the government would be better insulating everyones homes

[ivykaty44]

thus reducing the fuel bills year on year and effectively giving everyone ££££ every year than just once

This sounds horrible, it does sound very tricky

Is part of the problem that we have older, draughty housing stock, that does need to breathe

Which era is most problematic I wonder, very old, Victoria, mid century etc

It's not the governments job to insulate your house any more than it is their job to wipe your arse.

@MarshaBradyo the worst types of housing stock in terms of thermal efficiency are probably 1930s onwards. Cheap bricks, cavity walls, huge windows = cold house and as the PP has stated, cavity wall filler often bridges the void to cause cold spots.

our house is Georgian, the thermal efficiency on an EPC is understated because the walls are scored poorly as solid construction, but actually a lot of our walls are almost a meter thick, they’re solid construction and they do retain a fair bit of heat comparative to cavity walls.

I had insulation put in my cavity walls a few months ago. My house is quite cold downstairs in winter so it will be interesting to see if it has made a difference. My neighbours say it did.

It wasn't foam, it looks like small polystyrene balls.

I put YABU, because the thread title is blunt and theres no point in the government insulating people's homes which are already insulated, like mine. It does make a difference of course, but there are other factors too. One side of my house is very cold because it has windows in the face of the prevailing wind. So harling or putting stone facings on the exterior as an additional layer (in addition to the insulation) will help. Obviously it would be have been better to have built it in a more sheltered position.

How far can you take this though? Underground or partially underground houses are by far the most insulated of all. Terraced houses and flats are more insulated than large detached houses or semi detaches, so should we all be moving to those instead of giving planning permission to builders to put up hordes of the latter? The UK has an awful lot of housing estates full of detached houses while in other countries such as France, Belgium and The Netherlands, people live more often in terraced houses.

Some older houses are more naturally well insulated than modern houses anyway because they have much thicker walls and better construction. And we still need air circulation to avoid damp and condensation in our houses.

So YABU for assuming that lots of people don't already have well insulated houses and that you have invented some kind of great idea that will mean low fuel bills. The reality is that we live on the same latitude as Alaska and it is cold here no matter how much insulation we use.

We live in a 1980s house, and we’re fortunate enough to make use of the greener homes grant to add extra insulation in the loft. It’s made a huge difference to our heating bills.

sometimes it can be that simple.

I appreciate that it’s not suitable for all homes, many homes have already done it, and we were in a position to pay the part the grant didn’t cover.

At the time we did it it was more about carbon footprint than cost. But obv we are now benefitting on both sides.

@drinkingwineoutofamug I doubt it would be foam, it will probably be glass fibre flock. Secondary cavity insulation is mostly polystyrene balls these days and much better.

It's like fluffy stuff loft insulation is made of.
We had a new boiler fitted and when they drilled the hole for the new flu it was everywhere

@AchatAVendre pretty much any house can be made more efficient with more insulation and modern ventilation systems. Consecutive governments have failed over the last 30 years to ensure that building regulations ensure good quality energy efficient homes.

Yes, that's exactly what it is. If I had the money I'd have ours removed and the silver polystyrene to replace it.

Nope we have just bought a house that got loads of insulation free in the last round. It's bloody boiling the second the sun hits it. We are putting in a lot of glass and don't have to add any extra insulation to meet building regs including opening a sun room onto the lounge!!!!

Our old house was colder in the winter but nicer in the summer, we need a happy medium. What we will save over winter is likely currently being spent on the fans!

What are we talking though say 20 million homes, £30k each taking to 2050 to complete?

Or something else, because it’s not a replacement for what is needed this winter

@Grumpybutfunny there is no need for a house to be too hot in summer. Our house has been upgraded to near passive levels and never overheats. Insulation can keep a house cool as well as warm.

It's not that simple though is it. How do you insulate a solid wall listed building for example?

There are the easy fixes like loft insulation yes. They could remove vat from kingspan and the like to make it more affordable.

But there's a huge practical side. We did line our stone walls internally in a room but it meant taking it back to brick, framing the wall, re plasterboarding and redoing all the internal joinery.

Then there are the houses with spray foam insulation that aren't mortgageable.

I'm all for insulation but there's not a single simple fix

@Calmdown14 for some properties it isn't simple and for some there isn't a feasible solution but these are very much in the minority.

@Daftasabroom hopefully ours will slowly disintegrate as had done 22 yrs ago.
That's 22yrs of fighting damp, mould and condensation.
Never again.

*So YABU for assuming that lots of people don't already have well insulated houses and that you have invented some kind of great idea that will mean low fuel bills. The reality is that we live on the same latitude as Alaska and it is cold here no matter how much insulation we use.

www.newstatesman.com/environment/2022/03/why-cant-the-uk-manage-to-insulate-its-homes

just take a look on some of the money threads or credit crunch threads about saving fuel and there are mass posts giving advice on how to diy insulate

The reality is that we live on the same latitude as Alaska

That's a rather daft comment, assuming the Gulf Stream doesn't stop working.

Many places have much more extreme climates than the U.K. - maybe our generally poor insulation is because we do live in a relatively mild maritime climate rather than a continental one.

There have been government grants for decades for insulation. They are still available and open to quite a lot of people. Landlords need to take them up on behalf of tenants.

Though not available to all, people should check.

Savinggenie.co.uk has info, as do many other websites.

If everyone who could had taken up insulation (espescially when schemes were.more generous) then there would be no need for insulate Britain, as the houses left are those that cannot be insulated.

Homeowners need to do some research and take some responsibility to check that their homes are suitable for the insulation offered and that they have good ventilation.

100% agree.

Its not "daft", its accurate. We don't all live in the south of England or on the coast at sea level, some of us live in Scotland where we experience weather that swings between cool maritime and that more typical of a northerly continental climate.

My landlord (housing association) installed new windows about 3 years ago. Despite the 4 months of upheaval and inconvenience that actually cost me money needing new window dressings and redecoration, its colder and more drafty than it was before.

I'll take the cash, thanks.

The Government could start with allowing listed houses to replace single glazed windows with historically accurate and sympathetically crafted double glazing.

@kittensinthekitchen Eurgh we had the same! We've not long moved into a house now, but we too went through 6 months of work only to be left with draughty windows that whistled in the wind and gaps!

@Alpenguin can you check if your fridge/freezer is using more.
I've read threads on here where an older faulty appliance can cause a bill to spike. It might be worth checking, if you can.