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Page last updated on 22nd July 2025

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Insulation and energy saving: What is insulation?

Insulation is an effective way to reduce heat loss at home. But what is insulation? On this page, we’ll talk about insulation and energy efficiency, with some DIY home insulation ideas thrown in for good measure.

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What does insulation mean?

In the context of home heating, insulation is material that helps prevent heat in the home from escaping. There are various types, such as fiberglass, cellulose, polystyrene and wool. You’ll often find it in lofts or cavity walls, lining buildings.

What does insulation do? Basically, it helps prevent heat from escaping the building. A well-insulated home will retain heat much better than a poorly insulated one, meaning you won’t have to run the heating as much.

How does insulation work? It’s similar to the way warm clothes prevent your body heat from escaping. Heat naturally moves from warm areas to cold ones. In the winter, heat used to warm your living room or bedroom is often lost to the cold attic or the outdoors. Insulation helps prevent this heat from escaping, keeping your rooms warmer for longer.

What are the benefits of insulation?

There’s a reason you’ll often hear insulation and energy saving mentioned in the same breath. Insulation is a great tool for reducing home heat loss, which will reduce the amount of energy needed to heat your home, saving you money on your energy bills.

Insulation can also help to keep your home cooler in the summer. This is valuable for saving money on air conditioning, and even more important if you don't have air conditioning. A well-insulated home slows down heat transfer in both directions, so heat doesn't escape as easily when it's cold outside, but heat also won't enter your house as quickly on hot days.

In short, insulation saves energy. If it’s uncomfortably hot or cold outside, insulation will help to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. When you need to run the heating, a well-insulated home will heat up quicker and stay warm for longer.

With a smart meter, you can easily track your energy usage and gain insights into how much and when you use energy. With the smart meter in-home display, you should be able to see how much of a difference installing insulation can have on your energy bills.

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How to improve home insulation

More modern buildings tend to be insulated already. For example, if your home was built since the 1990s, it probably has wall insulation. If your home is older, though, it might not be fully insulated, which means you could benefit from adding insulation.

Sometimes, you might find that parts of your home are well insulated, but other parts – parts that were built at a different time, for example – are lacking in insulation. If your kitchen extension is freezing in winter, even when the rest of the house is warm, poor insulation might well be responsible.

If you’re having issues with heat loss at home, the simplest way to improve your insulation is to employ a professional. You can find insulation installers in Great Britain through the National Insulation Association.

The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) is an initiative set up to improve energy efficiency and cut energy costs in British households by providing free or cheaper insulation. You could be eligible for GBIS depending on certain requirements. You can visit Gov.uk to find out more.

If you’d prefer to go the DIY route, there are ways to reduce heat loss in homes by yourself. With the help of Energy Saving Trust, here are a few DIY home insulation tips:

Use mineral wool.

If you have an accessible loft with regular beams across the floor, you can insulate it yourself with mineral wool. Put a layer of mineral wool insulation between the beams, then cover the beams with a second layer. If you have damp issues in your loft, though, get a professional to sort them out before you try to insulate it.

Carpet underlay.

A high-quality carpet with underlay can help prevent heat from escaping through your floorboards on the ground floor.

Hot water tanks and pipes.

By insulating your hot water tanks and pipes, you can keep that water hot for longer. You can find pipe insulation or a hot water cylinder jacket at DIY stores.

Pipe insulation typically takes the form of a foam tube with a slit in the side, which you can slip around your pipes yourself. If you’re renting and can’t make permanent changes, you can remove the insulation and bring it with you when it’s time to move.

Switch out your curtains or blinds.

Changing your curtains or blinds to heavy thermal curtains is a non-intrusive option, especially for older homes or homes that lose a lot of heat.

Look into DIY draught proofing.

For your insulation to be fully effective, you’ll want to make sure your home doesn’t have any unwanted gaps that let cold air into your home. Take a look at our tips on draught proofing.

The type of insulation you have installed will depend on your properties roof and walls. For instance, solid walls made from a single layer of brick or stone do not have a cavity needed for cavity wall insulation. Instead, they would need be insulated either from the outside or the inside. So, to make sure insulation works well, choose the right type for your home.

For more advice on reducing home heat loss, check out our page on how to heat your home cost-effectively.

Find out more:

Get a smart meter today

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