OK, so we all know that when you get to the coveted status of owning your own house one of the first things you do is either smash down a wall or change the kitchen, bathroom or even paint the walls some garish colour and use that horrible shiny style wallpaper.

Probably the best thing to do first is to have a look in the loft and see what the situation is with the insulation. Fitting some decent insulation is pretty cheap and can see you saving money on heating bills for a very long time…

The article below was made available by Start - which is part of the Princes Charities

Insulating your loft – it might sound dull, but this simple DIY job could be the best paid day’s work of your life.

How come? If you have yet to insulate your loft, you could be missing out on a saving of around £150 per year on your annual energy bill. And if you don’t move house for the next five years, you could save up to £600* – just for one day’s work.

One budding energy saver enjoyed a bit of extra help today. This morning, Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, and Euan Sutherland, CEO of Kingfisher UK and B&Q, joined forces with Start and put the finishing touches to the lucky Londoner’s insulation.

Sutherland said: “Fitting insulation in your loft is the single most effective thing people can do to green up their homes and save money.”

B&Q has already started helping homeowners to go green with the introduction of its One Planet Home range of eco products and has further plans to help by introducing eco advice centres offering advice and support on eco and installed services, online eco advice at www.diy.com and qualified eco-advisors in B&Q stores.

Commenting on Start, Sir Richard said: “This is a fantastic initiative. It will help give people practical ideas on how to lead greener and more sustainable lives. Making a difference doesn’t have to be about grand gestures; if people start to do these little things in their everyday lives it will have a big impact. It should save money as well as help preserve our planet.”

If you’d like to find out more about loft insulating, check out our essential guide.

* Figures taken from the from Energy Saving Trust. These are estimated figures based on insulating a gas-heated, semi-detached home with three bedrooms.

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