Price range – £400 to £600
Average cost – £500
Best/Cheapest price – £400
To help with saving money on your heating bill, you should consider loft insulation. This is a reasonable price option that can make a long-term difference to your heating bills.
Why Should You Have Roof Insulation?
You may already have insulation in your roof, but maybe not the recommended amount. If you have none at all, then here are some reasons why it might be a good idea.
Energy Efficiency
If you have better insulation in your house, then you aren’t leaking as much heat. The less that you use the heating, the less energy is being used, helping to reduce your carbon footprint.
Heat Retention
Being able to prevent heat from escaping, means that your house will be warmer. This can reduce the risk of getting damp and mould, and when the temperature drops, your heating won’t need to come on as much.
Reduction in Bills
With less heat escaping your house will stay warmer for longer. This will mean that you won’t have to turn on the heating as much, saving you money on your bills.
Factors That Can Affect Price
There are a few things that can make a difference to the price of loft insulation. These include:
Size Of Your Loft
As you can imagine, the size of your loft will make a difference to the cost of insulating. The bigger the area the more materials will be needed and the longer it will take to install, impacting the price.
Insulation Used
There are many different types of insulation that can be used, from blanket insulation to spray foam. Each one varies in cost, skill level and time to install.
Removal of Old Insulation
If the old insulation needs to be removed for any reason, this will add more time to the job, increasing labour costs. You may also have a small charge for disposal as well.
Accessibility
The cost of insulation can depend on whether access to the loft is difficult, or the loft space is tight, and hard to move around in. Subsequently, the amount of time needed for insulation will increase, resulting in more labour costs.
Different Types of Roof Insulation
There are various types of insulation that you can use. All of them have different benefits such as better insulation, whereas others are easier to install.
Blanket Insulation Costs
This type of insulation is the most common. It’s easy to install as you can just roll it out. You can install it yourself and it is one of the cheapest options you could pick, working out about £5 per M2.
This type of insulation is made from rock, glass, mineral fibre or foil-backed felt. Do choose at least 270mm for the best insulation results.
You can install blanket insulation; however, it is recommended that a professional install the insulation to ensure that it is installed correctly. The cost of blanket insulation is around £300 – £400 depending on the size of your house.
Loose-fill Insulation Costs
Loose-fill insulation is made from lightweight materials such as cork granules, mineral wool, or it can even be made out of recycled newspaper. If you imagine shredded cotton wool all over your loft space, this is what it would look like.
This option is chosen due to how well it covers the loft space, getting into every nook and cranny. With the right equipment, it can be installed quickly, helping reduce labour costs.
One of the main downfalls with this type of insulation is that with it being loose if you have a draughty loft, it can move around in places.
Loose-fill insulation costs around £4.80 to £6.50 per M2.
Sheet Loft Insulation Costs
It can be difficult to insulate the sloped sides of your loft with some of the insulation methods due to the difficulty you may have when fitting. Sheet loft insulation will help reduce that difficulty.
These are insulated boards that fit across the joists and just need to be fixed in. They come in different variants such as fire resistant and moisture resistant materials. This type of insulation is good if you are looking to convert your loft into a room.
The downside to sheet loft insulation is that it is quite costly, it can be easily broken when being handled or installed incorrectly and some of the materials that it’s made out of aren’t eco-friendly.
The cost for sheet loft insulation is around £8.00 – £11.00 per M2.
Spray Foam Insulation (PUR) Costs
If you are looking for loft insulation that pretty much covers everything in your loft then spray foam is a good option. Spray foam gives you great coverage in your loft and is very easy to install.
The PUR (polyurethane) that is used in the spray foam has benefits such as being free from harmful chemicals making it friendly to humans, animals and the environment. It’s effective against moisture and extreme temperatures and is fully resistant to mould and fungi.
One of the main problems when it comes to spray foam insulation is that it needs to be installed by a professional. If you find a tradesman that is untrained, unlicensed and doesn’t know the installation process, the spray foam insulation could be installed wrong, making it not as effective.
Due to the specialist knowledge and equipment needed to install spray foam, it is one of the most expensive options, costing around £25 – £55 per M2.
Additional Costs
The price of labour and material may not be the only thing that is in the cost when it comes to loft insulation. There are a few other jobs that might be required.
Insulating Pipes
Some lofts have pipes for hot or cold water. If you leave them uncovered, then in winter there is a chance that they could freeze over.
To prevent this, you can buy insulating foam tubes that can go over them. This is a job that can be done yourself due to how easy they are to install. You can expect to pay £1.50 to £3.25 per M2.
Ladder and Hatch Insulation
To help get access to your loft, you may have or want to get a ladder and hatch. These typically come in the shape of pull-down ladders so you can climb up and down easily.
What might not be considered is insulating the top of the hatch. Leaving it uninsulated means that the heat in your house will have a way of escaping.
Insulating the hatch is inexpensive and can be done with a polystyrene board which costs between £10 and £20.
Electrical Wire Moving
Some lofts have electrical wires in them which may need to be moved if it prevents the insulation from being installed. This is a job that is best left for a professional and would require the service of an electrician. This can cost between £100 and £250, depending on the number of wires that need moving.
How Long Does Loft Insulation Take To Install?
If done by a professional, loft insulation doesn’t take long to do. Usually, it can be installed within a day. This could change depending on the size of the area that you want insulating, which type of insulating material you are using and how complex the job is.
All prices mentioned in this article are estimates.
