Cavity Wall Insulation

Honkycat

Hi,

I thought until recently that the walls of my house were solid brick, but it now turns out that the side walls are cavity. In the light of this I better think about getting insulation and have a couple of questions for anyone who has done this before.
1. What is the best type... I think there is foam, polystyrene beads etc
2. Can you recommend a good, reputable and preferably easy to pay installer
3. What's the average cost for a detached house, and
4. Can you get a grant for this and if so, how do you go about it

I'd really appreciate any advice you can offer,

Thanks,
Steve

Jaime-V

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=589530&highlight=cavity+wall

Have a look at this thread, shows who we used last year. Im not sure if the Energy Saving Trust still has grants available, give them a call to see, they were very helpful.

HTH

lumar

Your energy supplier is a good place to start. They can arrange it at a good price. Some groups eg. over 70s and people on a low income can get it done free. The energy suppliers have all the details.

Honkycat

I'll phone them tomorrow, thanks very much!

Steve.

darrenpollock

Hi Steve

After checking loads of companies I used a company called DCI (I think they are in Carrickfergus) for a couple of houses and found them to be great. They do white and platinum beads and don't push the more expensive ones for the sake of it.
I also recommended them to a friend and they did a full check of his house when in the area and were honest enought to admit that he didn't need their services as the existing insulatio was good enough.
They are also neat and tidy.

Regards
D.

Honkycat

Thanks. Are beads the standard method now then?

warmhands.coldheart

If the cavity has had insulation in it before (Chances are if it is an older house it will have been fibreglass) then you cannot put beads in to top it up. This will lead to condensation and moisture problems in the cavity. We had ours topped up as I found gaps in the insulation when bricking up a doorway. As it had fibre in the cavity from before it had to be topped up with fibre. I also found that as it was yellow fibre then some companies wouldn't top it up with the white fibre, which is the most common fibre, but after phoning the regulatory body who regulate the insulation companies I was told it isn't a problem and it's really probably just a cop out from the insulation company., Ended up using PC Dynes as they do all types. Very good service and listed on the Grant Scheme recommended suppliers.

With regards to grants. the grant will NOT cover top ups and will only kick in if you spend over a certain amont (think it's £150 & £300 for £50 & £150 Cashback.. you'd need to check this) and that's assuming they are still running the scheme. Last time they renemwed it, all the allocation went in 2 days..

john.kelly_3

Try W Kyle & Son , very cheap

32, Shandon Park, Londonderry, County Londonderry BT48 8AW Tel: 028 7136 7277