SOME HOUSEHOLD PROBLEMS, like a creaky door or a tap that drips a little too much, are pretty easy to tolerate. Others, like a house that feels constantly cold, are harder to get used to.

A draughty or hard-to-heat home is not only uncomfortable to live in, but it’s costly too: having radiators on every minute of the day will soon make its mark on your energy bills.

Luckily, a chilly house is a problem that’s easy to fix, once you have an idea where the heat is escaping from. In the first instalment of our House2GreenerHome series with architect Róisín Murphy, we look at four key culprits causing heat loss in a typical house – and share the best ways to tackle them.

You’ll learn some quick fixes to instantly add heat, but Róisín also shares her expert advice on larger-scale deep retrofits to make your home cosier and more energy efficient in the long term.

Take your attic, for example. Bad insulation, or no insulation at all, means that heat is constantly escaping through the top of your house. So what’s the best way to stop that happening? “You can tackle the attic in very simple ways like putting an insulating tent over the attic door. But also you can completely retrofit and insulate your attic, and it is well worth doing,” says Róisín.

For more tips and insights, watch the video above.

Ready for a cosier, more energy efficient home? Kickstart your plans with a Green Home Improvement Loan from your Credit Union, ideal for large-scale renovations, smaller upgrades and everything in between. Find out more today.