Underfloor insulation seals the space between the ground and a suspended floor, preventing external air infiltration. Typically, suspended timber floors feature floorboards atop timber joists. While liners beneath floor finishes reduce draughts, they aren’t airtight. Underfloor insulation seals gaps, improving heating efficiency, reducing energy costs, and offering cooling benefits in summer.
Installing underfloor insulation in your home is a simple process. Access the space beneath your floor through an access hatch, or create one if needed, typically in a cupboard. Hang nets beneath the floor and fill them with quality insulation. With gas prices rising, ensuring proper insulation is crucial, and underfloor insulation is an effective starting point. While many focus on cavity wall insulation, floors are often overlooked. Grants are available for floor insulation; contact UK Eco Solutions to discuss funding options.
For effective underfloor insulation, focus on three key aspects: thermal performance to trap heat, moisture control to prevent dampness and mould, and air tightness to seal gaps and eliminate draughts. Choose insulation materials, moisture controllers, and air barriers carefully to optimise insulation effectiveness.
Prepare the Area: Before insulating your floor, ensure the area is ready by lifting floorboards to inspect joists for damage or defects. If joists rest on exposed clay or soil, lay a vapour barrier to prevent rising moisture.
Create a Breathable, Airtight Space: Cover joists with a material allowing airflow while blocking drafts and moisture. This sets the stage for insulation placement.
Insulate Naturally: Choose high-quality natural materials like sheep’s wool, wood fibre, or Jute insulation for effective moisture control and insulation.
Finalise Insulation: Add a layer of vapour control material over the insulation, ensuring proper sealing of overlaps and edges. Replace flooring for a warm, cosy retreat. Explore Air-to-Air Heat Pump costs ranging from £1,500 to £3,500 and Air-to-Water Heat Pump costs between £8,000 and £18,000. Utilise the UK government’s ECO4 Scheme for potential £7,500 grants deducted from installer costs.
The graphic below presents statistics from the Energy Saving Trust, demonstrating average annual energy savings according to your house type:
Under the UK Government’s ECO4 funding scheme, qualified professionals assess your property for suitability. Even with insulated ceilings and walls, up to 20% of heating can escape through the floor.
Basements or cellars and sloping properties may qualify for Underfloor Insulation (UFI). Older homes often have suspended timber ground floors, losing more heat over voids of cold air. Air or ventilation bricks on outside walls may indicate a suitable suspended floor for UFI.
Underfloor insulation, focusing on ground floors, ranges from £300 to £1200. Various government grants may cover the installation costs entirely.
So glad I found this company online. My house is so much warmer now and saves me loads on my bills! Which we definitely need at the minute with the cost of living crisis and everything else going up in price. Thanks so much UK Eco Solutions.
I’m really pleased and impressed with the quality of work. Mike, Kenny, and Joe are extremely professional. The work was done with no fuss. They were fast, thorough, clean, polite and very respectful. Great bunch of lads who work well together. Highly recommended, was a pleasure having them here.
Highly recommended! Great job done in excellent time. Nice team of guys, polite and friendly and left the property immaculate. Did exactly what they said they would without any catches, really is 100% without any cost to the customer, just a few cups of tea is all it cost me and my house is now fully insulated. Very happy.
