The Hawksworth's March Diary - Insulation
| Published: 17th April 2007 20:01 |
Well the March broadcast didn't go too bad, it's difficult to make insulation interesting I suppose.
The Sun came out and nobody came through the ceiling!!
So, is it worth it and why have it done?
Cavity Wall Insulation -
Left to Right - Alex, Jacob, Paul,
Fraser, Carol, Lauren & Olivia
Also I had visions of tiny bits of polystyrene pouring out and getting everywhere when breaking into the walls or moving windows. But it seems that nowadays this is not the case due to the way it's done and the products they use.
It's a bit like composite wool that they blast into the cavity with a great big lance and compressor.
In the Attic -
Well, we had some insulation up there when we moved in, just covered up to top of the timbers, so around 75 to 100mm (3 to 4 inches in old money) .
Ideally now you should have 275 to 300mm - yup a foot!
Now like most people our loft is full of Christmas decorations and things that you will never use again but might! And are deemed too good to throw away. So to upgrade the insulation up there was by no means an easy achievement.
It took me 2 weekends to strip out ready for the BBC's filming day with the team from "Mark Insulations". (Oh, and a partially dislocated thumb - ouch! So be careful up there if doing this yourself).
Plus a trip to the local tip with all the old cupboard doors and bits of chipboard used to lay the stuff on up there.
VT Day - ( that's BBC talk for Video Tape, and yes that's what the cameraman does use - not VHS or Betamax by the way)
A long day with lots of stopping and starting, filming of the process, myself and Bill Rumble from the Mark Group going through the detail. In between the filming, me keeping the coffee and tea supply going, plus Bacon and Egg butties to keep all the troops happy.
However, I must say though a good job was done by all and the team where very professional, i.e. boot covers, big dust sheets etc to protect.
I have now been able to reboard the loft, but its now much better and more professional than prior. That cost me around £60, looks fantastic and its easier to get stuff in and out (and find it !!!)
Cost and Benefits -
There are grants available to support having this work carried out, And you don't need to do anything to get them as the Insulation Firms claim these directly to offset your cost.
So for my 4 bed detached - Roof = £279 and Walls = £279 Inclusive (£538 Total)
Not bad I think! I could not have done this cheaper if I had done it myself!!
Does it work? Well we think it does, the house stays warmer longer and we have turned down the thermostat on the boiler..... Time will tell though how much it saves us and what reductions to our footprint it will bring.
Over the year I am keeping tabs on the Utility usage and taking weekly readings and can say we are moving in the right direction.
Yes - spring is here, its getting warmer - so harder to tell. But our electricity usage is definitely improving; we were using around 250 units a week prior to the start of this exercise.
With the introduction of low energy bulbs, switching appliances out of standby and now the insulation we are using around 140 to 150 units a week.
By the end of the year we'll have a better picture.
Useful Information;
Follow this link to the BBC webpage and view a short video of the March BBC Breakfast broadcast
To see what savings and support is available, go to the Energy Savings Trust Website http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/
The guys that did ours: Insulation (http://www.markgroup.co.uk/)
Low Energy Bulbs - a lot of the supermarkets are getting better at pricing, but DIY stores can be still expensive.
Myself, I used Screwfix (there's actually a shop in Derby), IKEA (especially for the smaller and spotlight ones) and even ebay.
APRIL LIVE & Theme
Next Live Date we believe will be 20th April - Laurens 17th Birthday, so we'll be spoiling her on the day.
We hope to be covering White Goods (Perhaps purchasing a Fridge with Declan - highlighting energy labelling and also unit disposal)
May - Think we are looking at transport, so over the next few weeks we have quite a lot of "challenges" to do, which includes a trip to London via Train then return by Car - watch this space for further details.
I have set up a temporary email address for those wishing to seek any further advice or submit useful ideas - please feel to contact us HFM@ntlworld.com
Paul & "The Hawksworth's"
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