Free guide · 16-page PDF · For homeowners

Why is my room so cold?

Most cold rooms in 1930s and Victorian homes are cold because their outside walls lose heat fast and stay cold on the surface. This free guide from Retrofit Assessor Wojtek Pankowski helps you find out what's happening in your home and what to do about it, before you spend a penny.

A 10-minute walk-round self-check with tick boxes, plus a 7-day condensation diary
A symptoms table: what cold spots, draughts and black mould are telling you
Cheap fixes that genuinely help this week, and the ones that waste money
Why bay windows are so cold, and breathable vs PIR insulation explained
Honest costs and a room-by-room plan, starting with the rooms that matter most

What's inside.

Homeowners and families in Walsall, Sutton Coldfield, Great Barr, Solihull and nearby with a cold bay bedroom, a room that never gets comfortable or mould that keeps coming back.

01Why is my room so cold when the heating is on?
02How can I check my own home in 10 minutes?
03What do my symptoms mean?
04How does heat escape through my walls?
05Why does black mould keep coming back?
06What can I do this week that actually helps?
07Why is my bay window the coldest part of the room?
08When is wall insulation the right answer?
09Breathable or PIR insulation: which is right for my walls?
10How much does it cost to fix a cold room?
11Which room should I tackle first?
12What happens if I'd like a second opinion?

Why is my room so cold when the heating is on?

Most cold rooms in 1930s and Victorian homes are cold because their outside walls lose heat quickly and stay cold on the inside surface. The heating warms the air, but the walls keep pulling that warmth back out, and your body feels those cold surfaces even when the thermostat says 20°C.

I'm Wojtek Pankowski. I run aPlastering in Walsall, and I'm a qualified Retrofit Assessor and Domestic Energy Assessor. Most of the people who ring me start the same way: they love their house, they've spent money decorating it, and there is still one room they can't get comfortable. Often it's a bay bedroom. Sometimes it's a child's room with black mould behind the cot or around the window.

I wrote this guide so you can understand what is going on in your own home before you spend anything. You'll be able to check your rooms in ten minutes, read the signs, try the cheap fixes that genuinely help, and know when insulation is (and isn't) the answer.

In this guide: a 10-minute walk-round self-check, what your symptoms mean, how heat escapes, why mould keeps coming back, fixes for this week, the bay window explained, breathable vs PIR insulation, honest costs and a room-by-room plan.

Get the full guide free