How to reduce heat loss from your home and save money

Building Advice: What can the average DIYer do to upgrade their home and claim expenses?

First I would always look at the external envelope of your home. Are you leaking warm air (which you are now paying a premium to heat)? Picture: iStock

Hi Kieran

Everyone is talking about energy-saving measures, upgrades and retrofits right now, aren’t they? But, while we’d all like to save money, be more comfortable at home and cut fuel usage for the planet’s sake, we don’t all have thousands to spend.

What measures can a half-handy home-owner do themselves, i.e. some dry-lining, attic insulation, draught-proof strips, and at what stage is it better to trust an expert? Can a DIY-er claim back any expenses at all, eg for attic insulation rolls? Is doing it yourself even a false economy given the grants available?

Thanks, Thomas Cork

Hello Tomas

Thank you for your very topical question. Yes, indeed one of the unintended and positive consequences of the invasion of Ukraine and the resulting spike in oil prices is a major drive to wean ourselves off oil and fossil fuel dependency to offset mounting energy bills. Outside of changing your car, most people are now looking to their house to see what low hanging fruit can be collected here.

You have touched on an interesting point. What energy-saving measures can be carried out without incurring very significant upfront expense? 

The soaring energy prices mean lost heat is lost money.

First I would always look at the external envelope of your home. Are you leaking warm air (which you are now paying a premium to heat)? This could be as simple as looking for draughts in your walls, floors, ceilings and sealing these. 

If you have a suspended floor (on timber joists) these are vented underneath to allow the joists to breathe but as a result, are inherently inefficient when it comes to drafts. I would certainly attempt to seal any significant gaps between floorboards or repair any damaged boards as any gaps here will lead to a big loss of heat.

Gaps in walls can be sealed with sand-cement outside and plaster inside. Pay particular attention to gaps around pipework which can be a significant factor when it comes to heat loss (and indeed insect and rodent ingress). You may also see areas where gaps around electrical wires occur but ensure that the wiring is sound and in good working order (ask an electrician for advice) before attempting to make good in these locations.

You may find air leakage at doors and windows. Old timber external doors can be a key source of leakage as they can shrink in the summer and swell in the winter. Make sure you have a rubber seal underneath (which you can buy in any builders merchant/hardware shop). These can be tricky to fit, depending on your level of carpentry competence.

Kieran McCarthy: 'Are all your radiators fully bled and working efficiently? Turn on your heating system and manually check each radiator to ensure an even spread of heat.'

Check all windows to ensure they are sound and not leaving in draughts. The back of your hand is a good test or, indeed, a candle. If you sense a draught, then you can purchase rubber adhesive seals which are very easily applied and can greatly improve warm air retention at a negligible cost.

If you have an attic it is a good idea to check your top ceiling for gaps and cracks (you may be able to see the light from the floor below). Such gaps can be sealed from above with airtightness tape. Again, no harm to ask an electrician to check your attic wiring before you proceed here to ensure all is safe and sound.

Are all your radiators fully bled and working efficiently? Turn on your heating system and manually check each radiator to ensure an even spread of heat throughout the heating surface. If not, a simple bleeding operation with the appropriate key will remedy this. I would also recommend getting your boiler serviced regularly and your chimneys swept. You could, in fact, get a chimney specialist to check your chimney to ensure it is in good working order and drafting optimally.

Most of the items above can be performed by someone with a reasonable level of DIY skills and knowledge. When it comes to insulating, SEAI looks to have professional contractors applying the insulation to their exacting standard to trigger eligibility for their grant assistance as there is more than just insulation at stake here. You also need to have the correct insulation (u Value), ventilation and avoid cold bridging so it is generally best left to contractors. The one area where you may be able to put insulation in the short term, on a budget though is your attic. Check to ensure all heating and water pipes are lagged (which again can be purchased locally). If you have a flat/level attic you could ensure that you have at least 300mm of quilt insulation in place, but be careful not to block any existing vents (particularly in your eaves) Have the wiring here checked by an electrician beforehand and if in any doubt have a tradesman advise you before you carry out this or indeed any repairs. You might even be in a position to return the favour to him or her at some point in the future, when your particular skills and knowledge are required.

• Civil engineer Kieran McCarthy is founder, and design and build director with KMC Homes. He is a co-presenter of the RTÉ show Cheap Irish Houses.