Most houses in the UK and Northern Ireland have only a single 80mm loose jacket over the hot water cylinder, also known as a hotpress. According to the current Building Control regulations what is expected is a double jacket. Installing a 160 mm thick cylinder jacket around the hotpress will help to maintain the water at the required temperature; this will reduce the amount of energy used and lower fuel bills. A cylinder jacket is a layer of insulation that is fitted around your hot water cylinder. A jacket 160 mm thick (or two 80 mm jackets) would be best, dependent upon space limitations, but even an 80 mm jacket would be a significant improvement to your energy rating if there is currently no insulation. The jacket should be fitted over any thermostat clamped to the cylinder.

Hot water pipes from the hot water cylinder could also be insulated, using preformed pipe insulation of up to 50 mm thickness (or to suit the space available) for as far as they can be accessed to reduce losses in summer. Bear in mind the energy assessor will assess the insulation of the hotpress but not the insulation of the pipes. All these materials can be purchased from DIY stores and installed by a competent DIY enthusiast.

How much will it cost you? If you are a capable DIYer you could purchase the insulation from a DIY store and fit it yourself. Any of the major DIY sores will stock loose jackets. Depending on the size of the cylinder, it should not cost more that £60. Read the manufacturers instructions and make sure that you use any recommended protective gloves, footwear, and masks when doing it.

How much will you save? This solution can save you over £300 per year in heating costs.

How much will this solution change your Energy Certificate Rating? Increasing your hot water cylinder to 160mm can also increase the energy performance rating of your house by 18 points.

epc4less ltd is the most established Energy Certificate provider in Northern Ireland. epc4less will survey your property at a very reasonable price and operate throughout the province. You can book your energy assessment at www.epc4less.com