Cheap loft insulation

Former_MSE_Archna

[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] What's this about?[/title]
There's a big push to get lofts insulated, as it's not only good for the environment but it can cut your bills by around £150/year.

Yet DIY rolls can often cost £6+ EACH and if you want it installed for you big names charge around £200. However if you're smart you can slash the cost with high street deals or by using subsidised offers from your local council.

The average UK loft is around 44 squared metres, which means to cover it you'd need around 8-14 rolls of insulation (more on how to calculate below).


[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] High street offers[/title]
If you're happy to go down the DIY route there are a few cheap high street offers. These aren't as good as the £1 per roll promos that sometimes crop up, but they're not bad.

• B&Q - Three rolls for £5, 200mm, 5.4sq meters.
  
  Get three rolls of glass fibre loft insulation for £5 in store at B&Q. It's only available instore and it's while stocks last, so be quick and ring ahead if you're making a special journey.

• Homebase - Space blanket loft insulation, £3.98/roll 1.97sq meters.
  
  [FONT=&quot]Homebase is offering this excitingly-named insulation for £3.98/roll, reduced from £7.97, in store and online until 9 March. [/FONT]

[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] Check your local council
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Many local councils offer cheap deals subsidised by energy saving grants - and they're available to all, not just those in certain categories.

Below are a couple of examples. You can also ring the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012 to find out what's available in your area, or your local county council to find out about any local subsidised offers.

• Hertfordshire & Essex, £99 loft insulation.
  
  Lots of people living in the south-east of England may be able to get £99 loft insulation.
  
  This applies to anyone living in Brentwood, Broxbourne, Chelmsford, Dacorum, East Herts, Epping Forest, Harlow, Hertsmere, North Hertfordshire, St Albans, Stevenage, Three Rivers, Uttlesford, Watford or Welwyn Hatfield. See Herts & Essex Energy Partnership for full details.
  
  
• Milton Keynes County Council, £95 loft insulation.
  
  Homeowners in the Milton Keynes area can get loft insulation for £95. See the MK County Council site for ful details.

Does your council offer a deal? Click reply to add yours. Follow this format:

Where: Eg Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
What: Eg £99 Loft Insulation
How: Call xx (please provide a link where possible)

[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] Quick questions[/title]

Q. How much do I need?

The shop you buy it from should be able to advise, but for a quick idea B&Q has an online calculator to work it out. Simply plug in the dimensions of your loft and it'll tell you what you need (though obviously this is only based on what it sells).

Q. What depth should it be?

According to the Energy Saving Trustm 270mm is the recommended depth for wool insulation to get the maximum amount of heat insulation, though other materials differ. More info at the Energy Savings Trust.

[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] Grants for the over 70s & others [/title]

Anyone aged over 70, plus others in receipt of certain benefits, can get grants to help pay loft insulation costs, or even get it for free. To find one use the Government's Energy Saving Trust (EST) which lists most of these grants in one place. Just use its energy saving grant search tool or call 0800 512 012.

For example, one of the main schemes in England is called Warm Front, which gives up to £3,500 to homeowners or those who rent from a private landlord and receive certain benefits. You can find out if you are eligible on the Warm Front website or by calling free on 0800 316 2805.

Other home energy grants are available, such as the Heat Project from Enact Energy which provides grants for loft and cavity wall insulation to all homeowners and private tenants, and people on an income or disability related benefit can have these insulation measures installed for free.

Full info in the Grant Grabbing article.

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postmanwayne

Newark & Sherwood District Council offering insulation free* to Over 70s or in receipt of benefits. From £49* to Over 60s and Families with children aged 16 and under. From £99* for everyone else. (* subject to no obligation free survey). 0845 2417577

Amber Valley Borough Council free* to Over 70s or in receipt of benefits. From £49* to Over 60s and Families with children aged 18 and under. From £99* for everyone else. (* subject to no obligation free survey). 0845 4504962

Bassetlaw District Council free* to Over 70s or in receipt of benefits. From £99 for everyone else (*subject to no obligation free survey - dependant on current level of fill) 0845 4503676

Wirral Borough Council free* to Over 70s or in receipt of benefits. From £99 for everyone else (*subject to no obligation free survey - dependant on current level of fill) 0845 2419997

High Peak District Council free* to Over 70s or in receipt of benefits. From £99 for everyone else (*subject to no obligation free survey - dependant on current level of fill) 0845 4504967

carlyon

If proposing to top up your loft insulation check its depth first, because the schemes vary, especially for the whole of Dorset. Dorset Energy Advice Centre (DEAC) gives grants for any topping up under 100mm, whilst for example the Tesco Scheme has a far lower limit of 70mm and will charge you £149 at current contract terms. Also many of the Councils in Dorset have access to the same scheme, contact your local Environmental Health Officer. I believe there are similar differences across the West Country for example, in Somerset & Bristol, but cannot confirm this.

malc_b

Can I point there is a lot of misinformation of the subject of insulation. The usual trick is to compare a totally uninsulated house with one done to modern standards and then say you could save 100s. This is like comparing the horse with BMW and saying you could go that much faster. Most people don't have no roof insulation and they don't get to work on horse either. A fairer comparison would be ford to BWM.

What you need to do is check out the U values and work out the roof area if want an accurate figure. For example no insulation pitched roof is 2 W/m^2/K. What that means is for every square metre you lose 2W for each degree C difference to the outside. So 20C inside, -1C outside that is 21C difference, 42W lost. Adding insulation reduces the U value to 0.55 (50mm), 0.35 (100mm), 0.25 (150mm). So 0 to 150 is almost 10:1 reduction, but 50 to 150 is only 2:1 and 100 to 150 is just 1.4:1. The savings are small if you have any roof insulation at all and tiny when you have a a decent level of insulation.

I've run the numbers for the heatloss of my house a 5 bed detached, 1980s with cavity wall insulation fitted, uPVC double glazing and some modern extensions. Calculated heatloss is 7505W with 50mm insulation in the older parts, 100mm and 150mm in the extensions (32/5/19m^2 respectively of the roof). Increasing the 50mm areas to 100mm reduces this to 7290W and going to 150mm reduces it to 7204W. Those are savings of 2.9% and 4.0%. My annual heating and hot water bill is ~500 (depending on the price of oil) so these are saving of at best £14.50 and £20. Hardly 100s is it?

mad_cereal_lover

West Somerset can get free insulation, to ALL (no age restriction I believe) during March (stocks limited):

As a new user I am unable to post links, so go to bbc website and search for "insulation" in search box and the 6th link down titled:

News - Bristol - Free home insulation is offered Last updated: 28 Feb 2010

mcl

karl_robinson

does barnsley council do the loft insulation

fluffymovie

Workingham Borough Council use the warmfront scheme and you have to be in receipt of certain benefits

www.warmfront.co.uk

Myamoth

Herefordshire Council use the Warmfront scheme (see post above for link).

They also have grants available under their own SEES scheme as follows:

Herefordshire Council's Special Energy Efficiency Scheme (SEES)


Grants of up to £500 per household are available for the following energy efficiency measures:

• Loft insulation
• Cavity Wall Insulation
• Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs)
• Hot water cylinder thermostats
• Room thermostats
• Draught proofing
• Hot water tank jacket
• Programmers

The criteria for the SEES schemes is subject to change through the year, so please contact us to find out what the qualifying criteria are at present. For details on this year's scheme please visit the Energy Efficiency page.
Herefordshire Council SEES Renewables Scheme


SEES grants of £500 are on offer to all private homeowners in Herefordshire, regardless of income, subject to funding to help towards the cost of utilising renewable energy in the home. Measures include:

• Solar thermal
• Solar electric
• Biomass boilers
• Wood burning stoves
• Wind turbines
• Ground source heat pumps
• Air source heat pumps

There are also grants available for these renewable measures under the central Government funded scheme the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (0800 915 0990)

blackyen11

malc_b wrote: »

Can I point there is a lot of misinformation of the subject of insulation. The usual trick is to compare a totally uninsulated house with one done to modern standards and then say you could save 100s. This is like comparing the horse with BMW and saying you could go that much faster. Most people don't have no roof insulation and they don't get to work on horse either. A fairer comparison would be ford to BWM.

What you need to do is check out the U values and work out the roof area if want an accurate figure. For example no insulation pitched roof is 2 W/m^2/K. What that means is for every square metre you lose 2W for each degree C difference to the outside. So 20C inside, -1C outside that is 21C difference, 42W lost. Adding insulation reduces the U value to 0.55 (50mm), 0.35 (100mm), 0.25 (150mm). So 0 to 150 is almost 10:1 reduction, but 50 to 150 is only 2:1 and 100 to 150 is just 1.4:1. The savings are small if you have any roof insulation at all and tiny when you have a a decent level of insulation.

I've run the numbers for the heatloss of my house a 5 bed detached, 1980s with cavity wall insulation fitted, uPVC double glazing and some modern extensions. Calculated heatloss is 7505W with 50mm insulation in the older parts, 100mm and 150mm in the extensions (32/5/19m^2 respectively of the roof). Increasing the 50mm areas to 100mm reduces this to 7290W and going to 150mm reduces it to 7204W. Those are savings of 2.9% and 4.0%. My annual heating and hot water bill is ~500 (depending on the price of oil) so these are saving of at best £14.50 and £20. Hardly 100s is it?

You're right malc I live in a mid 60's bungalow built with a metal framed structure.Have tried numerous organisations,insulating companies and the local Council all of whom have said the cavities in these buildings can't be filled - it is apparently not acceptable within the 'industry' and no gurantee could be offered.Keep paying the heating bills!!

Lube

British Gas to offer FREE home insulation to customers who are over 70 or on qualifying benefits

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/templates/content_lookup.jsp?content=/content/marketing/manufacturers/british_gas/index.jsp&noleftnav=true&icamp=HP_banner1

Fred56

Can't seem to find the B&Q offer. Is it only advertised in-store?