Draughts around doors and windows
If you experience a sensation of cold or cool air coming in around doors or windows, it is possible that warm air is escaping your home. This could simply be down to a door or window that isn’t properly sealed.
Gaps, cracks and holes around fixtures
These are a dead giveaway for heat loss! Any visible cracks or holes are entry points for outside air to enter your home. A great way for spotting these points are where the wall and floor would meet (exterior walls also apply in this case), electrical outlets and where lighting or other electrical elements connect to the ceiling.
No frost on your roof when your neighbours’ roofs have frost
If your neighbours’ roofs have frost or snow and your home doesn’t, then it’s a clear sign that your home is allowing heat to escape and melt the frost or snow on your roof. This is a clear indicator of poor insulation.
Varied temperatures from room to room
If different rooms around your home vary in temperature, it could be a sign that your house is under insulated. Good insulation normally aids the prospect of having even temperatures throughout your home.
Expensive energy bills
Keeping a close eye on your energy bills over the past few years is a very beneficial exercise. If the increases in the energy bill amount are not related to an increase in price, it indicates that the insulation is not as effective as they used to be.
Cold floors, walls and ceilings
Interior structures such as ceilings, floors and walls within your home should feel warm with no moisture. Same rule applies to exterior walls where they should feel cold and moist to touch. Exterior walls should feel cold as the insulation should keep heat and warm air inside a home.
Rodents in your home
Rodents found in the home is a sign of poor insulation and sealing. Reason being, is that they are the entry points for pests. This also means that warm air is escaping through these areas within your home. If you frequently find rodents within the home the source of entry would need to be sealed in earnest.
To quickly address these situations, installing weather stripping around doors and windows can act as a short-term fix. Also, placing towels in areas where a lot of cool air is entering the home can work very quickly to conserve heat. The only solution to address heat loss within the home is to contact your local surveyor to specify the work required. Speaking to a builder or architect (in some cases) beforehand is a risky option as it may result in unnecessary installations to improve the heat retention in your home. In most cases it could very simply be a small job to fix a big problem.