In message
,
Paul writes
Hi,

I moved into a three storey Victorian semi six months ago. In the last
few weeks of Summer sun the house was toasty. It got a bit cooler in
Autumn but has been absolutely freezing since winter set in.


We also have a Victorian house. We can mostly keep it warm - warm-ish,
but it's not cheap

We have twenty, single-glazed sash windows. I have temporarily put
secondary glazing film on the windows as they are very draughty. That
has made an improvement, but not enough!
The ground floor has a suspended timber floor with approximately 2' of
space underneath except for a small area in the middle of the house
where there is a cellar. It may be my imagination but the cellar seems
to be one of the warmest parts of the house.....
None of the reception or bedrooms have carpets - sanded floorboards
throughout. It looks like previous attempts have been made with
silicone to seal the gaps between the floorboards but this appears to
have disintegrated, presumably due to the movement of the timber
throughout the year.

I realise this house will never be as energy efficient as a modern
house but I desperately need to improve its heat retention. Where am I
likely to be losing the most heat and what can I do about it?

Loft, walls, doors and windows.

If the loft insulation isn't up to scratch (25 - 30 cm) top it up. Have
a look at grants/deals from the LA or your energy supplier at the most
it will cost is a few hundred.

Walls, almost certainly solid, realistically not much to do about that
that isn't very disruptive.

Windows and doors.

We have secondary glazing (here when we moved in) in a lot of the rooms.
It makes a noticeable comfort difference. The girls bedroom has none is
on a corner with 2 windows and struggles to keep up to temp at times.
Our bedroom has it, has 2 windows and 3 external walls and is more
comfortable. We will add it to the girls room soon.

Curtains. Decent lined curtains make a difference. Don't forget the
doors, esp if glazed. We put a curtain up over the french windows into
the conservatory this year, it has made a noticeable difference in the
sitting room. Ditto the glazed door to the garden from the hallway.

Obviously make sure the doors are draught proofed.

I can't
afford to replace the windows. Does anyone have experience of the
relative merits of secondary glazing units versus the brush pile
draughtproofing that you get from the likes of Reddiseals?
What about the floors? What's the best thing to seal the gaps between
the floorboards? Would insulation under the floorboards provide a
significant difference compared to merely sealing between them?
Anything else I should look at?

Sealing the gaps helps with draughts, carpet are warmer than bare
floors. unconvinced of the benefit of insulating underneath given the
disruption (though I do consider doing the cellar ceiling, which needs
permanent ventilation as it is damp so it's pretty cool down there in
winter.
--
Chris French