AS WINTER sets in, DIY expert Richard Burr reveals how to warm up your house and cut your heating bills - and the 16 items you'll need to get the job done.

COLD, isn't it? If you have a loft, there's a fair chance it's under-insulated, which is bad news as a lot of heat is completely wasted as it floats up and through the roof. Save yourself some money and make life cosier by following my top tips on insulation.

Working in lofts is often a mucky business, so proper PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) is in order. Here's the gear you need to get going:

1. Dust mask

2. Goggles

3. Gloves

4. Knee pads

5. Cagoule, preferably with the hood up - rock wool can be really itchy when it gets down your back.

6. Torch

7. Panel saw

8. Stanley knife

9. Staple gun

10. Measuring tape

11. Plastic sheets

12. Self-adhesive draught excluder strip

13. Rolls of blanket insulation - use a tape measure to work out the dimensions of your loft in square metres and source your insulation. According to the Energy Saving Trust, you need 270mm depth of standard loft insulation to get the full benefit, so this usually works out as a 100mm layer laid between the joists and a 170mm layer over the top. You can buy this from most DIY stores, or in many cases get it subsidised or even free

14. Pipe/tank insulation - if you have water tanks and pipes in your loft, you will need to get lagging for them too - you can get tank insulating kits from your local DIY store

15. Heat diffusers - if you have spotlights on your first floor, the chances are they poke up into the loft space - they should already have heat diffusers on them, but if not you can get them from somewhere like Toolstation, from around £9, depending on size

16. Wooden staging - if you intend to store things back in your loft, you will need to build a wooden platform, as just laying your things directly on your insulation will compress it and reduce its insulation value. Use 50 x 100mm wood for making your staging, screwed to the side of the joists to give an area big enough to take all of your storage. Lay your insulation inside this area, then screw chipboard sheets on top of your frame

Now to prepare your loft. Most, mine included, are dusty repositories of old Christmas decorations, holiday stuff, childhood treasures and spiders. If you intend to use your loft for storage, now is the time to get all this stuff out and give it a sort. Try using vacuum bags - they save loads of space and keep your stuff airtight, clean and dry.

Before you empty the loft, clear a room and lay a plastic sheet down - things are going to be messy! You are going to need a clear run and plenty of space.

Be careful to only tread on the wooden joists in your loft, or on the wooden staging if you have some, or you risk putting a hole through the ceiling underneath.

You will most likely have a water tank and some pipes in your loft which, if installed correctly, have a jacket for the tank and insulation for the pipes.

Once you have finished insulating your loft, it will be much colder up there, as you will have trapped all the heat in the house where you want it. It is vital that all the pipes and tanks are properly insulated. Tank insulating kits are very straightforward. There is usually string to tie it in place, and the foam pipe insulation has a deep cut already in it that you can open and then wrap around the pipe.

When you take the outer packaging off the rolls of insulation, you'll find some pre-sliced perforations cut into them - these usually correspond with the widths of your joists, so you can lay the bottom layer of insulation between them. Use your saw to cut the insulation while it's still rolled up and compressed.

Measure the length of your loft allowing for 100mm of gap at the eaves (the bit where the roof touches the walls) for air flow, and cut lengths of insulation accordingly. Roll these into place starting from the space furthest from your loft hatch.

Once you have finished laying the bottom layer, you will need to lay the top. Lay this across the joists (rather than in line with them) so the top layer is perpendicular to the bottom layer, once again leaving a 100mm gap at the eaves. If you want to use your loft for storage, build wooden staging as described above.

You're nearly done now. You're probably itchy, hot and ready for a celebratory bucket of tea - but don't give up just yet.

Whether your loft hatch is hinged, or just rests on the frame, you'll need to first attach some draught excluder to the hatch frame to stop hot air whistling up into space. Next, you'll need to lay insulation on the hatch itself.

For the resting (non-hinged) type, this is easy, just cut the required shape and lay on top of the hatch, then take some of the plastic casing your insulation was delivered in, lay it over the insulation and staple it in place on the hatch, being careful to stick neatly to the edges.

For hinged hatches, the method is much the same, just make sure your insulation is cut small enough to fit through the hatch frame as you close it.

Now have a long shower, a cup of tea, and enjoy your nice warm house for the rest of the winter.