A professional to determine my insulation needs?

danthemoneysavingman

Hi,
simply this - my house is freezing every winter even though we had cavity wall insulation and loft insulation done - albeit about 15 years ago. No idea if what we have is sufficient. No idea where and how the cold is coming through into the house.

Is there a firm/type of professional I can get to determine my needs and help me get those addressed?

(also, if there is a better forum to post this on, please advise)

Thanks
DtMSM

stuart45

If you can get hold of a thermal imaging camera it will point out the cold areas in the rooms. Check around doors, windows, skirting boards etc for draughts.
Are there any open fireplaces?
How good is your heating system?

ComicGeek

Not likely to be a single person or company to cover everything.

Heating engineer to review existing boiler capacity, radiator sizes etc. Might then need someone else to do heat loss calculations to confirm sizing. Could cost £500-800 for this.
Energy assessor (Domestic Energy Assessor) or equivalent to review existing insulation provision (if it's visible, difficult to do if not!). Could cost £100 for this, but will vary in terms of experience and quality.
Air tester to undertake air test to determine air leaks. Could cost £200-300 for this.
Various contractors to undertake whatever works are required.....

There are companies out there who claim to cover all areas but they don't, or at least can't to a reasonable level in all areas. You could spend thousands of pounds in surveys and still not be any wiser. 

Best thing is to educate yourself.
Take time to work out what rooms feel colder.
Walk around with a candle and identify where draughts are coming from.
Check that all radiators are getting hot - bleed radiators where they aren't.
Check that the boiler flow temperature is turned up enough.
Use online calculators to do a sense check on radiator sizes - most properties I survey have undersized radiators in a number of rooms, as people pick them based on appearance rather than heat output.

I undertake that role on very complicated and expensive properties after 20+ years in the industry, but I don't know of anyone else in my industry who has the same breadth of experience I have - not blowing my own trumpet, but just identifying the issue of combining construction/fabric/heating/engineering knowledge. Not many home owners who would pay my hourly rate either!

onomatopoeia99

The recommended depth when I did my loft around 10 years ago was 275mm of the glassfibre roll insulation, so I did 100mm befween the rafters and 175mm at right angles.  You should be able to measure the depth fairly easily without needing a professional to come out with a ruler (this is a moneysaving site after all).

One thing to consider is that the problem might not be too much heat going out, but not enough going in.  

FreeBear

stuart45 said: If you can get hold of a thermal imaging camera it will point out the cold areas in the rooms. Check around doors, windows, skirting boards etc for draughts.

Plugging some of the cold draughts coming up around the edge of rooms between floor & skirting boards was one of the cheapest and worthwhile jobs I've done here. Getting rid of the draughts around the windows was quite costly, but made a huge difference.

Albermarle

What sort of heating do you have.
Central heating ? ( Gas, Oil?)
Electric heaters?
Underfloor heating?

What kind of room temperatures are you talking about when the heating has been on? One persons freezing could be OK for someone else.

tacpot12

if you are vulnerable, you might look to the Green Doctor service. Green Doctor, helping UK residents stay warm, stay well, and save energy. - Groundwork

danthemoneysavingman

Thanks for the responses. Indeed I'm none the wiser. Seems the unicorn I seek doesn't exist. I shall just have to move house / country I guess.
Cheers!