Insulation is a vital element of any home: in the winter months, it can help keep your living spaces warm and cosy by holding in the heat, as well as cutting down the cost of your energy bills. However, it also plays an important role in the summer too, as insulation can regulate the internal temperature and block heat from entering a house. Click or scroll on to discover 27 smart solutions for insulating your home and slashing household costs.

Before you can think about improving insulation in your home, you need to remove any sources of damp. If you don’t, your insulation efforts will be wasted and repairs or removal could become costly further down the line. The main causes of damp are excess moisture, poor ventilation and inadequate heating. Once these are eliminated, you’re all set to start insulating your home. You can find out how in our handy guide to getting rid of damp and mould.

Around 25% of all heat lost from a home escapes through the roof, according to energy comparison site U Switch, so insulating the highest parts of your house will make a big difference. The difficulty and cost of installing your own insulation depends on the type of roof you have and whether you decide to insulate directly under the roof, which is the more expensive ‘warm roof’ solution, or directly above the top ceiling, which is the cheaper ‘cold roof’ option. If your roof is already insulated, be sure to check the depth. Homes built in the 1970s were typically kitted out with 25mm of padding, while today’s recommendation is between 250mm and 270mm.

If you’ve gone to the effort of insulating your roof, the last thing you want is air escaping through any gaps. Draught-proofing a loft hatch is an easy DIY job that can be as simple as adding a strip of foam around the bottom of the hatch if it rests on the frame of the entrance when closed. If your hatch swings down when opened, the insulation material will need to be attached to the outside perimeter of the top of the hatch. A second strip will then need to be added around the inside of the hole so that the two materials meet when the hatch closes, creating an airtight barrier.

Another way to insulate your attic is by installing a hatch cover across the entrance. The insert is typically made from foam, aluminium-coated fabric or fibreglass, and it can easily be strapped or stapled into place. Most of these come with a zipper doorway, which allows you to get in and out of the loft easily without having to remove the entire cover.

Even in the winter months it’s important to ventilate your home, but unwanted draughts coming in through the windows will just drive up your heating costs. Draught-proofing strips can be stuck around window frames to create an airtight seal to keep heat in and cut down your energy bills. These can be self-adhesive strips, which are cheap and easy to install, or the slightly more expensive option of metal or plastic strips with brushes attached. 

There are a number of solutions for tackling door draughts, including installing a purpose-made cover for the keyhole. The covers, also known as escutcheons, not only prevent air from coming in through the keyhole, but they also help protect the surrounding area from scratches and add a stylish finish to the door.

Letterboxes will inevitably let some air into the house, but there are ways to keep them airtight when they’re not in use. A draught excluder can easily be fitted to the internal opening and it can take the form of two rows of brushes, or brushes with a flap of metal or plastic. The second option gives a neater finish but can be more expensive. Letterbox draught excluders can be picked up fairly cheaply at hardware stores and easily installed at home.

The quickest and easiest way to prevent a breeze from coming under the door is to buy a draught stopper. Simply place a stopper across the bottom of a door to keep unwelcome breezes out. This is more of a quick fix than a permanent solution, but it will do the job while you’re considering other long-term options, such as applying foam or brush strips to plug gaps at the bottom and edges of the door. 

Air can also come in through open chimneys. A DIY solution to chimney draughts is buying a draught excluder, which can be fitted within the chimney or around the fireplace. Another option is a chimney cap, which is typically made from terracotta and provides insulation as well as protection from moisture and birds, but these are best installed by a professional. Make sure you remember to remove the draught excluder whenever you light a fire.

Energy-efficient window dressings can help to keep rooms cool in the summer and cosy in the winter. Thermal curtains and blinds tend to be made up of multiple layers of fabrics specifically chosen to prevent heat loss and they can be installed as easily as regular blinds and curtains. Simply draw closed when the sun goes down to feel the benefit.

An extra pane or two of glass on your windows can make a big difference when it comes to keeping out the cold, and it will also add some extra soundproofing too. For certain houses, such as listed buildings and homes in conservation areas, building permissions may be required from local authorities before you can install double- or triple-glazed windows. It is possible to put in double glazing yourself, but only if you know you have the right tools and expertise. But if in doubt, call in the professionals instead.

A cheaper and admin-free alternative to double or triple glazing is adding secondary glazing to your windows. It also allows you to leave the original external window untouched. A slim, temporary film or pane is fitted parallel to the window and acts as an extra barrier between the room and the outside world. Fitting secondary glazing is a simpler process than installing double or triple glazing, although some DIY experience and the right tools are needed to do a thorough job.

If adding extra glazing to your windows isn’t an option, a simple insulation hack is to put cling film or saran wrap on the glass. This is a quick and cheap solution to blocking draughts and can easily be done without professional help. All you need to shrink-wrap your windows is clear plastic film, which is secured in place with double-sided sticky tape. Hardware stores also sell shrink-wrap kits, which require heat, such as from a hairdryer, to stay in place. But one disadvantage of this method is that you can’t open the windows without removing all of the plastic wrap first.

Extraction vents are needed to provide a flow of fresh air and reduce condensation in kitchens and bathrooms. If the perimeter of the unit where the duct meets the wall isn't sealed properly, extra air can escape through the gaps. Holes around the vent that are letting in draughts can easily be sealed up using caulk, sealing putty or metal tape.

Preventing heat loss at the source of your central heating will save tonnes of money in the long term. If you have a hot water tank or water heater, an insulation jacket is a cost-effective and easy way to reduce heat loss and keep your water hotter for longer. Adding this quick fix to your waterworks is a simple DIY job.

Most houses in the UK are kitted out with radiators, as are some older properties in the US. Adding reflector panels behind radiators ensures that warm air stays in the room, rather than escaping through the walls. This is a relatively low-cost insulation tactic, and it only needs to be applied to radiators attached to external walls. 

Around one-third of all heat lost in uninsulated homes escapes through the walls, according to Energy Saving Trust, so if your home has cavity walls, it might be worth investing in more insulation if you’re looking to slash your energy bills. Cavity walls have a hollow centre and injecting insulation material into the gap can work wonders for preventing heat loss. In order to add insulation to a cavity wall, holes are drilled into the outside wall, and cement is used to seal the insulating material inside, which means that a registered professional should be employed for this method.

If cavity or external wall insulation isn’t an option for your walls, whether that’s because of the cost implications or building regulation restrictions, installing internal wall insulation can be a good alternative. It also means that the exterior of a property remains unaltered, which is a big plus when it comes to period homes and other properties with intricate exterior designs. One way to add internal insulation is to attach rigid insulated boards to the inside of a wall, and these are best fitted by an expert.

If you want to take a DIY approach to installing internal wall insulation, thermal liner or insulation wallpaper is a great alternative to using plasterboard. Hanging thermal liner is a similar process to applying standard wallpaper, and as long as your walls are well prepared, clean and dry before the lining is added, it will go a long way in keeping your home warm.

Insulating the ground floor of your property is another great way to prevent heat from escaping from your home, as around 10% of heat loss from an average property is through the ground floor, according to U Switch. Ground floors are the most prone to losing heat, but floors that stretch over unheated spaces, such as garages, could also be worth insulating. A fibreboard underlay or polyfoam board can be installed beneath carpet or floor coverings.

Simple flooring solutions like rugs and carpets don’t just have to be decorative – they can also make a space feel warmer. Any rug or carpet will help to keep your feet warm, but investing in particularly thick home furnishings will provide some extra insulation. Adding an underlay beneath rugs will have the same effect and will also help to prevent slippage on smooth flooring.

Energy-saving insulation ideas aren’t just for homes – you can also save money by insulating any outbuildings too, particularly if they contain valuables that could be damaged by bad weather. Shed insulation methods are very similar to those already listed for larger properties, such as adding insulating materials to walls and ensuring that window and door seals are airtight. For example, this shed, designed by architects Surman Weston, is clad in cork, a powerful insulator that keeps the room warm. It’s also worth checking for leaks in the roof and floor before adding insulation, as sheds and other garden rooms aren’t typically built to be as weather-resistant as main residences.

Any exposed pipes will be prone to losing heat, particularly those that are outside or in unheated spaces, such as garages. The process of insulating pipes can be as simple as adding foam sleeves or pipe wrap, and these can be picked up at most hardware stores. Professional help may be needed if pipes are in hard-to-reach places. The added protection should also prevent pipes from freezing and bursting during a cold snap.

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