Benefits
- Conserve energy
- You can cut your heating costs
- Reducing your carbon footprint
Homes that are not insulated lose around a third their heat through walls. cavity wall insulation is a great way to cut down on energy consumption and reduce your heating bills. To keep heat in, wall insulation is usually installed in homes built between 1990-2000. Older homes might not have wall insulation. Most UK homes have either cavity walls, or solid walls.
If your house was built after the 20th Century, it may have cavity walls. A cavity wall is made up of two walls with a gap known as the cavities. The cavity wall’s outer leaf is usually made of brick, while the inner layer is often made of concrete blocks or bricks. Solid walls are more common in older houses that were built before 1920. Solid walls are not susceptible to cavities. Each wall is composed of one wall, and is often made of bricks or stones.
You should choose the type of wall you want.
First, you need to determine what type of walls you have. The brickwork can be viewed from the outside. Next, look at the brick pattern.
Cavity wall
Cavity walls will require that your bricks be laid in an even pattern.
Solid wall
- Bricks laid on solid walls will be in an alternating arrangement. To allow you to see the ends of the bricks, some bricks are laid across the wall.
- It is possible that brickwork was covered. To determine the length of the wall, you can measure it. You should inspect the window or door on an exterior wall.
- Brick walls with a thickness of more than 260mm have a cavity.
- A solid wall will be more narrow. Although stone walls are usually solid, they can be thicker.
- Every house will have a unique wall structure. If your house is made of steel or timber frames, a specialist insulation contractor will be able help you.
Cavity wall insulation
Many cavity walls can be insulated by outside injection of insulation material. A company outside will drill holes in the walls and inject insulation material through them. The holes will then be sealed with cement. Polystyrene beads and mineral wool are the most popular insulation materials, although polyurethane foam can also be used.
To insulate your cavity walls, installers drill small holes of approximately 22mm diameter at intervals of about 1 m. Installers use special equipment to blow insulation into the cavity. After the insulation has been installed, the installer will fill in the brickwork using special equipment to make them barely visible.
Cavity walls can’t be done by you. A registered installer will be required. A professional can complete the job in less than two hours on a house with simple walls. It shouldn’t cause chaos.
Savings and Costs
Cavity wall insulation costs will vary depending on the size of your house. No matter how large or small your home is, the annual energy savings and lower installation costs will pay for itself.
You could save money by finishing the job simultaneously with other home improvements or taking on less work.
