Whilst many homes have taken advantage of insulation grants available towards cavity wall and loft insulation, nearly 2 million households have yet to make the move.

The average saving on a two bedrooms home is around £160 after insulating cavity walls and loft. Those on benefits or over 60 could also qualify to have the work done for free. For everyone else, the cost is around £400 for both cavity wall and loft insulation, making the payback time less than 3 years.

Most houses built between 1930 and 1980 will have a cavity between the two outer layers that make up an external wall. An insulation installer will drill a series of small holes into the wall and pump insulation material into the holes, therefore preventing valuable heat from escaping. For most houses, the job takes less than 2 hours to complete.

The government is to make further funds available for insulation grants, in line with their target to reduce carbon emissions by 29% by 2020.

If you haven’t already taken advantage of these grants available, simply fill in the 3 step form at the top of this page and we’ll tell you exactly how much you could qualify for.

Keep the heat off the street.

With the cost of energy so high, it’s not surprising that many people are looking to keep as much of their heat within their own four walls. It’s a worrying statistic that as much as 50% of heat could be escaping through your windows, doors, walls and loft – the equivalent of throwing hundreds of pounds out of your window every year.

In an interview in the Independent on Sunday, Mat Colmer, the head of housing and supply chain at the Energy Saving Trust, says that the most effective way to keep heat locked up inside is to insulate your walls. “You lose most of your heat out of your walls, 33 per cent in fact, so you can insulate on the outside, the middle and on the inside and make big savings straight away.”

The good news is that for houses built after 1920, insulating your walls should not be a problem. Generally, houses built after this time are constructed with a gap between the two layers that comprise the outer wall of the property, making them suitable to receive cavity wall insulation material.

Is my house suitable for cavity wall insulation?

As a (very) general rule if your outside wall measures 30cm thick, then chances are you have a cavity wall and can receive insulation. Anything less than this and it’s most than likely to be solid. Of course, the best way to check for sure is for a local insulation company to conduct a free survey of your property. They’ll then check to see if the conditions are suitable for insulation (vulnerability to wind and rain, location, previous cases of damp or frost damage) and if your property can physically receive the insulation.

Loft insulation

Your home could be losing up to a quarter of your its heat through the roof. Loft insulation can provide an instant reduction in heat loss and immediately create a warmer environment in your home.

Lofts are far easier to insulate than cavity walls. Even so, it is advised to get a free survey of your property to ensure the right insulation is fitted, and to the right depth. Mr Colmer continues “Insulating your loft is massively cost effective, we’d say absolutely definitely do it.” However, you’ve got to do it right. Loft insulation involves laying insulating quilts of mineral wool down between the horizontal beams that make up the floor of your attic. “You can’t squash the insulation in the loft,” says Mr Colmer.

The difference in price between self-installation and getting an insulation company to do it for you can be as little as a few pounds. And with grants available for up to 100% of the cost of loft insulation, it can be easier and cheaper to get a professional in to do the job.

Home insulation grants are available

As part of a package of £1 billion in grants, the Government announced in 2007 that it would be offering all households in the UK help towards the cost of home insulation.

For those most at risk of fuel poverty, including the elderly and those on certain benefits, the Government has promised to pay for cavity wall and loft insulation to reduce wasted energy and ensure that heat remains within the homes that need it most.

Everyone could benefit from insulation grants, and you don’t need to be on benefits to qualify. To find out exactly how much you could be due, find out you grant eligibility here.

More heat is lost through your walls than any other part of your home. Cavity wall insulation helps to instantly reduce heat loss by 40% by plugging the gap between the two layers of brick that make up your outer wall. By filling this gap with insulation, it makes it difficult for heat to pass from the inside of your house, to the outside world.

The actual insulation material used can vary, but is typically made up of pockets of air, which prevents convection from occurring and greatly reduces any heat loss

Not all houses can receive cavity wall insulation. As the name suggests, there needs to be cavity, or gap, between the two layers of brick which make up your outside wall. If your home was built between 1930 and 1995, you are most likely to be suitable.

The installation process is simple and relatively quick. Cavity wall insulation can be installed within about 2 hours within minimal disturbance inside your home. Holes of around 25mm in diameter are drilled into the outer layer to reach the cavity inside. Several holes are drilled a metre or so apart and the insulation material is blown or injected in.

Cavity wall insulation can help to:

* Reduce your heating bills by up to £115 per year   (source: Energy Saving Trust)

* Increase the value and saleability of your home

* Increase your energy rating

*Create a warmer and more comfortable environment for your family

Is my home suitable for cavity wall insulation?

It is very important to check the suitability of your home for receiving cavity wall insulation before any work is done. A survey should always be carried out prior to any work being done, and a qualified surveyor will be able to assess suitability. He or she will consider the exposure of outside walls to wind and rain, and also the method of construction used.

If you have a problem with damp or moisture inside your home, you should notify the surveyor of this before any work is carried out.

Similarly, if there has been any frost or structural damage to the walls in the past, the surveyor also needs to be made aware of this.

Can I receive a grant towards the cost of my insulation?

In 2008, the Government announced a scheme to help homeowners and tenants with the cost of insulating their home. Insulation grants are available to homeowners and tenants looking to reduce their energy bills, and make their home more eco-friendly by installing insulation.

The grants are part funded by the government, and part funded by the energy companies (at a cost of £910 million! Source: Energy Saving Trust).

Calculate your insulation grant eligibility here.