A Draughty Victorian Terrace
Monday, 22 March 2010 13:20
Property Type: Terraced
Ownership Status: Owner - Freehold
What eco-improvements did you make to your property?
This is my first house and when I moved into the property had a whole list of things I wanted to improve / change / generally spend money on! But as usual, the weeks slipped into months and the months turned into years - the list still remained. So eventually bit the bullet and got some literally life (and financial) changing work completed.
The house is a traditional Victorian terrace - there are high ceilings and a very cold cellar. These put together made for a rather draughty house. We started off with the simple things - insulating the loft and the cellar. The cellar has wooden floorboards and joists over head, so the insulation easily fitted into place and was secured with netting. The loft has the insulation laid in place and it's that easy.
We had some internal wall insulation put in place in the kitchen and master bedroom. This isn't as complicated as it sounds and I would really encourage anyone to do this if you have external walls. Previously and especially in the kitchen, the external wall in the kitchen would be almost freezing to touch. It would draw all of the heat from the radiator and was making our heating bills a little scary to open during the winter. Timber batons were placed about 600mm apart, screwed into the wall and the space in-between filled with insulation. Plaster boards are filled over the top, skimmed over to get rid of any joins and then re-painted - thus making the kitchen a much more inviting place to be!
We also had a wireless thermostat control installed. This regulates the heat across the house and is so simple to use. You program what time you want the heating to turn on and off and at what temperature. If you change the temperature by just 1 degree, it can make such a massive impact on your bills and co2 emissions.
The last but not least was to get rid of some of those draughts with simple but effective excluders around the door.
What positive and negative experiences did you have?
Ok, so there is minor disruption but for maximum benefit. The positives far out way any negatives. It can be a little messy but is easily cleared up, it's not very expensive and saves you a good chunk of money on your bills. I always considered myself relatively eco friendly but doing the project has made me so much more aware. Aware of the impact I can have on the environment, aware of how much money was being thrown away and aware of how easy the work can actually be.
What are the benefits to your home and lifestyle?
The benefits are obvious but so satisfying. You reduce your co2 emissions, you save money and generally have a much warmer house. For the first winter since I have been in the property, my heating bill is actually in credit by £154!! The house is such a happier place to be because it's so warm. I don't need the heating on for as long or as hot. It's made spending time at home a pleasure again.
What advice would you give to others considering similar improvements?
Just do it, don't think twice. It's worth every penny. A tip would be to make sure you buy a mask and some gloves for the loft and cellar insulation and dependant on the state of your cellar - maybe even some goggles. Good luck
