Getting insulation in a privately-rented house with a loft conversion

groke

Hi everybody,

I live in a privately-rented flat with a loft conversion. It gets reeeeaaaallllllyyyy cold here in the winter. I'm talking visible breath, having to wear gloves around the house, sleeping fully-clothed, icicles the windows kinda cold. Horrible, relentless, cold.

I'd be happy to have the heating on but it just goes right through the walls and roof. Makes hardly any difference and costs a fortune. It actually gets warmer when it snows, because the snow rests on the roof and insulates it. I'm pretty sure there's no insulation in the rafters at all.

I saw in the MSE newsletter that British Gas were providing free insulation for non-customers but I called them and they said I wasn't eligible due to the loft conversion.

So I don't know what to do. My landlord has a very hands-off approach to his duties and I'm scared to bother him case he ups my rent (which is really cheap to be fair). I know there are polystyrene sheets that could be placed on the ceiling (and maybe plastered-over?) but I don't know if any scheme covers them.

Can anybody help?

Thanks in advance for any replies

Pincher

Not only that, the heat penetrates in the summer so the loft becomes like an oven.


Since it's a loft conversion, the ceiling is simply the rafters with a bit of plasterboard underneath. You cannot simply rip out the plasterboard and put Kingspan in between the rafters, as you should leave room for breathing, otherwise the roof will rot and collapse. also, the depth of Kngspan you can put in is not nearly enough anyway.


So, you need to create an extra layer using either 240cm of Rockwool, or 120cm worth of Kingspan. Don't forget the wiring conduit for any ceiling lights. Ideal time to put in roof mounted surround speakers. The speaker cables should be away from the lighting cable to avoid mains hum.


Obviously you mean what can you do for £100 or less. Electric blankets. One for the bed, one for the TV, one for the desk.