Why your house is secretly wasting heat – and how to fix it

Liz Nicholls talks to Kit and Maria Evans, whose local non-profit helps households stay warmer, cut energy bills, and finally understand what’s really happening in their homes.

Liz Nicholls

Energy bills can be a sore subject, especially when you’re doing everything “right” yet still feel (ironically) powerless against rising costs and a chilly home.

I’ve spent years trying to make my 1950s end-of-terrace feel cosy and womb-like, including installing underfloor heating, yet certain rooms have remained stubbornly cold. No matter how much love I pour in, some spaces simply refuse to warm up – so when Kit and Maria Evans offered me a trial Save Energy home assessment, I was all ears.

They set up this local non-profit to help households stay warm, reduce energy costs and understand how their homes perform. Their Triple A assessment – Advice, Assessment, Action – offers insight into what your house is doing behind the scenes. I wasn’t expecting miracles, but answers – and that’s what I got.

Kit arrived to start scanning parts of the house, inside and out, with a thermal imaging camera.

Did you know that different parts of a house can vary in temperature by up to seven degrees? Seven! That’s the difference between feeling smug on a sunny getaway thousands of miles south and sitting shivering in Blighty.

The results, along with an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate), were fascinating. The newer extension of my house – with cavity walls – is surprisingly efficient.

But the older, solid-wall sections? They lit up the thermal camera like a Christmas tree. Kit showed me exactly where heat was seeping out, particularly at the front of the property where the original brickwork offers almost no insulation – as with many homes of this era.

Then came the loft. I knew the insulation wasn’t perfect, but discovering it was only about 75–100mm deep (the recommended level is 270mm) was eye-opening. The loft hatch also leaks warm air, so it’s on my list to draught-strip and insulate – simple solutions.

One of the biggest issues was the upstairs Juliet balcony in my teenager’s room, which was damaged in a shed fire. I thought it was “just a bit ugly”. The thermal imaging camera confirmed it’s basically a hole for heat to escape through. Replacing it has gone from cosmetic to urgent.

Other areas that stood out included the ceilings upstairs – notoriously difficult to insulate but clearly impacting comfort; draughts under the front door (easily fixable with a new seal); and a cold patch above the staircase, where warm humid air from downstairs (and steamy baths) meets a freezing surface, causing recurring mould. Ugh.

What surprised me most wasn’t the list of issues, but how manageable everything felt. Kit broke it all down into simple, actionable steps: top up the loft insulation, create raised boarding for storage, upgrade the draught strip, and consider targeted internal wall insulation rather than tackling every room at once.

I ended the assessment feeling empowered instead of overwhelmed. Now I finally understand why my home behaves the way it does – and what I can do to change it.

If you’re in the same boat, the Save Energy team are warm, knowledgeable, local and passionate about helping households live more comfortably.

You can find more info at saveenergy.coop or call 01628 947077.

In partnership with SaveEnergy

SaveEnergy offer domestic energy advice, Triple A home energy efficiency evaluations, EPCs and more to help you enjoy a warm home, lower bills and reduced carbon emissions.

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