Loft insulation via walk-in surveyor?

paulmapp8306

Depends where you are - and your council.

Im buying in Nottingham, and they currently offer FREE cavity wall, and FREE loft insulation if you have 60mm or less currently. If you have 60mm to 100mm it costs £50 to top up, and if you have 100mm to 150mm it costs £99 to top up. all this can bea rranged via the council.

This offer is for all existing landlords, home-owners and tennants regardless of income.

Id SERIOUSLY check you local councils policy regarding insulation/solar power/heating options etc. there are some killer deals as well as free deals available currently as its government/power company funded. a lot of funding will be cut at the end of 2012, and it will then cost between £300 and £500 per treatment (fully fitted - not DIY).

madget_2

What on earth do you mean when you say that "the check is semi-compulsory"? That sounds like a load of old rubbish to me, trying to scare people into letting your reps into their home.

Also, I wonder if someone could perhaps confirm this but, as far as I am aware, 270mm is the recommended depth of such insulation for non new-builds - it doesn't "need to be", as you state. However, new homes do require insulation to a depth of 270mm. It certainly doesn't appear to be a retrospective requirement.

Here are my sources:
http://www.actonenergy.org.uk/insulation-grants
http://www.thinkinsulation.co.uk/how-much-insulation-do-i-need.htm

Not that we need extra loft insulation, but your posts have certainly put me off ever letting SIG anywhere near our house, especially if you think it would normally cost £900 without the grants.

ETA: Thanks to the MSE team for deleting the misleading post from the SIG rep. That was the post to which this one refers, in case anyone is reading this is confused. :-)

katejo

I had this work done by a firm called Eaga last summer. As the other contributors here, i first got a letter which I ignored because I had had insulation done in about 2007. The rep told me that it now had to be thicker but didn't mention any new regulations for 2012. I would have refused but then heard a government minister talking about the scheme on the BBC so i did allow them to do it. It cost me £140. I don't know if this is anything to do with SIG.

becs

This is a blatant lie. There are no regulations coming in which will make this compulsory. This applies to new build property only. there is no legal statute for existing properties to have minimum loft insulation.
SIG currently have a pool of grant funding from utility companies which expire at the end of the year which they currently need to use before it runs out.
Grants are available to pretty much everyone now where you should get it free of charge. It is worth contacting someone like energy savings trust or the green advice line who will give you impartial advice. Your local authority will also have a list of approved contractors who will have access to grant funds also.
I have written this on behalf of my husband who is managing director of a substantial management agency that manages these grants on behalf of a utility company. He has a large degree of knowledge on current and proposed legislation and is currently receiving tenders from companies like and including SIG on future grants, if this is how they operate they will not be looked on favourably.
There may be confusion regarding the fact that these grants are being replaced by the green deal at the end of the year. This could mean if you apply for grants for items such as loft insulation then you will require an epc but this is only if you are going through the green deal. In other words if you are wanting loft insulation then it is worth doing before the funding changes but it certainly will not be compulsory.

Pat_man_3

Yesterday I also had a SIG representative come to the door. Nice lad but obviously in a rush to get his words out - appeared stressed and under real pressure to 'complete his round'. He explained that I could be eligible for 80-100% off loft insulation installation. Sounded good to me! I asked for his ID and some info, he didn't really have anything so I asked him to come back another day once I'd checked out the company. He said he couldn't as the offer expired today. I later found out that was a blatant LIE! He did pop back later and after a rather pathetic torch scan of the attic, said yep, you qualify for 80% discount. Again, sounded promising but I was getting nervous by the lack of information this young sales man actually had. I asked him how the would protect the insulation from the installed spot lights (which get very hot) - he had no idea. I asked about the area that was currently used as storage - basically, I'd loose most of it - they only allow up to 30% lost storage space under the offer. I spoke to the head office guy booking a date - again, rushed and rather rude. I requested a provisional date of 5 weeks away and I received a barrage of questions asking why I couldn't have it done sooner. So the following day, I phoned up and cancelled. From what I now read, this company are primarily after quick sales. Their surveyors are just young salesmen and are not that knowledgeable. I would advise anyone not to sign up just because they tell you it's the LAST CHANCE! It's not - the grants run to December 2012, not JUNE! Do you research is my advice before signing to SIG.

Jacksonblack

Sad that some of you have had a bad experience with SIG.
But it is worth noting that not all salesmen are bad and not all customers either. Sometimes people like to complain and point fingers, we do live in a blame culture afterall. We have less money to throw around these days and as a result, purchase of anything has to be a deal which the customer needs to win.

In SIGs case roof insulation needs to be 270 mms and cavity wall insulation on most properties will save much heat loss. Internal or External insulation added to the cavity (or solid) brick wall will also make a notceable difference. This coupled with low energy lights, insulated hot water storage, and double glazing will all add to fuel saving. There are good savings for this with SIG and for many it is free all together.
And if that wasn't enough good news, when the Green Deal rolls out over the next couple of months there will be new and exciting money savers for us all to enjoy. And you will receive impartial advice from an energy assessor / advisor first, to make sure that your home has what it needs to make it energy efficient. Look up The Green Deal and you will be really glad that you did. AND maybe,:T just maybe there will be no need to complain!

farazfastian wrote: »

Hi All,

Spent really cold nights last winter especially upstairs, i believe it's definitely because of insulation and i already had plan to do it before this year's winter. Last week a surveyor knocked at my door from a company called SIG energy management. He said I’ve only 2-3 inches of insulation and it has to go up to standard 11-12 inches. He estimated £1000 for the following work but with the grant I’ll be paying only £200:

- Mineral fibre insulation
- hatch board insulation
- Tank insulation
- Air sofits

I need my boarding back, so they can raise the joist for additional £140 but I’ll have to board them back by myself.

Is it the best way to get grant or i can be entitled for more?
Has anyone got experience with SIG energy management?
Are they doing everything(above) to keep my heating inside or more could be done?
Also is it the right time to do it or better to wait till fall?

Apologies for so many questions, your help is much appreciated.

Many Thanks
Faraz

Jacksonblack

A 15 year old house will not be on current standard of insulation, it needs topping up to enjoy reduction in energy usage and bills. Perhaps the 'bozo' was talking more sense than you realise! Still maybe you don't feel the need to make savings... lucky you;)

googler wrote: »

Had one of these bozos call a few months ago - our living space is all one floor up, with only the garage and hall at ground level, so I tend to open the window above the front door and (literally) talk down to anyone who offers to power-wash my monobloc, do tree work, or sell me loft insulation.

My house is barely 15 years old, and when I suggested to the bozo that the insulation was the same age, and perfectly adequate, his response was along the lines of -

"It needs to be done every 6 years, sir"

Yeah, right......