Wall Insulation
Uninsulated walls are the biggest cause of heat loss in any building. Consequently, with the correct insulation, you can stop around a third of heat loss, keep your home warm and reduce your energy bills.
When it comes to cold homes, uninsulated walls are often the culprit. Since around a third of heat disappears through our walls, insulating them can keep your home warmer and your bills lower.
Internal, external and cavity wall insulation are all potential options, but which method you choose depends on your home’s wall type.
If you’re not sure what sort of walls your property has, check your Energy Performance Certificate. It will list the wall-type at the top of the second page. If you don’t have a paper copy of your EPC, it may be available on the Scottish EPC register website.
Cavity Walls
If your home was built after 1920, then it’s likely to have cavity walls. A cavity wall has two layers and a gap (i.e. cavity) between them. The air in the cavity lets warm air travel through the walls, resulting in your home losing heat.
To improve its energy efficiency, installers fill the cavity wall with insulation.
To find out more, check out our Cavity wall insulation guide.
Solid Walls
If your home was built before 1920, then it’s likely to have solid walls. Solid walls have a single layer of solid stone or brick, therefore there’s no cavity.
Stone and brick let heat pass through easily. However, adding insulation slows down this heat loss.
There are two ways to insulate a solid wall. Since there is no cavity, installers either insulate the outside of the property (external wall insulation) or the inside of the property (internal wall insulation).
You can find out more in our Internal wall insulation guide.
Alternatively, check out our External wall insulation guide.