利用者:Jekein-term

How to Use Loft Insulation to Improve Your Energy Performance Certificate Rating

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are now a legal requirement in Northern Ireland. If you have a house to let or sell, by law you must make available an EPC before you even market the property. You may be wondering how you can improve your energy performance certificate. One easy way to do this is to install loft insulation. This type of insulation, installed "out of sight and out of mind" in your roof, will help keep your house cooler in summer, and warmer in winter, and save you money on heating and cooling bills at the same time.

How does it work?

Loft insulation laid in the loft space in between joists or between roof rafters to a depth of at least 270 mm will significantly reduce heat loss through the roof; this will improve levels of comfort, reduce energy use and lower fuel bills. Most houses have 100mm of insulation between joists. For modern properties 100mm of joist insulation is not enough as far as building control is concerned.

From this, we can see that while you may already have insulation, it's probably not doing a great job, and increasing it will improve your energy performance certificate.

The DIY Option

The good news is that you can beef up the insulation on your Northern Ireland home yourself, if you have the time.

If you are a capable DIYer you could purchase the insulation from a DIY store and fit it yourself. Depending on the size of the loft area, it should not cost more that ?500. Read the manufacturer's instructions and make sure that you use any recommended protective gloves, footwear, and masks when doing the work.

There are also different types of insulation material, of varying cost and ease of installation, so shopping around, and finding out a little more, can make the installation process easier, or cheaper, depending what your main criteria is.

Of course, if you are DIY impaired, there are contractors in Northern Ireland who can do the job for you and ensure your energy performance certificate will be a selling point to your house.

If you'd like to find out more about cheap loft insulation grants or other house insulation measures, you can do it by click here.