kravietz 🦇 on Nostr: nprofile1q…9raa2 I’ve refurbished two houses in the UK since I’ve moved here in ...
nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqf0fgaecaf87hwt3q3m7hrpumkdrzelskrr8xy2svmrjm8wtz4jhsp9raa2 (nprofile…raa2)
I’ve refurbished two houses in the UK since I’ve moved here in 2013 and the actual cost of thermal insulation can much lower if you avoid the traditional British “find a reputable company and ask for a quote” approach. With the latter, they will be trying to sell you everything at once (insulation, windows, heat pump etc etc) and you indeed get a lump sum that few people can afford straight away - as result, few people do it.
First, hire an EPC auditor with a thermal camera (!) for ~100 GBP so that they can find and highlight the worst thermal bridges in your house. Loft will be obviously the largest of them in most houses.
Then, one 6 m2 of 200 mm rock wool for loft insulation will cost you ~50 GBP and that’s a job that can be literally done by anyone (just use gloves, goggles and face mask). I’ve done two layers (400 mm total) this way over several weekends with my wife, costed us a few hundreds of pounds.
Or hire a handyman to do it for not much more, because that’s precisely who the big companies will hire, they will just add 10x margin.
Also, you don’t have to replace all windows at once (expensive), we’ve done 1-2 at a time over a few years, which made the whole exercise affordable without any loans and subsidies - which tie you only to the “approved” suppliers, who are overbooked and more expensive as result.
I’ve refurbished two houses in the UK since I’ve moved here in 2013 and the actual cost of thermal insulation can much lower if you avoid the traditional British “find a reputable company and ask for a quote” approach. With the latter, they will be trying to sell you everything at once (insulation, windows, heat pump etc etc) and you indeed get a lump sum that few people can afford straight away - as result, few people do it.
First, hire an EPC auditor with a thermal camera (!) for ~100 GBP so that they can find and highlight the worst thermal bridges in your house. Loft will be obviously the largest of them in most houses.
Then, one 6 m2 of 200 mm rock wool for loft insulation will cost you ~50 GBP and that’s a job that can be literally done by anyone (just use gloves, goggles and face mask). I’ve done two layers (400 mm total) this way over several weekends with my wife, costed us a few hundreds of pounds.
Or hire a handyman to do it for not much more, because that’s precisely who the big companies will hire, they will just add 10x margin.
Also, you don’t have to replace all windows at once (expensive), we’ve done 1-2 at a time over a few years, which made the whole exercise affordable without any loans and subsidies - which tie you only to the “approved” suppliers, who are overbooked and more expensive as result.