Easy to install insulation and prevents heat from escaping through the roof.
Fills the gaps between wall cavities to help to help keep your home warmer
Insulation in your converted roof space creates a blanket effect to trap heat within the home
Can be installed in properties that have a suspended floor or a cavity underneath
Provides an option for properties that do not have any wall cavities by adding insulation to internal walls
A useful option for solid walled properties unable to benefit from cavity wall insulation
Room in roof insulation is used to insulate a loft that’s been converted into a usable room, other than being used just for storage. This type of insulation replaces the loft insulation normally seen in an unconverted space.
Installing adequate insulation helps keep your roof space warm and liveable, reducing the amount of money that needs to be spent on energy bills. Properly installed insulation can also prevent issues with damp and moisture.
There are several ways a room in the loft space can lose heat, including properties that contain any of a number of features, including sloped ceilings, stud walls or party walls, gable walls, a dormer window, a fixed staircase or a flat roof. If you don’t insulate the roof properly, heat will escape, leaving the room cooler and potentially prone to condensation issues.
Room in roof insulation prevents the heat from being lost by creating a thermal barrier. The best way to maximise energy efficiency gains is to insulate each element of the room appropriately.
While it’s easy to find tips on insulating an unconverted loft, when you have specific plans for a loft as an extra living space, such as a bedroom, or even an office space, what is involved will usually be more complex.
This process of insulating a converted loft space is called room in roof insulation. Since the Energy Saving Trust estimates that around 25% of an uninsulated home’s heat is lost through the roof, there are many benefits to insulating a roof and loft space in general.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to this type of insulation, including costs, lifespan, pros and cons, and more.
When a roof space is converted into a room, it requires a type of insulation that fits into the gaps between the joists or the rafters underneath the roof. If you try to convert a room without installing insulation, the room will be susceptible to significant fluctuations in temperature in the summer and winter months. Not to mention, the rest of the house will suffer from poor thermal efficiency if you fail to properly insulate your loft.
The most common method involves fitting insulation boarding in between the rafters underneath the existing plasterboard walls. This type of insulation traps heat within your home, creating a blanket effect.
With room in roof insulation, you can keep your loft warm in the winter and cool in the summer, allowing you to enjoy a much more consistent temperature all year round. This is because the insulation’s heat-trapping properties retain the heat indoors in winter, and stop the heat from entering during the hotter summer months.
This type of insulation also requires you to install a vapour barrier. While some varieties of rigid foam insulation don’t need protection and blanket insulation already comes with vapour-retardant facing, other types will need a barrier.
You can install a thin barrier of polythene on the underside of the insulation to prevent moisture from compromising your material. Always use unfaced insulation (i.e. lacking a vapour retarding surface and therefore non-combustible) near chimneys or when you’re adding new insulation on top of existing insulation.
Traditionally, you’ll insulate the vertical wall sections of the attic room with either insulation boards or fibreglass wool. You’ll also place boards or fibreglass wool between the ceiling rafters.
Insulation boards tend to be cut to size to fit your space. These boards are ideal for moisture control, so if your loft is prone to condensation, insulation boards ate the best option. You can even cover them with plasterboard for a more attractive finish.
There are differences in how you insulate your roof depending on whether you plan to use your loft as a room, or simply a storage space. The key difference is the positioning of the insulation.
To insulate a loft used for storage, you’d need to insulate directly on top of the joists to the ceiling below. For room in roof insulation, you need to layer the insulation just underneath the roof. This allows the heat from the rooms below to travel into the converted attic, so the attic room also benefits from extra warmth.
Insulating your loft for use as a room costs significantly more than standard loft insulation, so consider whether you need this type of insulation before going ahead with an installation.
This insulation can cost more than standard loft insulation, because you’ll need to insulate the room in a way that keeps the attic warm while allowing for the rest of the home to feel the benefit of increased thermal efficiency.
The entire cost is likely to be around £2000 for a typical property. You can expect to pay slightly more or less depending on the size of the room you’re insulating, plus the type of insulating material that you choose. An insulation material such as foam insulation is highly effective for insulating the likes of attic rooms, loft rooms, loft conversions, and for use on sloping ceilings, but is generally a more expensive option.
While a DIY installation in a loft room is possible, it’s not advisable, especially not without previous experience with similar projects. You’d need to make sure all the insulation work meets building regulations, including fire resistance and ventilation restrictions. You’d also have to maximise the efficiency of the insulation and avoid the risk of damp.
While it’s understandable to want to reduce labour costs, a DIY installation could cost you more in the long run if you have to pay for problems that arise as a result of incorrect installation, such as damp problems and mould.
There are a few things it’s worth checking before installing insulation in a loft room, as well as regulations regarding what qualifies for this type of insulation.
There are a few things it’s worth checking before installing insulation in a loft room, as well as regulations regarding what qualifies for this type of insulation.
Things to consider include:
In many cases, yes. The government is on a mission to make homes more energy efficient, which would reduce the national carbon footprint as well as helping consumers save money on heating bills.
Roof insulation grants are available under the government’s Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) and Great British Insulation Schemes. Under these you could be eligible for free funding which could cover all or part of the costs of achieving a roof insulation grants room for your home.
If you live in an older property with a loft or attic that was originally built without roof insulation, or the insulation is inadequate, you can get a grant to cover an insulation upgrade. In some cases, you might have to pay a small contribution, but the cost will be significantly reduced from the typical amount you’d expect to pay for installation.
If you claim any of the following benefits, you’ll likely be considered for a government insulation grant:
Additionally, you could also qualify for grant funding under ECO4 Flex rules if your household has an annual income below a certain threshold (usually £31,000). Eligibility for ECO4 is also dependent on the energy efficiency rating (EPC) of your home, with homes rated D, E, F or G likely to qualify. Funding is also available in Scotland for privately funded insulation installations from Home Energy Scotland.
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One of the biggest advantages of insulation is longevity. Once you’ve installed your insulation, you can expect it to last for many decades. Your insulating material will effectively pay for itself many times over during its lifespan in terms of the annual heating bills savings.
If your insulation has been installed, but you haven’t noticed a difference or you’re seeing signs of damp and condensation, check whether the insulation has been properly installed. You can do this with the help of a professional.
If you choose to insulate your loft using standard traditional techniques, you won’t realistically be able to use the space as a bedroom or office. By installing this insulation, you can transform your space to create a new room in your house to use however you like.
Whether you have a baby on the way or simply want a new space to work remotely, transforming your loft can reap rewards. It can also help to increase your home’s value to have another, properly insulated room in your home.
Every type of insulation is excellent for reducing the annual costs of your energy. By keeping your home warmer without having to overly use central heating or electric heaters, you can expect to save hundreds of pounds on your energy bills every year.
As well as saving money on your energy bills, insulating a loft space promises a return on investment in terms of your property’s value. Prospective buyers are always looking for ways they can reduce their spending on a new home, and having the insulation already installed is certainly more preferable to an uninsulated home.
A well-insulated home means better energy efficiency. The less you need to use central heating or other methods to heat the home, the better your carbon footprint.
Unlike insulating a loft when you don’t need to use the space, converting your loft space into a warm, liveable room is a bigger, more expensive, and more time-consuming project. Unless you need this specific insulation, opt for regular loft insulation to save time and money and experience minimal disruption.
You’ll need to convert your loft into a room using a conversion before insulation work can begin. There are other reasons why your loft may not be suitable for room in roof insulation, including damp or the style of your roof. If your roof is too low or the loft is hard to access, it won’t be suitable for use as a room.
