Landlords four smart improvements to insulate your home

Thu 01 Oct 2020

The festive season is nearly upon us, with many tenants still flocking to the market to secure their dream home in time for Christmas and the New Year.

This, coupled with a rise in people working from home due to tighter Covid restrictions, presents an opportune time for landlords to invest in insulating their rental property. Not only will this boost your home’s energy efficiency, but it will significantly bring down costs for prospective renters.

With this in mind, here at Eden Estates, we lean on research from home improvement specialists Stormclad to list four simple modifications you can make to improve the insulation of your rental property.

Draught-proofing

There are countless gaps in the home that go unnoticed, and these are letting warmth escape, while allowing the cold inside. Often, you can fill all the gaps and holes yourself with simple DIY.

Start with internal doors when trying to cover drafts. You can buy removable draft excluders or have a draught excluding door seal fitted underneath the door. You must also ensure that you keep these shut as often as possible to retain the heat in each room, and to stop draughts coming through.

Modern double glazing

Windows are one of the most prone areas to heat loss in the home. An old, single-paned window will emit around 84% of a room’s heat into the cold air outside so it is definitely worth the investment.

Installing double glazed windows will retain the heat in your home by trapping a layer of air between two panes of glass which stops the air from circulating and decreases heat loss across the window. Modern double-glazed windows go the extra mile; the space between the panes is often filled with denser argon gas which will slow down heat loss even further.

Older windows can look outdated and deteriorate quickly, so replacing them with a durable frame such as aluminium will transform the look of your home outside and in.

External door replacements

Older doors are prone to holes and gaps which allows draughts to enter the property. They can often become warped and unsettled in their existing frame, meaning it may be time for an upgrade.

Solid wood doors are a popular choice as timber is a natural insulator, absorbing and retaining heat, while composite doors are thick and made of a combination of timber and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) – a robust thermo-plastic door skin.

Essentially, you want to ensure your door is fitted with a quality letterbox flap or brush to reduce the amount of heat loss. 

Conservatory refurbishments

While a desirable feature in a home, conservatories may be avoided in the colder months as they’re the closest room to the garden. However, making changes to your conservatory can reduce the amount of heat lost and make the space welcoming and usable all year round.

Older conservatories are often made with plastic polycarbonate roofs which have very little thermal insulation. Replacing the roof with high performance glass, a solid roof or a combination of the two, is one of the most effective improvements you can make to increase a conservatory’s thermal efficiency.

By taking the above tips into consideration, you can save on energy on bills and minimise the amount of energy you use in the home. If you’re still unsure, your letting agent can provide you with additional advice in line with government guidelines.

Here at Eden Estates, we operate in a number of locations across Kent and can help you to get the most from your property investment. For more information on our services, get in touch with us today.

To find out how much you could be charging in rent each month, you can request a free, instant estimate here.