With most CERT subsidised insulation schemes currently running at around £100 per measure, why are there still so many uninsulated lofts and cavities?
I would be grateful for the opinions of my esteemed Powerswitch colleagues . . .
Insulation: what are the barriers?
Moderator: Peak Moderation
Insulation: what are the barriers?
Andy Hunt
http://greencottage.burysolarclub.net
http://greencottage.burysolarclub.net
Eternal Sunshine wrote: I wouldn't want to worry you with the truth.
I had my house surveyed.
- As the loft hatch in the kitchen extension is small, the surveyor said they'd blow the insulation in. I was concerned about what that would do to ventilation, but didn't tell him that.
- He looked into one half of the roof of the main house and decided there was already enough insulation not to make it worthwhile.
- He couldn't get into the loft in the other part, as the hatch is at the top of the stairwell.
- He said that if they insulated the cavity wall in the kitchen extension, drilling the wall would make a lot of the render fall off (I want it off one day!).
£130 for doing the kitchen roof with blown insulation that might block ventilation, and would be a pain to remove if I alter it, wasn't worth it.
The surveyor from another company who had an appointment to visit, phoned me from about 12 miles away, obviously not keen to drive all the way here and back again, so I wasn't too keen to bother with him either!
- As the loft hatch in the kitchen extension is small, the surveyor said they'd blow the insulation in. I was concerned about what that would do to ventilation, but didn't tell him that.
- He looked into one half of the roof of the main house and decided there was already enough insulation not to make it worthwhile.
- He couldn't get into the loft in the other part, as the hatch is at the top of the stairwell.
- He said that if they insulated the cavity wall in the kitchen extension, drilling the wall would make a lot of the render fall off (I want it off one day!).
£130 for doing the kitchen roof with blown insulation that might block ventilation, and would be a pain to remove if I alter it, wasn't worth it.
The surveyor from another company who had an appointment to visit, phoned me from about 12 miles away, obviously not keen to drive all the way here and back again, so I wasn't too keen to bother with him either!
I don't think there's any one answer to that question (so I didn't vote I'm afraid!), especially as the situation is very different for lofts than for cavities.
I'd say that part of it is down to the supply chain being at capacity for a few years now. This will be an even bigger problem with SWI as it's a much more skilled job and a much less well developed supply chain.
I know that loft storage is a significant concern for many and retaining that storage and going for the full depth of loft insulation is an expensive job - much better to declutter. Distrust of CWI is fairly low I think and mostly confined to Telegraph readers.
Holes in the brickwork are really only going to put off a very small number of people.
There's probably a certain amount of absorbing of high energy bills going on though so perhaps you could call that a kind of apathy, but that'll change.
I don't think there's much to worry about with CWI and loft. It'll get done over this decade slowly but surely as energy bills rise. It's the solid walls that'll be the real challenge (and then additional cladding of cavity walls in the long run). Ventilation is another challenge although it's one that can be tackled to a large extent through a bit of gentle DIY.
I'd say that part of it is down to the supply chain being at capacity for a few years now. This will be an even bigger problem with SWI as it's a much more skilled job and a much less well developed supply chain.
I know that loft storage is a significant concern for many and retaining that storage and going for the full depth of loft insulation is an expensive job - much better to declutter. Distrust of CWI is fairly low I think and mostly confined to Telegraph readers.
Holes in the brickwork are really only going to put off a very small number of people.
There's probably a certain amount of absorbing of high energy bills going on though so perhaps you could call that a kind of apathy, but that'll change.
I don't think there's much to worry about with CWI and loft. It'll get done over this decade slowly but surely as energy bills rise. It's the solid walls that'll be the real challenge (and then additional cladding of cavity walls in the long run). Ventilation is another challenge although it's one that can be tackled to a large extent through a bit of gentle DIY.
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mikepepler
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We got round the loft storage issue by doing it ourselves:
http://peplers.blogspot.com/2010/10/eco ... -loft.html
I know some people are wary of cavity wall insulation causing damp problems.
http://peplers.blogspot.com/2010/10/eco ... -loft.html
I know some people are wary of cavity wall insulation causing damp problems.
Nice pictures... we are planning on doing it ourselves too...mikepepler wrote:We got round the loft storage issue by doing it ourselves:
http://peplers.blogspot.com/2010/10/eco ... -loft.html
However we have been here for 20 years and the clutter has gathered. Some of it needs kept and some needs chucked, but neither of us is ready to tackle the loft stash with so many other things going on right now! Perhaps I should have ticked APATHY!
I've just had CW and loft insulation done at a house in the UK. It took just over a year from when I first called the Energy Saving Trust to having it done.
The EST made absolutely no progress whatsoever - they told me that a survey would be undertaken within 6 months, and then failed to meet their deadline. After 10 months of calling and waiting, I called a company called The Mark Group directly, who did the survey within a week, and did the work within 2 months. They would've done it earlier, but they couldn't get their van up to the house due to the snow.
All the work was done virtually for free as my tenant benefits from a tax credit of some sort. I had to pay £50 for them to fit an air vent, and that was it.
The EST made absolutely no progress whatsoever - they told me that a survey would be undertaken within 6 months, and then failed to meet their deadline. After 10 months of calling and waiting, I called a company called The Mark Group directly, who did the survey within a week, and did the work within 2 months. They would've done it earlier, but they couldn't get their van up to the house due to the snow.
All the work was done virtually for free as my tenant benefits from a tax credit of some sort. I had to pay £50 for them to fit an air vent, and that was it.
insulation
Our loft had 150mm of insulation under chipboard flooring when we bought the house 6 years ago. Mice had carried off some of the insulation, and so I wanted to top it up. Problem: the OH's tat was all stored up there. Solution: bought a shed, moved the tat, then covered the rafters and end gables with 100mm thick ecowool, followed by 5 layers of 200mm ecowool laid on the flooring. Yep, that's 1250mm of insulation in total. Our heating bill is now very low. We also have double glazing, draft-proof windows and doors, and hang thick fleece drapes in front of every window and door at dusk.
Jon
Jon
Last edited by ujoni08 on 09 Jan 2011, 01:32, edited 7 times in total.
Re: insulation
Do you have a history of insanity in your family ujoni08? That looks more like a padded cell than a loft 
.
.Nah it looks cosy!!! 
Andy Hunt
http://greencottage.burysolarclub.net
http://greencottage.burysolarclub.net
Eternal Sunshine wrote: I wouldn't want to worry you with the truth.