My partner and I are in the middle of making some changes to our house to try and make it more energy efficient. We decided to do this for two reasons- to reduce our need for fossil fuels we are going to cut off the gas and install a heat pump, and because it makes financial sense to do it as it should take less energy to keep the house at an optimum temperature. 

In addition to the loft insulation already done, we have had thick interior insulation installed in every room, except the kitchen and bathroom which we will get done at a later point. I can highly recommend doing this as we have noticed a big difference. This is not only in cold weather where it keeps the heat inside, but also surprisingly in hot weather where it keeps the heat out. Coupled with thermal lined curtains it is noticeable how much cooler it is inside when it is blisteringly hot outside!

A frequent question asked is whether the room looks or feels smaller as a result of putting in the insulation and my honest answer is no it really doesn’t! Even though it is very thick, the insulation only needs to go on the external facing wall, and the room does not feel smaller really at all. Even the smallest corner bedroom which also needed two walls of insulation doesn’t look or feel noticeably smaller. 

Overall, I am super pleased with the insulation and would definitely say it is money well spent. Even if you are not considering putting in a heat pump at all, it will make your house far more energy efficient and will most likely save you money in the long run. We haven’t yet put the central heating on for winter but when we do, we will need to run it far less than we previously did.

(One final note- if you are going to put in a lot of insulation, I would also suggest you do some research or get some advice on ventilation as it’s important to have fresh air circulation in the house as well.)

Written by Anna, volunteer