The Alternative Lifestyle Site

Save Energy: Put a jacket on your house

You know what it’s like when you get caught short in those months when the seasons are changing. You either don’t have a jacket when you need one, or you are peeling off layers of clothing as an unexpected hot spell catches you out.

The same goes for your home. If you are one of the fortunate people who own (or are buying) your home then you have an opportunity to really cut the amount of energy you use for heating and cooling and save money in the long term (and not so long term). The biggest impact you can make is to ensure your home is correctly insulated for where you live.

Underfloor insulation is another area often left out of the equation. Although most homes are now built upon a concrete slab, there are many timber floored homes that could be improved with underfloor insulation.

Let me share a little story with you.

A few years ago my family moved back “home’ to where I grew up to be closer to my parents who were experiencing bad health at the time. We purchased a brick home in the town I was born and moved in. This house needed a new heater as the one installed didn’t look safe to me and we replaced it with a modern gas heater with a remote control and thermostat. I was very happy to feel a lot safer and to have the convenience of a more modern heater.

That winter we really felt the cold, despite having moved to a more moderate climate.

• One day, during a heavy rain storm, we heard dripping in the ceiling and I sent my trusty husband up into the roof to put a bucket under the drip. As I heard him clomping about in the roof it occurred to me that I shouldn’t be able to hear the drip, as the inspection report we commissioned when we purchased the home told us it had ceiling insulation installed.

Guess what? It didn’t – the report was incorrect!

• Before the next summer arrived we had a nice thick layer of insulation blown into the ceiling cavity and that summer was much more comfortable as a result.
• Our home generally stayed between 5 and 8 degrees C cooler than the outside temperature without the air-conditioning.

And the following winter?

The difference was remarkable. Where we had previously closed off the living room from the rest of the house to have at least one warm room, we were now able to just close those rooms we were not using.

• The ‘wet’ rooms like the bathrooms and laundry, the spare bedroom and once the children were asleep I could even partially close their doors to reduce the amount of warm air in the room they were sleeping.
• Nothing worse than being too hot in bed for my family.

So for less money than the previous winter our comfort level and sense of wellbeing went through the roof. The economic benefits would be recouped in a few years but those other intangible things were repaid to us immediately.

I hope that little story helps you to seriously consider increasing the amount of insulation in your home. The benefits are not only financial and the benefits you will appreciate the most cannot be counted in dollars or pence. If you don’t own your home, the video shows many things you too can do besides adding insulation to your home, you can also improve the performance and enjoyment you get through the cold and hot months by doing some of these simple things.

I’d love to hear success stories like the one I have just shared with you, leave a comment if you have something to share. While you are at it, sign up for the newsletter by simply putting your name and email address in the form to the top right of this page. Happy insulating!