Cylinder insulation

Fitting a cylinder jacket to your hot water tank will usually pay for itself within 6 months through savings on your fuel bill. You should fit an 80mm thick jacket that has a British Standard approval. Some cylinders are pre-insulated with foam before they are installed - these do not require any more insulation.

You should also insulate hot water pipes in your property. Specially designed pipe insulation is available from most DIY superstores.

Draught proofing

Installing draught strips to your doors and windows is another effective way of improving the comfort of your home. However it is very important that air vents and air bricks are not blocked, especially if there is a gas appliance in the room. Draught proofing your home will usually have a payback period of between 2 and 6 years.

Loft insulation

Due to heat rising loft insulation can be the most cost-effective method of preventing heat loss. 25% of the heat in your home can escape through an un-insulated roof space. The latest government guidelines recommend 200mm or 8'' of loft insulation for domestic properties.

You should not insulate underneath any water storage tanks but you should insulate any exposed pipes in the loft area.

Usually it takes around 2 years for savings to cover the cost if you carry out the work yourself, and around 4 years if you have an insulation contractor to carry out the work.

Wall insulation

A house can lose around 35% of its heat through an un-insulated external wall. Effective cavity wall insulation can reduce this by 2 thirds and noticeably cut your heating bills.

You will require a specialist contractor to carry out the installation who will have to notify your local authority of the installation. Even with employing a specialist installer this method of insulation can still pay for itself in as little as 5 years.

If your house has solid walls these can still be insulated but this will be much more expensive - and in turn have a much longer payback period. Solid walls can be insulated either internally or externally. However external insulation changes the look of your property as the external brickwork is covered by a render, and insulating the walls from the inside will require complete redecoration.

Double glazing

Installing double glazing is another way of improving the insulation levels of your property. However it is expensive to install and has very long payback times. Therefore this method is generally only considered when rotten window frames are being replaced.