Retrofit step 1: Insulation
The first step of your retrofit journey is to ensure your home has proper insulation.
![A contractor carrying out external wall insulation retrofit](https://www.changeworks.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/RS398_EWI-Shoot-2022-47_scr-1000x667.jpg)
How to make your home warmer
To be able to make the home warmer and be able to hold a warmer temperature for longer, it needs to be properly insulated.
A properly insulated home makes it:
- More efficient to run
- More comfortable
- Healthier to live in
- Less expensive to heat as you’ll be using less energy
Changeworks’ recommended fabric first approach to retrofit looks at a deep retrofit of the insulating layer of the home.
This helps to determine the best approach and improve any existing insulation with a view to comfort, and specific to the type of construction used to build your home, as opposed to a generic, one-size fits all approach.
Draughts, cold points and edges – where heat loss tends to be greatest – get specific attention. This can include wall, roof and floor insulation, as well as windows and doors.
It’s important to also look at over-heating risk in summer months to make sure that a warm home in winter doesn’t become an unbearably hot one in warmer weather.
Insulation measures
From the roof over your head to the floor beneath your feet, there are a range of insulation options that can work for different types of homes.