Heating.... What is best?

[princessconsuelabannahammock]

So I am trying to reduce Our enormous heating bills. Our house has awful insulation. Tiled frontage with no insulation behind it. Half the loft is boarded and its a big job to rip it up and insulate it.

Some of the Windows are draughty so we have sealed around them and added strips to stop draughts.

We have lots of big Windows and have thick curtains on most Windows and will be hanging door curtains and thermal curtains over the patio doors.

Our house gets warm quite quickly but cools down quickly. Is it better to have the hearing on constantly at a low level or just switch it on when we get cold? We have a fancy electronic thermostat.

Is it better to have the water temp of the boiler warmer or hotter - so heating will be on less with hotter water?

Is there anything else I can do? Currently we come in from outside take off our coats and put on our indoor hoodies and gillets!
Fed up of being cold and it's not even winter! Brrr.

If it cools down quickly it's more likely to be a lack of air tightness (draughts) then poor insulation.
The problem occurs even with no wind outside, as the hot air rises upstairs and gets into the loft then disappears.
I guess the usual suspects are windows and doors, but have a close look at your loft hatch and in your airing cupboard for gaps. If you're confident, turn off the power and look where the wires for your lights go through upstairs.
Other places would be the downstairs floor if it's floor boards especially under the stairs, also behind the kitchen sink where the pipes go outside.
If you're still struggling you can get some kind of incense stick that smokes and run around finding where the smoke is blowing.
Anyway when you find a big gap get some expanding foam from Wilco or screwfix, then spray a little in each hole (warning: it's really messy wear old clothes and gloves and put plenty of news paper down) the other option is to wedge something in like a piece of old wood and use acrylic sealant or something similar around the edges.
It'll take a while, but it's the cheapest thing to do, and it's essential to get right as otherwise it's like getting a really warm down coat, but is really loose and walking round with the zip open. Better to have a thin coat and do it up;) Good luck!

There is a type of insulation you can spray directly onto the underside of your roof ( so no ripping up boards). I can't remember what it's called. But it's used if you convert the loft. It made a big difference to our energy use. Now if it snows our roof is white for days after all the snow on our neighbours roofs has melted.

You mention "Tiled frontage with no insulation behind it," it's possible to apply insulation slabs on the inside (it is available bonded to plasterboard) as a "drywall interior insulation" but sooner or later you ought to take off either the tiles or the interior plasterboard and insulate it properly.

My preference would be to do it from the outside as it will not damage the decoration or cause internal mess, and you can add a new membrane and tiles. This will also reduce draughts. It will however need scaffolding. Sadly it is more expensive than CWI and I don't think there are any grants available.

sprayed insulation on the underside of tiles does have a downside. In the event of any leaks, it can hold damp which rots the roof timbers, and makes it very difficult to repair the roof because everything is stuck together.

Roofers hate it and will often only quote for a complete strip and re-roof.