We get worked up on stuff that isn't necessarily relevant. The first floor of my extended 2-up 2-down has draught problems I need to address, but it's a hell of a lot better than it was. The ground floor, however, is now very tight. The ground floor has been insulated even though the APC didn't consider it an issue.
The ground floor can be kept to temperature with 1.4kW and that includes heat losses to the first floor due to no interfloor insulation. I don't heat with an ASHP, but I probably could if I could get the first floor up to scratch (some very poor quality DIY timber frame on the extension).
Yet what I'd be encouraged to do is insulate the small section of poorly constructed cavity wall which would probably lead to damp issues (there are mortar bridges in the cavity) and save hardly any energy and fit solar thermal and PV (despite having only the roof area for one of the two).
Within a home... sensible insulation. Draft proofing. Get rid of damp issues first. Then learn to ventilate the house on a daily basis. Not very sexy, is it? But for the cost and materials involved, it certainly beats ASHP.
The ground floor can be kept to temperature with 1.4kW and that includes heat losses to the first floor due to no interfloor insulation. I don't heat with an ASHP, but I probably could if I could get the first floor up to scratch (some very poor quality DIY timber frame on the extension).
Yet what I'd be encouraged to do is insulate the small section of poorly constructed cavity wall which would probably lead to damp issues (there are mortar bridges in the cavity) and save hardly any energy and fit solar thermal and PV (despite having only the roof area for one of the two).
Within a home... sensible insulation. Draft proofing. Get rid of damp issues first. Then learn to ventilate the house on a daily basis. Not very sexy, is it? But for the cost and materials involved, it certainly beats ASHP.