Insulation For Houses With Solid Walls
More than a third of the houses in the UK have solid walls, that’s nearly 7 million homes. These homes were typically constructed before the 1950’s before the process of cavity walls became a widely accepted method of construction within the building trade. A solid wall will conduct heat away from a home faster than one with a cavity wall. However, like cavity walls, this type of construction can still be insulated – it’s just that in this case the insulating material has to be put on the outside or the inside which is more complicated, disruptive and expensive than simply filling cavities. It can often involve changing windows and significant decoration.
A Green Deal Loan for Solid Wall Insulation?
Homeowners are reluctant to invest in expensive insulation measures because of the lengthy payback periods. External Solid Wall Insulation will costs around £80/m2 and therefore a typical semi detached home will cost around £6,500. The measure saves around between £300 & £400 every year on heating but relative to the saving it’s a very big initial investment.
The Green Deal allows the home (not the owner) to borrow the upfront money and then payback at the rate the savings are made, the loan is recovered through the homes electricity provider. There will also be support from the Energy Companies who are obligated to spend £1.4 billion every year, so these “difficult to treat” measures will attract big subsidies and grants from January 2013, just like cavity wall and loft insulation has over recent years. This should therefore encourage homeowners to insulate solid walls and make the necessary savings on bills and produce less carbon.
The External Solid Wall Insulation Process
We use specialist installation partners to make sure that we get the installation specification right for your home. Our partners use a range of insulation materials and will find the right solution for every home, whether it’s expanded polystyrene, phenolics or breathable materials such as mineral wool.
We can use a number of render finishes too even lime based renders in order that we don’t seal in any moisture that will ultimately create damp and condensation in your home.
The Advantages of External Solid Wall Insulation
• Can save up to £400 every year on heating costs
• Can be applied without disruption to the household
• Does not reduce the floor area of your home.
• Changes the appearance of the home, can make a real transformation.
• Improves weather proofing and sound resistance.
• Fills cracks and gaps in the brickwork, which will reduce draughts
• Increases the life of your walls by protecting the brickwork
• Reduces condensation on internal walls and can help prevent
