With the price of gas and electricity on a seemingly endless series of climbs, now is a good time to take a look around your home and see where you can make some energy savings.

Over 20% of the heat lost from your home goes straight out of the roof, so it's important that you have the attic properly insulated. Even if your attic was insulated when the house was built or any time before the last couple of years, it may not have the right amount of insulation.Recent government recommendations have almost doubled the suggested amount of insulation, and a minimum thickness of 200-250 mm (8 - 10 inches) is now suggested in temperate areas.

If you do need to top up your attic insulation, it's easy to do it yourself in a few hours if you are reasonably good at DIY. You don't need any special tools or skills and it can be much cheaper than paying someone else to do it - as long as you don't put your foot through the ceiling! But check before you start as grants may be available to help with part or all of the cost of insulation, especially for the elderly or those on a low income or benefit.