Cold Spots: Causes, Consequences, and How to Fix Them

Have you ever noticed a specific spot in your home or building that just stays chilly, no matter how high you turn up the heating? These are known as cold spots. While they might seem like minor annoyances, they often signal more serious underlying issues that need attention.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

• Why cold spots matter and their hidden consequences
• Common causes of cold spots in buildings
• How to identify and locate cold spots effectively
• Practical solutions for reducing cold spots and improving comfort

Why Cold Spots Matter: The Hidden Consequences

Cold spots are more than just inconvenient; they’re often a sign of underlying problems in your building’s thermal envelope – the barrier that separates your indoor space from the outside environment. Ignoring these issues can lead to:

• Drafts and Uneven Temperatures: Cold spots disrupt the overall heating and cooling efficiency, leading to uncomfortable drafts and uneven temperatures.
• High Energy Bills: Your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems have to work overtime to combat heat loss, driving up your energy costs.
• Potential Mould Growth: Cold spots lead to condensation, creating ideal conditions for mould. The NHS estimates that if these problems were fixed in homes it could save £38 million annually on treating damp and mould-related illness.

In the UK alone, a staggering 58% of privately rented households struggle with damp, mould, or excessive cold, highlighting the widespread presence of these issues.

The internal thermal image above from our thermographic survey on a client’s home shows a cold spot in the corner, indicating a condensation risk as pointed out by our assessor.

The above set of images from a different property demonstrates the effects of poor thermal bridging at an external corner junction. The thermal image reveals a cold spot, and the photo shows mould growth – caused by condensation buildup.

Root Causes: What’s Behind Cold Spots In Your Building?

Cold spots can result from various factors:

• Insulation Gaps or Issues: Poorly installed or damaged insulation allows heat to escape.
• Air Leaks: Leaks around windows, doors, or cracks in the building envelope allow cold air to enter and warm air to escape.
• Moisture Problems: Moisture build-up compromises insulation.
• Structural Defects: Structural issues can create thermal bridges, areas where heat transfers more readily, resulting in cold spots.
• Plumbing Issues: Leaking pipes behind walls or under floors can introduce cold water into the space.

With two thirds of people in the UK experiencing issues with mould in their home at least once, it’s clear that addressing the root cause can help create a healthier indoor environment.

Taking Action with Targeted Solutions

Randomly adding insulation or sealing windows without addressing the underlying issues can be costly and ineffective. A targeted approach enables you to focus on problem areas and make impactful changes, avoiding costly trial and error. Here’s how to address cold spots effectively:

• Improving Insulation: Add or upgrade insulation in areas identified by a comprehensive survey.
• Sealing Air Leaks: Fix leaks around windows, doors, and other building envelope penetrations identified through air tightness testing.
• Addressing Structural Defects: Repair any structural issues causing thermal bridges to further reduce heat loss.

Thankfully, you don’t need to rely on guesswork to identify these problem areas. These home energy survey methods can identify weaknesses in your building envelope, allowing you to take precise action:

• Thermographic surveys: Our thermal imaging survey can detect temperature variations, highlighting cold spots and underlying issues.
• Air tightness testing: Our air tightness test measures uncontrolled air leakage, identifying draughts and other energy-wasting gaps in your building.

Ready to pinpoint and fix cold spots? Our Heat Loss Survey provides a complete analysis. Learn more.

The Benefits of Taking Action: Comfort, Savings and Health

By addressing cold spots and strengthening your building envelope, you can:

• Reduce Energy Bills: Less heat loss means your HVAC system doesn’t have to work as hard, leading to lower energy bills.
• Improved Comfort: Achieve more consistent indoor temperatures and reduce drafts for a cosy living or working environment.
• Reduced Mould Risk: Lowering condensation potential helps prevent mould growth and associated health risks.
• Increased Building Value: Energy-efficient buildings are more attractive to potential buyers or tenants.

What’s Next?

Don’t let cold spots compromise your comfort or increase your energy bills. Contact us today to schedule your heat loss survey, complete with air tightness testing and thermographic analysis, and discover how a targeted approach can help you achieve a more comfortable, efficient, and healthier building.

Service

Heat Loss Survey

View Service

Do You Live in Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset or South Gloucestershire? You can save 70% on home energy assessments!

We’ve teamed up with Retrofit West and the West of England Combined Authority to offer 70% off home assessments (subsidy up to £500), allowing you to have a home energy assessment from as little as £75 (+VAT). The voucher applies to our air tightness test, advanced air tightness test (with a whole house ventilation survey) and thermographic survey. Follow the link here to learn more.