How do I insulate pipes and a hot water tank?
One of the cheapest energy jobs there is — lagging pipes and tanks pays for itself within months.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min read
Heating & Energy
Staying warm without heating the street.
130 guides in Home & DIY
What do type 11, type 21 and type 22 mean on a radiator?
The two-digit code on every UK panel radiator, what each digit actually describes, and why it is the number that decides whether a room will ever be warm enough.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I draught-proof a sash window?
Where the air actually comes through a sash window, the brush seal system that works and the stick-on strips that do not.
intermediate3 hr4 min readHow do thermostatic radiator valves work?
What the numbers on a TRV mean, why one valve is different from the other, and how to fix a stuck one.
beginner20 min2 min readHow long should I heat my hot water cylinder for?
Why a cylinder schedule is set by reheat time rather than by when you want a shower, and how to size the heating windows to your household without paying to keep water hot all day.
beginner15 min4 min readIs secondary glazing worth it?
Where it makes sense against replacing windows, what it does for noise, and the cheap film version.
beginner30 min2 min readWhat is the difference between an S-plan and a Y-plan heating system?
The two standard UK heating layouts, how to tell which you have in thirty seconds, and why the difference decides what a failure looks like.
intermediate15 min4 min readWhat size electric heater do I need for a room?
Volume times a watts-per-cubic-metre figure chosen for how well the room holds heat — and the reason an undersized heater costs more to run than an oversized one, not less.
beginner15 min5 min readHow do I balance my radiators?
How to get every radiator in the house heating evenly by adjusting the lockshield valves, rather than some rooms baking and others staying cold.
intermediate2 hr2 min readWhy will my wireless room thermostat not connect to the boiler?
The pairing, battery and range failures that leave a wireless thermostat talking to nothing, and the manual override that gets heat back while you sort it.
beginner25 min4 min readHow do I insulate a garage or outbuilding?
Deciding what the space is actually for, insulating without creating a condensation trap, and where the vapour barrier goes.
intermediate8 hr5 min readHow do I stop draughts from a loft hatch?
Why the hatch matters more than its size suggests, sealing and insulating it, and keeping the loft itself ventilated.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow often does a boiler need servicing?
What the manufacturer, the warranty and the law each require, what a service actually includes, and what you can check yourself.
beginner20 min3 min readWhat is a cold bridge and why does it cause damp?
Why mould appears in the same corners every winter, how to tell a cold bridge from a leak, and what actually fixes one.
beginner25 min4 min readWhat is a motorised valve, and why is it the usual suspect?
A small electrically operated valve that opens a circuit and then tells the boiler it has. Why the end switch inside it matters more than the valve, the manual lever on the side, and the four symptoms that point straight at one.
intermediate8 min5 min readWhy does my heating come on in the middle of summer?
Five reasons radiators get warm in July, from harmless pipe heat to a genuinely stuck valve, and how to tell which one you have.
beginner20 min5 min readCan I fit a pump to boost my mains water pressure?
Why boosting straight off the main is not allowed, and the three lawful ways to get more out of a poor incoming supply.
intermediate20 min4 min readDo curtains over a radiator waste heat, and what should I do about it?
Where the heat actually goes when a curtain hangs over a radiator, how much it costs, and the four fixes ranked by effort.
beginner20 min5 min readShould trickle vents be left open in winter?
What a trickle vent is sized to do, why closing it in cold weather is the wrong instinct, and the small number of times it is reasonable to shut one.
beginner10 min3 min readWhat does a window energy rating or U-value actually mean?
The three numbers on a window specification, which of them you should actually compare, and why the rating on the label may not describe the window you are being sold.
beginner15 min3 min readWhat does the central heating pump do, and why is mine hot and noisy?
What the pump actually does, what its speed setting changes, and how to read the difference between normal running noise, an air problem and a failing bearing.
intermediate20 min5 min readCan I turn my boiler off completely in summer?
What actually stops when you switch a boiler off, why pumps and valves seize when they never move, and the summer setting that gets you the saving without the risk.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I keep a home warm when someone is unwell?
Someone ill, immobile or recovering feels the cold far sooner than a well person, and the answer is a warm room and a warm bed rather than a warm house.
beginner45 min6 min readCan I lay wood or laminate over underfloor heating?
Which floor coverings work over UFH, the thermal resistance figure that decides it, and the commissioning sequence that stops a new floor being wrecked in its first week.
intermediate30 min5 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.