British Gas - Free loft and cavity wall insulation - catch?

pledgeX

Hi folks.

I saw a chap on BBC news this morning who was from British Gas and among other things, happened to mention that BG were offering free loft and cavity wall insulation. I checked their website and found the offer he was talking about here:

http://www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/free-insulation.html

I'm not interested in loft insulation as I did this myself a few months ago, but I am interested in cavity wall insulation.

Has anyone used BG to get cavity wall insulation done? And opinions on their service?

The sceptic in me is telling me this is too good to be true. After all, having a well insulated home will reduce their profit! I was wondering if there is a catch/loophole in their offer, or perhaps their service is a bit naff and don't really do a good job? It's not like I can stick my head in the wall and see if they've done a good job like in the loft!!

Thanks.

NeverInDebt

The catch is we all pay for insulation on our energy bills other than that I dont think there is anything

Calling14

Well I paid to get my done cost 150 pounds with 25 yr guarantee - British Gas tariffs worked out dearer for me I am with EDF. Have seen some loft insulation done by B. Gas and definately not a proper job, no gaps for ventilation no idea what the cavity wall jobs are like. I rang Hillserve who do the work for British Gas in this area several times for a quote and no one even bothered to ring me back.

Get what you pay for ?

grizzly1911

I paid for mine cost £149, my local council had grants for the first 1000 applicants in 2010 which reduced it to £49:jI believe they can do 140sqm under the grant scheme which we used and a bit more. After that the cost is quite high.

I used a company called Hillserve, national company I believe. They did a number of local properties and provided good service. (No affiliation)

This year I received a call from Scottish Power who told me they had "paid" the bulk of the cost for my scheme. Not sure but I think the cost of install is over £500 in total.

I was with Eon at the time and am now with EDF.

Go for it.

ic

Some friends who were long time BG customers had their cavity wall insulation done for free earlier this year. They've since switched provider - as far as I know there were no catches that meant they had to stay with them for a length of time.

Perhaps you can go on a variable tariff without any fees for leaving, get the work done, then switch again.

This is no different to the existing grants scheme, or the free light bulbs the providers all like to give away. Obviously they're hoping it'll encourage customer loyalty and attract new customers. At the end of the day, the government requires the suppliers to spend a fortune on energy saving measures.

madmoys

I'm a BG customer and will be having the free cavity wall insulation done on Nov 29th. Had the safety survey a couple of weeks ago. All free!!!!! gotta love it!

Jaynne

Just had the loft insulation done yesterday. No catches apart from requiring 2.5" or less of existing insulation and needing to be an existing BG customer. They seem to have done an ok job except for installing two incredibly flimsy catches on the loft hatch (presumably to keep it tight shut to eliminate draughts) that do nothing but look ugly.

grizzly1911

Jaynne wrote: »

Just had the loft insulation done yesterday. No catches apart from requiring 2.5" or less of existing insulation and needing to be an existing BG customer. They seem to have done an ok job except for installing two incredibly flimsy catches on the loft hatch (presumably to keep it tight shut to eliminate draughts) that do nothing but look ugly.

Have they also put some naff seals around the loft door? Those pathetic catches are their evidence they have met the regulations.

pineapple

grizzly1911 wrote: »

Have they also put some naff seals around the loft door? Those pathetic catches are their evidence they have met the regulations.

My loft door used to rattle in a high wind - there again I hadn't had the roof done at that point. But also no problem since a neighbour taped an old pillow to the inside of the door. It's all snug now but easy to push open if needed.:beer:

nickj_2

i had my walls insulated by BG earlier this year - they have an allowance depending on the type of house you live in - detached - semi or terraced , as i live in a staggered terrace my allowance exceeded the amount for a terraced house so i had to pay an extra £50, mind you the blokes who did it put in far more than what the estimating chap allowed for

Jaynne

grizzly1911 wrote: »

Have they also put some naff seals around the loft door? Those pathetic catches are their evidence they have met the regulations.

Oh yes and lovely they look too, the surveyor didn't mention those.

Luckily we'd just finished painting our upstairs and the only thing I'd left to paint was the loft hatch so hopefully they'll blend in once painted and I can fill in the small holes in the wood from removing the catches.