Why wasn my house built with cavity wall insulation and the right amount of loft insulation?
• Houses comply with the building regulations that apply at the time the property is built. Since the oil crisis in the early 1970s, the insulation standards in the Building Regulations have been progressively upgraded. If your house is more than 10 years old, the chances are you could benefit from more loft insulation. The amount of insulation required in lofts has gradually increased over the past 50 years as energy prices have risen and it’s been more widely recognised that thicker insulation brings significant improvements to the energy efficiency of homes. Current building regulations recommend a minimum depth of 275mm, so it’s not surprising that many older homes do not comply with current regulations. You can easily check if your home is up to the latest regulations by lifting the loft hatch and measuring the distance between the top of the insulation and the board below.
