Tay Homes Warning Missing Bay Window Insulation.

mark999999

We bought a new Tay home 20 years ago and have been plagued with horrendous cold draft in winter. Luckily a neighbour mentioned that her joiner had found that her front bay had no insulation. On investigation we found no insulation in both front bays. I can’t imagine how much this has cost us over the last 20 years.

ComicGeek

Probably around 12W of heat per bay, the draughts significantly more but could have been sealed anytime in the last 20 years if an issue.

So 12W for 2000hrs = 24 kW per year
For previous years with gas at 3p/kWh that is going to be about £1.50 each year for both bays.

Yes it should have been insulated when built, but you don't need to worry about the heating costs - it's probably only around £30 across the last 20 years.

Definitely look to insulate and seal up any air paths now that it's been opened up. But definitely not huge energy bills as a result.

FreeBear

ComicGeek said: Definitely look to insulate and seal up any air paths now that it's been opened up. But definitely not huge energy bills as a result.

The cold draught could quite easily account for more than 12W of heat loss. Having zero insulation in that area would make for a cold spot and attract higher levels of condensation.. Insulating probably won't save much on heating, but plugging the draughts will. It will also improve the quality of life which you can't put a monetary value on.

ComicGeek

FreeBear said:

ComicGeek said: Definitely look to insulate and seal up any air paths now that it's been opened up. But definitely not huge energy bills as a result.

The cold draught could quite easily account for more than 12W of heat loss. Having zero insulation in that area would make for a cold spot and attract higher levels of condensation.. Insulating probably won't save much on heating, but plugging the draughts will. It will also improve the quality of life which you can't put a monetary value on.

The cold draught could have been sealed anytime in the last 20 years, not something that the OP couldn't do themselves. Not sure why you would complain about something for 20 years and not do something about it. Possibly just because energy is more expensive now.

Ironically the draught may well have helped to avoid any surface condensation on those windows. Sealing up the air path and insulating the underside of the bay could possibly lead to condensation issues with 20 year old windows.

FreeBear

ComicGeek said:

FreeBear said:

ComicGeek said: Definitely look to insulate and seal up any air paths now that it's been opened up. But definitely not huge energy bills as a result.

The cold draught could quite easily account for more than 12W of heat loss. Having zero insulation in that area would make for a cold spot and attract higher levels of condensation.. Insulating probably won't save much on heating, but plugging the draughts will. It will also improve the quality of life which you can't put a monetary value on.

The cold draught could have been sealed anytime in the last 20 years, not something that the OP couldn't do themselves. Not sure why you would complain about something for 20 years and not do something about it.

For as long as I can remember, had a cold draught coming in round the windows upstairs. Had reapplied mastic around the outside a couple of times to no avail. Removing the wood trim around the reveals to investigate further would have been difficult.. Finally had all the windows replaced, and found a ruddy great gap above each problem window that was hidden behind a facia panel - Difficult to access without a long ladder or scaffold.

Eldi_Dos

Put some wood preserver on the now exposed wood before putting insulation in place and fixing fascia.

mark999999

Thanks for all your replies. Over the years we’ve spent loads of time sealing up various nooks crannies.
 This draft was very elusive until last winter when is was far worse than ever. I can only think that the extreme heat last summer had opened up a bit more of a gap.
The best detection method was to get on hands and knees with a candle.
Mark