the outside (external wall insulation) or inside (internal wall insulation).

4. Windows
Minimize heat loss through windows by installing double or even triple glazing. Also look for low emittance glass - it can significantly reduce heat loss in your home. Low-emittance (Low-E) coatings for glass are micro-scopically thin, virtually invisible, metal or metallic oxide layers deposited on a window or skylight glazing surface. The small extra cost for low emittance glass is well worthwhile for the heat loss reduction it brings.

5. Floors
While carpeting helps reduce heat loss through floors, if you have a bare suspended timber floor, your home will benefit from insulation.

It is relatively simple to fit insulation to a suspended timber floor provided there is adequate crawl space under the floor.

Bulk insulation can be fitted between the floor joists and held in place with nylon or wire mesh. Reflective insulation can be simply stapled to the underside of the joists. It is important to use perforated insulation to help moisture escape.