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Insulation grants could have saved you £160 in 2009

10/03/2010 – 1:11 pm

A total of £500 million wasted last year from heat seeping out of poorly insulated UK homes, according to figures released by The Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Whilst many homes have taken advantage of insulation grants available towards cavity wall and loft insulation, nearly 2 million households have yet to make the move.

The average saving on a two bedrooms home is around £160 after insulating cavity walls and loft. Those on benefits or over 60 could also qualify to have the work done for free. For everyone else, the cost is around £400 for both cavity wall and loft insulation, making the payback time less than 3 years.

Most houses built between 1930 and 1980 will have a cavity between the two outer layers that make up an external wall. An insulation installer will drill a series of small holes into the wall and pump insulation material into the holes, therefore preventing valuable heat from escaping. For most houses, the job takes less than 2 hours to complete.

The government is to make further funds available for insulation grants, in line with their target to reduce carbon emissions by 29% by 2020.

If you haven’t already taken advantage of these grants available, simply fill in the 3 step form at the top of this page and we’ll tell you exactly how much you could qualify for.

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By Justin | Posted in A guide to..., Cavity wall insulation, Environmental policy, Grants, Loft insulation, News, Saving money | Tagged | Comments (0)

Your house to borrow money to pay for green facelift

02/03/2010 – 1:41 pm

A new scheme has been announced by the Government that would allow your house to borrow money from the government in order to buy energy saving improvements such as insulation and solar panels.

The loan would be linked to your property, rather than to you, and is designed to help spread the cost of energy saving improvements by allowing households to pay back the loan from the energy savings made each year.

The ’save-as-you-pay’ initiative is part of the Governments plan to cut emissions from all 22 million UK households by 29% by 2020.

Installing solar panels can reduce energy bills by up to 80%, and can even earn money from selling energy back to the grid. But many are unable to fund the initial cost of installing such measures, which can amount to around £7000-£10,000.

Whilst this new scheme would help to reduce this initial investment, critics argue that new home owners could be forced to pay for the previous owners loans, and could lead to problems selling a home in the first place.

“I think it could have a detrimental effect on the housing market. Just the principle of attaching a loan to the property complicates things unnecessarily and it interferes with the free market value of the house,”  Gary Smith, President of the National Association of Estate Agents says.

However, Ed Miliband argues that the improvements made to the home, and therefore the energy savings, would far outweigh any loan attached to the property:  “You’ll find that the energy bills are significantly lower so, say, you’ll be having a few hundred pounds off your energy bills and offsetting that you’ll have a couple of hundred pounds in payments.”

The Conservatives argue that any loan paypack should be linked to household energy bill, allowing greater transparency: “It would not be a debt attached to the home, we would pay it off over time through the electricity bill,” Greg Clark, the Conservatives energy spokesman.

The Goverment is due to launch a new Feed in Tariff for solar panels and wind turbines in April, allowing homes to sell energy back to the grid in return for tax-free cash. This is coupled with existing grants available towards the cost of cavity wall and loft insulation.

Whatever your view, it seems evironmental policy, and specifically how to encourage households to cut emmissions, will be a popular point of discussion in the run up to this year’s general election.

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By Justin | Posted in Environmental policy, Grants, News, Saving money, Solar power, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

It’s not just cavity wall insulation, it’s M&S cavity wall insulation

18/02/2010 – 12:25 pm

It’s a growing trend for high street stores to move into the home energy market. Sainsbury’s, B&Q, Tesco and now M&S all offer insulation services to help households cut energy bills.

M&S launched it’s home energy division a year ago, offering a variety of environmentally friendly home energy products. This latest move into the insulation market is not unexpected, given the huge numbers of households yet to insulate their homes.

Recent estimates suggest that 2 million homes could still benefit from grants available towards the cost of insulation, making the average price around £150 for either loft of cavity wall insulation.

In a bold move, M&S has also announced that it will insulate the homes of all 30,000 of its employees for free, creating what it calls “energy ambassadors”. A clever way to help spread it’s message and encourage word of mouth.

“It will produce a significant cut in their carbon emissions, cut their energy bills and, we believe, inspire them to become advocates for energy efficiency.” says Richard Gillies, director of Plan A at M&S.

There will no doubt be significant profits to be made from this venture, and it isn’t wholly altruistic. M&S has close ties with EDF (also helping Sainsburys to offer a similar service), who provide the necessary insulation grants as part of government plans to reduce carbon emissions amongst UK households.

With so many companies now offering insulation, how do you know who to turn to? It is, afterall, a fairly standard procedure (but one that should always be done by a professional), and the workmanship shouldn’t vary too much between installers.

There are many, many smaller insulation companies who operate within their own area of the country. Using these companies guarantees a personal service, without the corporate jargon and flashy graphics that all add to the final price.

If you’re interested in finding out how much you could qualify for, as well as talking to a local insulation company near you, simply fill in the form at the top of this page.

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By Justin | Posted in Cavity wall insulation, Grants, News | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Spy planes to check we’re not wasting energy

20/01/2010 – 11:18 pm

The latest in thermal imaging technology is to be used to assess the amount of energy being wasted by homes in Lancashire, it has been announced.

In a joint project between 15 local councils and the Energy Saving Trust, planes will fly above Lancashire and detect the amount of heat escaping from local homes, in order to assess their energy efficiency.

Houses deemed to be amongst the least energy efficient will be told of their low efficiency rating, and given advice on how to improve it. The cabinet member for environment and planning at Lancashire Country Council, Councillor Tim Ashton said: “In the current economic climate anything we can do to help families and firms to cut costs is very welcome. By undertaking this high-tech approach, we will make sure that future work and grants are targeted effectively.”

Whilst it is not known how much this project will cost (the sky’s the limit), it is a further example of the lengths the government will go in order to increase the energy efficiency of homes in Britain, and reduce the amount of heat escaping through walls and roofs.

The government has already pumped millions into insulation grants to help home owners, landlords and tenants to insulate their homes and help retain valuable heat within their four walls. According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average UK home could save around £115 off their energy bill every year by insulating their walls.

To find out how much you could be eligible for, use the form at the top of this page.

(In case you were wondering, the carbon emmitted from these flights will be off-set by a donation to the Lancashire-Gulu Carbon Compensation Scheme).

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By Justin | Posted in Environmental policy, News | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Households facing £70 increase in January energy bill

12/01/2010 – 10:46 am

According to the Telegraph today, the average monthly fuel bill for a British household could be as much as £70 higher this month, due to the plummeting temperatures and the increasing demand for gas and electricity.

A combined £1.9 billion in extra fuel payments is expected, as the demand for gas and electricity continues to rise during the so-called Big Freeze.

It seems the rising demand has come as a surprise to companies such as the National Grid, who have reported a limited supply, causing prices to escalate even further.

Many argue that it is another example of poor planning and forecasting on behalf of the energy companies, and once again the public have no choice but to pay prices far in excess of most other European countries.

An increase of almost 50% on this months fuel bill is likely to hit those on lower incomes and benefits the hardest, many of whom are already struggling to afford to heat their homes.

Aside from winter fuel allowances, the Government could have issued advice on how to keep warm this winter. This information could have included tips on ensuring valuable heat stays inside your home.

With recent news that funding for insulation grants is coming to an end later in the year, the Government needs to do more to ensure that households in Britain are not forced into choosing between heating their home, or putting food on the table.

More information and advice on insulating your home is available, as well applying for insulation grants for your home.

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By Justin | Posted in Grants, Loft insulation, News, Saving money | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Insulation grants are still not being taken

11/01/2010 – 10:59 am

We’ve already seen some of the coldest temperatures to hit the UK in the last 30 years, but despite these icy conditions many people are still missing out on ensuring their home is as warm as possible.

According to recent estimates, as many as 2 million homes could qualify for help towards cavity wall or loft insulation in the form of free government insulation grants, but have yet to come forward to claim this help.

Home owner, tenants and landlords can all benefit from insulation grants, and it is not dependant on whether you receive benefits or not. There is very little effort needed from the person claiming the grant, and the insulation company will usually deal with most of the paper work.

Find out if you qualify for a free insulation grant and make sure your home is as warm and efficient as possible this winter and beyond.

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By Justin | Posted in Cavity wall insulation, Grants, Loft insulation, News | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Free insulation grants to be slashed in pre-budget report

06/12/2009 – 9:39 pm

The Government is planning to slash grants available for cavity wall and loft insulation from April 2010, according to the BBC.

A wait of 6 months for free insulation

Those applying for 100% grant are being told they face a wait of up to 6 months for work to be done, as the amount of funding is due to be halved in 2010. The Warm Front scheme has made 2 million UK home more energy efficient since its launch in 2000, cutting the amount of wasted energy emitted and saving millions of pounds off the cost of energy bills across the country.

The Government has pumped just shy 0f £1 billion into the scheme in the last 3 years, but according to reports, the Chancellor is due to announce that money available in 2010 is to be cut to £195 million. The result? Waiting times for those looking for 100% insulation grants will rise from the current 50 days to 6 months.

Those who are able to pay shouldn’t be affected.

It’s not clear whether funding for those who not on benefits will face similar waiting times. Currently, if a homeowner, tenant or landlord is not on benefits, or are under 70, they are classed as Able To Pay (ATP). This group still receives some funding from the government, but can usually expect to see insulation installed and fitted within days, rather than months. Why? Because they lengthy process of applying for the relevant grant is bypassed, and insulation contractor can receive payment immediately.

The future of insulation grants

So what does this mean for the future of free insulation grants? It’s not yet clear whether the amount of funding available will be reviewed again before next years budget. Energy Minister David Kidney is lobbying the government to increase the funding available for the Warm Front scheme, but it seems likely that a) funding will be cut b) waiting times for those applying for 100% grant will increase and c) those able to pay for part of the cost shouldn’t be affected.

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By Justin | Posted in Cavity wall insulation, Grants, Loft insulation, News, Saving money | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Supermarkets to sell energy saving solutions

02/12/2009 – 5:13 pm

Earlier this year, Sainsbury’s announced it was partnering with EFD Energy to provide cavity wall and loft insulation to UK households. It’s now taken that one step further by opening three stores across the UK, offering a range of energy saving solutions.

Camberley, Kidderminster and Leicester will act as showrooms for the supermarket’s new line of energy saving heating appliances. As well as cavity wall and loft insulaton, these showrooms will also  provide solar panels and allow customers to compare energy prices.

Upon selecting a heating appliance or energy saving device, an engineer from EDF Energy will then visit the home and install it.

Sainsburys says that this is the first time that energy-saving products have been made available in UK supermarkets. It follows a growing trend from supermarkets to extend their range of products away from food and groceries.

Whether this initative has a future, or whether it is a PR stunt designed to benefit both Sainsburys and EDF, only time will tell.

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By Justin | Posted in News | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Home insulation could help prevent debt this Christmas

30/11/2009 – 9:42 pm

According to a survey by Save the Children, families are planning to cover the cost of Christmas this year with high interest debt.  The charity is  worried this may cause many families to turn down the heating and go cold during the coming festive season.

“It is shocking that so many families have to borrow money to pay for essentials such as heating… families cannot continue to scrape by like this,” Fergus Drake, Save the Children’s UK Director said.

Those who  earn less than £12,000 said they would struggle this winter, and over half said they would be forced to borrow money to pay for heating during Christmas.

According to Save the Children,  those most likely to go cold this winter are families where parents earn less than £30k per annum combined. However,  where these families receive certain benefits, insulation grants are available to cover up to 100% of the cost of home insulation, therefore making instantly cutting an annual energy bill by around £250, for free.

Cavity wall or loft insulation could help to prevent heat escaping from the home and thus reduce bills by up to 20% a year. The effect is instant and the work takes just a few hours to complete.

According to recent reports, 3.5 million eligable homes have not yet claimed a free insulation grant. Find out  if you’re eligable to receive a free insulation grant towards cavity wall of loft insulation.

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By Justin | Posted in Cavity wall insulation, Grants, News, Saving money | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Boris promotes free insulation to London homes

11/11/2009 – 10:42 am

Boris Johnson has launched a new initiative to provide a range of free energy saving measures to London homes, in an effort to cut carbon usage in the Capital.

Households in nine London boroughs will be offered energy saving light bulbs, stand-by switches, as well as free cavity wall and loft insulation to help contain heat within their home.

The campaign hopes to visit 1.2 million homes in London before 2015,  and it is hoped that by supplying energy saving equipment, as well as cavity wall and loft insulation, carbon emissions could be cut by around 1.5 million tonnes a year.

David Kenington, Head of Energy Saving Trust London, said ‘We are very pleased to see the introduction of this programme, in particular the focus on delivering cost effective carbon reduction measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation.

The Mayor has pumped an initial £9.5 into the campaign, with further investment expected. There are currently various different organisations working on the initiative, and the Mayor is developing a single scheme to encompass them all.

Those boroughs taking part in the scheme will receive a letter inviting a visit from a qualified energy assessor, who will assess what measures could be used to reduce their energy usage.

For non-Londoners, grants are available for cavity wall and loft insulation, but recent statistics suggest that many households are not taking advantage of the free grants available to them. You can calculate how much you could claim by using our free insulation grants calculator.

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By Justin | Posted in Cavity wall insulation, Council scheme, Environmental policy, Grants, Loft insulation, News | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)