Central heating is no longer the luxury it was once considered to be. Even so, many homes still lack this amenity. There is nothing new about central heating.
The Romans introduced it to Britain over 2000 years ago. The well-appointed Roman villa had underfloor ducted wood-fired heating, kept fired by teams of slaves. Such is the march of progress that the modern ‘slave’ is a compact boiler, doing all the work with limited attention. Many homes are well below basic standards of insulation, so that heating is costly and comfort levels often poor.
Much other home other homes rely on a limited form of central heating, using older solid fuel boilers serving two or three radiators. The number of well-insulated homes and well-designed and installed central-heating systems is even smaller. The UK is essentially cold for much of the year-it is not surprising, for it is on a latitude as far north as Labrador, so space heating makes sense. Initially, you should look to the standards of thermal insulation of your home, for there is no sense in allowing precious heat to escape to the atmosphere.
The loft is a major area of loss, and this ideally should be insulated with 75 lOOmm of glass-fibre mat or similar insulation. Look around doors and windows and fit the proprietary insulating strip. Cold air can be drawn in beneath outside doors, so consider fitting a threshold bar where needed. Sometimes, gaps occur between walls and door or window frames;
