Loft insulation - should I go for npower's help?

Losinmoney

Loft Insulation
I want to save a bit on my gas bill this winter. npower do a scheme where you pay only 50% of the cost of insulating your loft, and they pick up the tab for the remaining 50%. I will have to pay c£250. I would save about £40 a year if I upgrade the loft insulation, according to the Energy Saving Trust so at today's energy prices it's a 6 year payback. I would be greener too, doing my bit for the environment, which I like...

Trouble is, npower will only give me the 50% off if I insulate the whole loft. But I have a few boards up there - and it is only a few! covering c10% of the loft space - with stored stuff in boxes. Doesn't everyone store stuff in their loft?? Anyway, with npower it's insulate the whole loft and store nothing up there, or get no grant. I can't get access to my boarding, it will be covered in loft insulation. Where do I store all the old toys, notes, memorabilia, if not in the loft?? Help please - has anyone any thoughts?? :eek:

AdrianW2

We had nPower do our loft last month for £150 fixed rate (unless you have a massive house). I know the deals were set to change in September, but that offer is still on their website.

We had boarding everywhere, they quoted for the whole loft on the proviso that I took up the boarding, I took up most of it leaving a 5 sq m or so area for storage. The guys doing the install were happy to insulate around the boarding and leave me a roll of insulation to put down for when I get round to building up the joists.

System

what size is your house ? i have a 3 bed detatched and its only costing me £149 ,they are comming next week to do it. the guy who came out asked if we wanted to remove the existing boards or just have part insulated obviously theres no point in doing only part of it so this weekends job is sorting the loft.

Losinmoney

Thanks AdrianW2 and ChrissyG. You had a really helpful installer, Adrian. Mine said it was my choice - all with the grant or part with no grant! I could have lived with your solution. My house isn't that big either. Off to check websites now!

Losinmoney

Checked the npower website. Ah it's that weasly word FROM. Ie FROM £149. On reading the quote I've got properly (!) I find the npower offer covers 80 m2 and I've got excess meterage. I thought the B&Q offer at £198 might work out cheaper, but I could well suffer from the same problem with excess meterage.

helpful07

I have just had a company, who will be installing mine on Wednesday. They are doing the walls and the loft for a total of £200.

energylink.org.uk is the site I used to get mine sorted.

mcjordi

im not 100% sure if this is still happening :
if your on WTC/CTC then you can get your loft insulated for free
but like i said im not 100% sure on this
i know my unlce had his done as he got WTC a few years back now

*WTC is working tax credit in case you were wondering

Losinmoney

helpful07 wrote: »

I have just had a company, who will be installing mine on Wednesday. They are doing the walls and the loft for a total of £200.

energylink.org.uk is the site I used to get mine sorted.

That's great, but do you not use your loft also for storage?

ciano125

I've just done my house myself. Its not hard to do, but it takes a bit of time. I bought three rolls of 180mm thick insulation from Wickes (there was some insulation in already so just topping it up) as they had it on special offer - buy one get TWO free. It therefore only cost me £30 to do the whole loft, and there was some left over.

We have a three bed detached house, so even it you needed twice or even three times as much, its still cheaper than getting someone else to do it for you.

helpful07

I don't use it for storage. I think I would have to raise the beames if I was to use it for storage.

Losinmoney

I've got a plan, thanks to the thoughts of everyone here. I'm reducing the stuff in the loft, getting the existing bit of boarding lifted, then getting the whole loft insulated via the npower offer. Then having the boarding relaid on top, on a kind of raised platform attached to the joists, if that makes sense. I know the loft will be colder and the stored stuff won't keep so well, but it's a compromise.