Solid wall insulation .

Solid walls lose more heat than cavity walls; the only way to reduce heat loss is to insulate them on the inside or the outside. This will help stop heat being lost from your home and help to prevent condensation on the walls and ceilings. The cost of insulating a solid wall is higher than cavity wall insulation, but you will soon see the benefits on your heating bill and it's another way of playing your part in reducing your CO 2 footprint.

There are two types of solid wall insulation: External and internal

External wall insulation - how it works

By adding a decorative weatherproof insulation treatment to the outside of your wall. The thickness of the insulation needs to be between 50 and 100mm and is usually installed where there are severe heating problems or the exterior of the building requires some form of other repair work providing the opportunity of adding insulation.

The savings

External wall insulation is more expensive than cavity wall insulation but it could save you around £500 a year on your energy bills and it could pay for itself in around 11 years.

A typical example of a three bedroom semi-detached house could save around 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO 2) a year.

The following table gives approximate costs, savings and paybacks for external solid wall insulation however the typical cost provided does not include any financial support or grants.

Financial help may be available if you're planning to make energy saving improvements to your home.

The Government, energy suppliers and local authorities all provide grants or offers to help you implement energy saving measures in your home. For more information or to search for energy saving grants and offers, please click here.

Internal wall insulation

Solid walls can also be insulated by applying internal wall insulation. Types include readymade insulation, plasterboard laminates or wooden battens in-filled with insulation.

Internal wall insulation - how it works

Insulation or plasterboard laminates usually consist of plasterboard backed with insulating material typically to a total thickness of up to 90mm. The construction of the laminates reduces the amount of heat which would otherwise pass through into the wall and outside.

Save money and save the planet with Internal wall insulation

Internal wall insulation can be cheaper than external wall insulation and you could save around £470 a year on your energy bill. A three bedroom semi-detached house could save around 2.4 tonnes of CO 2 a year.

The following table gives approximate costs, savings and paybacks for internal solid wall insulation:

How it is done?

The boards are fitted directly to the inside of the wall, the thicker the board the better the insulation. You can also attach wooden battens in-filled with insulation to a wall. This involves attaching battens to the wall, filling the spaces between the battens with insulation and then covering them with a plasterboard finish.

Why Insulate?

Air moves around the house and rooms, warm air is less dense so it rises, and is replaced with cold air. If your loft is not insulated then you lose heat through the roof and if walls are not insulated then cold air from outside is going to replace the warm air that is inside the house. Insulating your home is the fastest and most dramatic way of reducing heat loss in your home. You will also help combat Global warming is a real threat to our world, do your part, reduce your carbon footprint. Save yourself several hundred pounds a year in heating bills. We will survey of your property at a time convenient to you.