Heating a Brick House

[amyG]

Hi

Any advice would be much appreciated.

I have a brick house, recently got double glazed windows and now looking at getting rads replaced as I just can't get the house warm or keep it warm.

Any one any advice on what I can do, is there any insulation you can do on brick houses?

Thanks

Amy

[creatingyourdream]

Hi Amy,

there are a few things you can do yourself like making sure that the double glazing has been done properly. You can test this by moving a candle along the edges of the windows - if the flame moves, the frames haven't been fitted properly. This is more common than you think...

You might also consider insulating the attic (especially if you live in a bungalow) because the cold will come in from the roof and straight through your ceiling.

More involved is lining the inside of your walls with plaster insulation boards, bit messy but very effective.

Have a look at this website, there is some interesting info:

http://www.tg4.ie/Bearla/inte/tglas/c1.htm


The following text is taken from the www.sei.ie website:

Basically there are three choices for insulating walls: cavity, internal, and external wall insulation. Influencing factors include cost, the available space in rooms to be insulated (if dry-lining), suitability of the walls, whether the outside of the house needs to be, or can be, given a facelift and the typical occupancy patterns of the home.

Cavity wall insulation

The insulation of external walls will provide considerable energy savings. If the house has suitable cavity walls, the application of insulation within the cavity is generally the most cost-effective solution.

This must be done by a contractor , and involves blowing or pumping the insulation into the cavity through holes drilled in the outer surface. However, filling the cavity is not recommended for highly exposed rainy regions of the country.

Internal wall insulation or dry-lining

For solid walls, insulation must be applied either internally or externally. Internal insulation involves fixing a layer of insulation to the internal surfaces of external walls, usually with a plasterboard finish. This is also referred to as dry-lining. Care must be taken to install a vapour check (e.g. polythene sheeting) to seal the insulation against humid air penetration from within the house.

External wall insulation

External insulation is more expensive than internal insulation, since it must be applied with a durable finish to withstand the weather and possible impacts. However, it is more effective at reducing heat loss since greater insulation thicknesses can usually be applied, and since it wraps around the whole wall. In older houses it can also give an attractive facelift.

Hope this helps!
_________________
Marion Hermannsen
Creating Your Dream Interior Design
www.creatingyourdream.net

[foggers]

for external wall insulation you shouold give these guys a shout