Free cavity wall insulation - scam or real?

HAL9000

Had a phone call tonight from a lady who reckons I can have cavity wall insulation FOC, as part of a government sponsored energy saving scheme. Anyone know if genuine or not? Now I'd have thought if it was genuine, then Cameron or someone would be on tele (not on a Tele!) banging on about how he's helping hard-working families.

mart

If it's a cold call, it's 99% certainly spam.

That said, there are some grants for cavity wall insulation: this place is usually a reliable guide to what's genuinely available:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation

dean2371

I had this done about two years ago, all free and no catches. I'm sure there are some scam merchants around though, so I would check with your local authority to see if they are sponsoring it, aware of it or offer a similar scheme

RaymondLin

If its too good to be true...

underdog

It's just a company offering it people that haven't taken up local authority grants, it's worth their effort cold calling as they can then sell the job to a local firm for the council to pay.

Hootsmon

mart said:

If it's a cold call, it's 99% certainly spam.

That said, there are some grants for cavity wall insulation: this place is usually a reliable guide to what's genuinely available:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation

Jeez one learns something new every day.......I never knew spam worked as an insulation

WezV

Check with your energy supplier as they have certain obligations you will be helping them meet.

Ours are offering free loft insulation to anyone

Sometimes its grants for new boilers but that tends to be dependant on benefits.

thumpingrug

It could be true

musicegbdf

I had my loft done for free. It was a government funded scheme via the power companies. I researched it and found out that the uk was failing under the EU green rules, and to avoid funds they were doing this
I would do your own research though and not go with a cold call company. I think the company was called Simon something. They did s brilliant job and totally free

capo4th

We had ours done about 5 years detached house paid £200 not sure who picked up the rest of the bill but there are defo grants avaialble

capo4th

Oh yeah house is really warm and toastie

musicegbdf

Just checked they were called the Mark Group.

not_the_dj

musicegbdf said:

Just checked they were called the Mark Group.

I see one of their vans on my drive to work most mornings, which advertises same scheme.

capo4th

Legit same company did ours they are huge in this area and love filling cavities

SidNewton

I had about £800 worth of cavity wall and loft insulation done about 2 years ago for fuck all, didn't pay a penny. You can still get it if you look about.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation#freeinsulation

Paul_C

I had my house done a few years ago, and a new boiler for free earlier in the year - I'd have the loft done too if it wouldn't involve me shifting the 2 skips full of junk that's currently insulating it.

ESBlonde

Contact your utilities/energy provider, they are obliged to provide some energy saving grants and will have a 'partner' who will come round and do the job. The local council will also give free advice on the subject.  Some get it for free and others pay a small fee. The saving in heating cost and the cosy feel afterwards are worth the trouble IMHO.

paulnb57

There are free deals aroind, but beware of cowboy installers, a mate at work has just had a year long battle with his supplier. Seems they drilled through the outer wall injected said insulation which just spotted blobs on the inner wall and not completely filling the cavity, after complaints about cold wet spots on inside walls woth black mould and ruind decoration, a camera was put through the injection holes and all was declared correct by the installer, mate being handy removed a few bricks and called em back, they will now be back to remove it......many older houses weree not designed to have the cavity filled and it can cause huge problems that noone wants to sort out.....

Sambostar

I would want some kind of feathery substance.  That old foam they used to use acted as a cold bridge and only made your walls and house colder and it introduced condensation and mould to your inner walls, as your inside warm, moist air condensed on the inner, unvented wall, not on the outer one, which is vented and as is designed to deal with condensation.  I still reckon you can't beat cavity walls with air in them, albeit a few wall ties as well.  Additionally it also wicked up moisture from below the DPC.

I don't know what material they use these days, but I would want a demo of it being blown outside first, to prove that it isn't homogenous and forms individual particles and doesn't wick, also I would want a guarantee that it doesn't bio degrade and homogenise over time, like foam in old seats, or better yet, take it for laboratory testing.  Although bare in mind, by the time you look up your guarantee the company will have ceased trading.

I don't have cavity walls, just a small layer of insulation on battens, but I know that if plasterboard nail or screw hits the wall through the batten, you have a cold bridge and will forever have a damp patch on your hands and a large metre patch of mould around it, even if the external walls are treated with breathable brick sealer.  It's condensation.

It's the same with people putting internal vents in the internal basement walls, it just makes the problem far worse.  The cavity has to be able to vent to outside somehow or other and in the absence of heat exchangers, I see cavity insulation as a bit of a primitive fix, which causes more problems than it cures.  I wouldn't do it personally.

strumjoughlamps

musicegbdf;445991" said:

Just checked they were called the Mark Group.

Local company to me, my best mate sprayed there vans in their current design.

Neil

I've heard of all sorts of damp problems associated with cavity wall insulation and although I have a detached house that costs a lot to heat I've purposely avoided CVI.