External wall insulation 'could really help people with energy bills'

24 May 2012

Posted by Kim Bardsley

A green energy expert has been speaking out about the benefits of external wall insulation in helping people to save money on fuel bills and meet the government's green energy targets.

Richard Baines, head of sustainable development at the Black Country Housing Group, said external cladding is the only solution for many homes in the UK when it comes to retrofitting, including the seven million properties with solid walls.

Furthermore, it is three times less expensive that internal insulation and does not result in rooms becoming smaller because space is not taken up with extra padding within.

"If the UK is to meet its 80 per cent carbon reduction target by 2050, we need to be retrofitting housing stock at a rate of 500,000 homes a year," Mr Baines commented.

He also suggested that external wall insulation could improve the aesthetic value of some housing estates at the same time as assisting people with the cost of things like home heating oil by preventing heat loss.

Earlier this month, thinkinsulation.com found that many people are reluctant to insulate their lofts because it will result in them losing storage space.

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