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Room In Roof Insulation: What Is It, How It Works & More
- A room in the roof, or loft room, is an insulation approach that allows you to create livable areas within your loft space.
- A typical loft insulation for a detached UK home costs around £1,100, with additional costs depending on the size of the room, type of insulation material and installation complexity.
- Room in roof insulation, combined with loft insulation, can save a detached house up to £380 on annual energy bills, as well as cut carbon emissions by 1 ton every year.
According to the UK government's Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, around 87% of properties in the UK have a loft space, and yet, only 66% of these properties have any degree of insulation for loft in place. Not only does this create huge energy bills and a damp drafty home, but removes you from one of the biggest benefits of loft insulation in the first place; a room in your roof!
You might be wondering; what is room in roof insulation? How much roof insulation do I need? Room in roof insulation allows you to expand the liveable space in your home without having to increase its actual footprint with costly extensions. Not to mention, the process requires hardly any permits or permissions from your local authority, further simplifying the process.
This ultimate guide by GreenMatch UK will give you all the information you need to know about room roof insulation, including what it is, how it’s done, costs, grants and much more.
Ready to insulate your loft room? Let GreenMatch UK help you land the best bargains. Instead of spending endless hours researching and vetting installers on the web, spend just 30 seconds filling out our online form and receive up to 3 free home-tailored quotes from our network of professionals. No costs or obligations. Click below to begin!
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What is room in roof insulation?
Room-in-roof insulation is the process of adding insulation material to a room in your loft to create a thermal envelope. This may be done to a single room, a portion of the loft, or even the entire loft area depending on your budget and preferences. This process usually follows pitched roof insulation, which must be carried out first.
Several avenues of insulation need to be accounted for, such as stud wall insulation, floor insulation, roof insulation, window glazing and draught proofing to create a properly insulated room in your roof.
It’s also important to not confuse room in loft insulation with loft insulation. While loft insulation is a necessity for roof room insulation, the processes can be a bit different.
What is the difference between loft insulation and room in roof insulation?
Loft insulation refers to the process of insulating your actual loft space, without accounting for any rooms. Two main types of loft insulation can take place:
- Cold loft insulation: This is when insulation material is only added in between and over the joists of your loft floor, leaving your actual loft space uninsulated. While this approach may be more budget-friendly, it will only insulate your house below the loft. This approach is most suited for homes who don’t plan to live in their loft.
- Warm loft insulation: This is when insulation material is added to the joists of the loft floor, as well as in between and over the roof rafters above the loft space. This creates a thermal envelope of your home that also incorporates your loft area. This is the most ideal approach for houses that intend to convert their loft into liveable space.
In the case of wanting room in roof insulation, you first need insulation for the roof. It’s recommended that a household first has warm loft insulation in place for the best thermal performance. This can then be followed by adding stud wall insulation, floor insulation, window glazing, and other approaches to create a thermally enveloped room in your roof.
How does room-in-roof insulation work?
Roof room insulation works by thermally enveloping an area of your loft that is intended to be used as a living space. Here’s a simple breakdown of how the process looks:
- Hire a professional: Perhaps the most important step is to make sure you work with a well-qualified and accredited installer who can assess your property and create a plan that best serves your needs. This is also important to identify any outstanding repairs, create a healthy room for ventilation, and carry out the job cost-effectively.
- Create the room: This area is usually created through the use of stud walls, easy-to-install wooden frames and plasterboard with a gap within that allows insulation to be filled in it. In some situations, the entire loft space can be a single room, in which stud walls can be created along the walls of your loft or insulation material can be directly added onto the walls.
- Insulate the room: Room in-roof insulation requires a multi-level approach to insulation. The floor of the room must be insulated with loft floor insulation. The stud walls require to be filled with material such as mineral wool or rigid PIR boards. Windows and doors will need draught proofing, and window panes will need double or triple glazing.
- Add final touches: Once the insulation is in place, you may choose to make stylistic choices such as adding plasterboard, wallpaper, or floor laminate. A great suggestion is to add carpets to your room in roof to further help with thermal and acoustic insulation.
The process of room-in roof insulation may differ depending on your existing home circumstances. For example, if you have cold loft insulation or no loft insulation at all, you will first need to carry out this job before considering a room in roof insulation.
Room in roof insulation cost
On average, a roof insulation cost sits at about £1,100 for a detached UK home. Following this up with room-in-roof insulation will accrue additional costs depending on the size of the room, the type of insulation material you choose and the complexity of installation.
While it’s hard to predict a range for how much insulating a room in the roof would cost, here’s a breakdown of some of the most popular materials used for insulation of this type. That way, you can judge how much the extra material may cost depending on the m2 size of your room:
| Insulation material | Cost (£/m2) |
|---|---|
| Mineral wool | £13 - £17.5 |
| Sheep wool | £17.5 - £22 |
| Fibreglass | £10 |
| PIR board | £5 – £15 |
| PUR board | £5 – £15 |
| Corkboard | £17 - £22 |
| Wood fibre board | £12 - £24 |
In addition, daily labour costs in the UK sit around £250 per day, a factor that will also contribute to your final investment. All in all, getting quote prices from multiple installers is the best way to understand the range of investments you may have to pay. However, most prospective customers find themselves stuck in an endless loop of surfing websites and scheduling phone calls. Let GreenMatch UK free you from this burden!
By spending just 30 seconds filling out our simple online form, you can receive up to 3 free home-tailored quotes right from our nationwide network of trusted installers. The best part? Our services are completely free of charges and obligations. Click below to begin!
- Describe your needs
- Get free quotes
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Room in roof insulation grants
For those worried about the investment it takes for a room in the roof insulation, there’s still hope! In line with the UK’s ambitious goal to become Net Zero by 2050, there are several grant schemes in place to help low-income and energy-inefficient households with insulation upgrades.
The main two schemes active at the moment are the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4), both of which provide comprehensive cost coverage for loft insulation upgrades. Qualifying homes can get free or reduced-cost loft insulation if they meet the criteria required.
While these schemes do not provide room in roof insulation exclusively, covering the cost of loft insulation will solve the bulk of finances, allowing you to far more easily front the costs of a room in roof insulation.
Pros and cons of room in roof insulation
Room in roof insulation is an insulation upgrade that brings a wealth of benefits to your savings, environmental standing and general livelihood. Here are just some of the best perks you can enjoy with proper room in roof insulation:
- Big savings: A room in roof insulation will positively impact your annual energy bill costs, increasing your savings and providing a healthy return on investment (ROI). In addition, the upgrade will drastically cut your domestic carbon footprint, making your house much more environmentally friendly.
- More liveable space: The best perk of room in roof insulation is that it allows you to increase liveable areas in your home without actually having to finance an extension. Not only are extensions costly and labour-intensive, but they require many planning permissions to be carried out.
- No permits needed: In the majority of cases, room in roof insulation does not require any expressed permissions or permits to be carried out due to being entirely within your home. This makes it a far easier job with less of a headache to implement.
While there are no significant cons to room in roof insulation, there are certain points to consider before making a decision:
- Costly and laborious: Unlike a simple cold loft insulation, creating a thermally enveloped and liveable space in your loft is more costly given the various combined insulation approaches that need to take place. These several insulation upgrades can rack up quite a cost.
- Labour intensive: In addition to higher costs, a room in roof insulation job requires a lot more labour and industry expertise to complete. Alongside floor, wall and ceiling insulation, window panes need double or triple glazing, and all frames need draught proofing, requiring extensive labour.
- Loft suitability: Not every loft is structurally suited to house a liveable area in it. This can be due to the style of the loft, structural integrity, outstanding repairs, or any existing insulation in place that is complex to remove. Unsuitable lofts would require a major overhaul in most cases to house a room.
With all things considered, there are plenty of advantages to going ahead with a room in roof insulation. It’s best to do so with the guidance of a professional and accredited installer who can help make the best decisions suited to your home.
Is room-in-roof insulation worth it?
A room in roof insulation is a very worthy investment that allows you to expand the liveable space in your home, reduce your energy bills, slash your carbon footprint and create a temperature-regulated healthy living environment.
To make sure you land the best roof insulation you can, it’s advised to get multiple quotes from installers. That way, you can have the best idea of what a general job may cost, as well as potentially land some great bargains. Unfortunately, not everyone has endless hours to spend on websites and phone calls, but luckily, GreenMatch UK can free you from this burden.
By filling out our 30-second online form, you can receive up to 3 free home-tailored quotes from our nationwide network of pre-vetted installers, all at competitive costs. The best part? Our services are completely free of charges and obligations. Click below to begin and land yourself the best bargains you can!
- Describe your needs
- Get free quotes
- Choose the best offer
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