How to Insulate a Tenement Flat

alanrowell

The windows are double glazed, the draughts have been stopped but what else can I do to improve the energy efficiency of my flat

All the advice seems to assume that you live in a relatively modern semi and so contains information - cavity wall, loft insulation, solar heating - that is irrelevant or impractical

Ytaya

I found the same problem. I have a really inefficient heating system (a single central storage heater with warm air vents). I found thermal linings for my curtains made a huge difference to my heating bill. The liners paid for themselves over the first winter they were up. I'm up for more ideas, though!

In many respects, my flat is better insulated than a house. I've got people above and below me, I only have two external walls, and there are two doors between my front door and the outside world.

Fire_Fox

Apartments that are too well insulated seem to suffer with severe condensation problems. Most bathrooms are internal and laundry often has to be aired indoors .... We have to open our windows daily in the winter, to get rid of the water.

Electricity is so expensive that I don't use the heating. We sit under a duvet on the sofa and have a heated underblanket on the bed. When the oven has been on we leave the door open for a bit which takes the chill off. The electric bills are about £300 a year for two of us in a two bed flat which I think is pretty good?

Takana

I really need to insulate my flat, it's very cold and full of damp My mum is a curtain maker so I'm getting her to fully line all my curtains. But we have air vents on all outside facing walls so not only is the flat freezing in the winter without the heating on but when the heating is on it's escaping out the vents! I did cover them up but it didn't do a lot. I've also found a draught coming under the front door which is now blocked up with an old towel.

I'd also like some other tips on how to insulate a rented flat. We can't afford the heating on all the time, we only have it on 4 hours a day (2 at night, 2 in the morning) and that now costs more then £10 a week, used to be under that. The electric is still around £10 a week.

Fire Fox - £300 a year is good! Mine works out £480 a year for two of us in a one bedroom flat.

ixwood

Bubble glazing!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Seems that there is the trade off between warmth - thick curtains, block all gaps, etc, - and condensation - pools of water running down walls, mould everywhere. I only put the heating on if I absolutely have to, but all windows are opened in the morning and wiped down to deal with the condensation, and the walls are bleached every week to deal with the mould.

The council said I have to keep my windows open all year round and that the vents are not to be covered under any circumstances. Like to see them live somewhere where the water runs down into the power sockets at night and the mould grows ever closer to my breathing machine.

Sorry, all I can suggest is wear more clothes and mop the walls.

tr3mor

There's no need to live with damp. Get a dehumidifier.

A dry house is much cheaper to heat so you'll make back any costs with cheaper heating bills.

A_fiend_for_life

How do you go about getting loft insulation for a block of flats - in particular mixed tenancy with no factors?

Balloons for unused chimneys are another one if it is not blocked up.

I found a ceiling airer works well next to kitchen windows - works well in winter too. The windows were south facing too which was a boost. Never needed a tumble drier and there was never any trouble with damp. That was good flat

Another tenement flat I lived in was above a restruant that subsequently went bust. Not only was it freezing in winter but the disused restaurant developed a vermin problem that I returned to after a holiday. I moved out a week later.

A_fiend_for_life

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Seems that there is the trade off between warmth - thick curtains, block all gaps, etc, - and condensation - pools of water running down walls, mould everywhere. I only put the heating on if I absolutely have to, but all windows are opened in the morning and wiped down to deal with the condensation, and the walls are bleached every week to deal with the mould.

The council said I have to keep my windows open all year round and that the vents are not to be covered under any circumstances. Like to see them live somewhere where the water runs down into the power sockets at night and the mould grows ever closer to my breathing machine.

Sorry, all I can suggest is wear more clothes and mop the walls.

That's bad. I was discussing this on another thread a while back. Have you tried a letter to your local counciller? Apparently it gets a better response and action.

CaroB_2

A_fiend_for_life wrote: »

How do you go about getting loft insulation for a block of flats - in particular mixed tenancy with no factors?

I'm afraid to say that we just bought our own - we're top floor, and decided that it was far simpler to just pay for loft insulation for our half than try and collect money from everyone (there are 6 flats in the stairwell plus two ground floor and two basement flats).

However, the more traditional way would be to drop a note through all your neighbours doors' to gather interest or contact the owners if the flats are rented (this is easier where the flats are HMOs as we get a note of the owner's contact details). It's best to get a few quotes first too so you can give them an idea of how much it might cost per flat. It can be a hassle and I suspect this is why so many tenement blocks aren't insulated.

It's worth getting loft insulation though if you're top floor as it really does make a difference!

Fire_Fox

Takana wrote: »

I really need to insulate my flat, it's very cold and full of damp My mum is a curtain maker so I'm getting her to fully line all my curtains. But we have air vents on all outside facing walls so not only is the flat freezing in the winter without the heating on but when the heating is on it's escaping out the vents! I did cover them up but it didn't do a lot. I've also found a draught coming under the front door which is now blocked up with an old towel.

I'd also like some other tips on how to insulate a rented flat. We can't afford the heating on all the time, we only have it on 4 hours a day (2 at night, 2 in the morning) and that now costs more then £10 a week, used to be under that. The electric is still around £10 a week.

Fire Fox - £300 a year is good! Mine works out £480 a year for two of us in a one bedroom flat.

Many moons ago we had a first floor flat on the corner of a Victorian terrace. The windows were single-glazed sashes with gaps between the upper and lower casements. We installed some cling-film style secondary glazing and went overnight from using all three bars on our old fashioned gas fire to just one bar. If you are very careful when you fit it you will hardly see it is in place. Problem is you cannot open the windows, but with your vents this should be no problem.