5th March 2010
British households wasted £500 million last year trying to heat
homes which were not properly insulated as the country battled with
the coldest winter for 30 years, figures showed.
According to research by the Department of Energy and Climate
Change, hundreds of millions of pounds worth of wasted heat escaped
from homes with insufficient loft and cavity wall insulation.
The data shows that £62.5 million in heating costs was lost in
London alone.
Getting the recommended amount of loft insulation (27cm or 11
inches) and having cavity walls insulated costs around £500 for the
average home but can save £160 on heating bills each year, the
department said.
Government efforts to encourage people to get their homes
properly insulated to save on bills and cut carbon emissions are
being backed by celebrity builder Tommy Walsh.
He said: "With energy bills high and bank interest rates low,
investing in your home makes sound financial sense.
"Insulation is a win-win situation because as well as saving you
money and keeping you warm, it adds value to your house and
improves the Home Information Pack's home energy rating,
potentially making your house easier to sell.
"Cavity wall insulation can be installed from outside your
property so you don't even need to have builders in the house."
Earlier this week, the Government launched its strategy to make
the UK's housing stock more energy efficient, including "green
loans" for people who wanted to install insulation and technology
such as solar panels.
Under the plans, some six million homes will be insulated by
2011, all lofts and cavity walls where it is practical to do so
will be insulated by 2015 and seven million "eco-upgrades" will be
offered to householders by 2020.
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