Retro-fit cavity wall insulation

ManuelG

Hmm, so MSE came to mind when I got visited by a salesman today trying to get me to take out a free retro-fitting of cavity wall insulation. My house has not been insulated, virtually the entire estate has, bar about three of us!

But... my house seems plenty warm enough to me, regardless! I barely need the heating on, except in super-cold spells (think I've had it on throughout the evening four times this winter). I also don't suffer damp, despite drying clothes inside, forgetting to open windows... all the things this site tells people off for doing.

So are there benefits to getting the insulation done? This thread sprang to mind, and I read the Telegraph report included in it. tbh both put me off somewhat! I honestly don't see how much money I could save on my fuel bills, however free it is.

Am I just being stupid and overly cautious, however?

phil24_7

I have no help for you, except to say that one of the big 6 energy suppliers will lilely also do the cavity wall insulation as part of their ECO, so it may be worth checking with these if you decide to go for it, rather than a door-to-door salesman.

Regards
Phil

Regards
Phil

ManuelG

phil24_7 wrote: »

I have no help for you, except to say that one of the big 6 energy suppliers will lilely also do the cavity wall insulation as part of their ECO, so it may be worth checking with these if you decide to go for it, rather than a door-to-door salesman.

My rule of thumb is to never buy anything from a door-to-door salesman (bar the window cleaner who came round):cool:

phil24_7

Too true. If they have to come to my door touting for work then they aren't that good!

stator

If you are drying clothes indoors it is likely you have high humidity and insulating the walls might cause damp problems because of the lack of ventilation.
But personally I find insulation homes much more comfortable, so if it was offered for free from a legit company I would take up the offer. If you have damp problems then solve them separately.

Davesnave

The wisdom of installing CWI depends what your house is made of and where it is.

Obviously, it needs to be of cavity construction, but the quality of brick/block work can vary, so knowing what the cavity insides are like, using a video probe, can go a long way to avoiding problems with damp bridging. But how many companies installing for free do that?

However, even the best-built house can be under serious strain to keep damp at bay in the sort of wet winters we've been having, especially if in an exposed position subject to driven rain. Many people in places like Wales and the North West have had such problems with CWI in the past decade, there are now specialiust contractors who take it out.

Despite the above, my house isn't especially well-built, sits in an exposed place and has had CWI without problems for the past ten years.

So, in the final analysis, the questions are, do you live in a place with above-average exposure, and how lucky do you feel?

dominoman

If your house is warm enough then don't do it. There are so many problems with cavity wall insulation, and over the coming years who knows what other problems will emerge.

If you have a cavity you are already well insulated. Spare a thought for those ~30% of us who have a house made of single bricks with no cavity!

(Oh and if you do still want to get it done then call British Gas and they will do it for free, even if you are not a customer of theirs)

Furts

I am with Davesnave. To do a barely adequate sales approach to you a competent sales person should have said to you:

1)Here is a map of locations in the UK where cavity wall insulation is not recommended.

2) Ditto for wind driven rain, exposure to low temperatures and freezing.

3) Your cavities are to be extensively drilled and probed before you sign up to anything. I, the salesperson, am competent to do this, and will adequately make good all drilled holes after doing the survey.

4) The proposed CWI product is... and here is the BBA Certificate to support the proposal to install.

5) The installation will meticulously follow all recommendations within the BBA Certificate

6) This is the company name and full contact details, and here are my personal details, together with technical qualifications, professional membership, and personal contact details.

7) Before installation I am giving you a written agreement on a full survey after all work has been undertaken to confirm everything has been done correctly.

8) The drill holes will be achieved by... the making good will be to the following specification...the mortar mix is... the sand colour is...the additive is... the colour match is...

9) Your work will be certified as meeting the Buildings Regulations, and you have all the necessary documentation to show you that a 25 year CIGA Guarantee will be issued on your home.

10) Once everything has been undertaken to your full satisfaction, we the installers, will ask for a signature of confirmation so that we can get paid for our work by whoever is funding the "FOC" Scheme.

Obviously this is only a brief resume - there is more to the matter than this, but you get the idea. If the salesperson has ticked all these boxes then you are in a position to talk further and perhaps firm up the loose ends.

Only then should you consider CWI installation!

ManuelG

tbf to the salesman, bar him giving me some leaflets to read over, he wasn't given much chance by me to explain what he'd offer.

Frankly, this wasn't just a 'don't buy from random men off the street' policy, but also a disbelief that he was genuinely offering me something for free. The modern age allows me to Google and research though, and I like to use that

I think on reflection I'm quite happy with the house's warmth (it's far warmer than my parents old non cavity house!) so my initial reaction of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' will probably hold.

Smiley_Dan

Your house most likely is broke, most houses are. It feels warm now - that's great, but that's only because you're burning enough fuel to make it so. The trouble is 99% of the housing stock leaks too much heat, and we're going to have to fix it. If you have cavity walls, that will involve filling them at some point, plus the addition of more insulation.

Furts

Smiley_Dan wrote: »

Your house most likely is broke, most houses are. It feels warm now - that's great, but that's only because you're burning enough fuel to make it so. The trouble is 99% of the housing stock leaks too much heat, and we're going to have to fix it. If you have cavity walls, that will involve filling them at some point, plus the addition of more insulation.

The problem here is the CWI industry is manned by con men, spivs, and charlatans from the top right down to the monkeys on the end of the injection hoses. This has never changed so I do not hold out hopes for the future unless the Government brings in regulation. On this pigs are more likely to fly first.

To give a recent example of mine - I witnessed a leading company convincing a customer their walls needed drilling and CWI injecting. It would be unprofessional to mention the company name but Thermobead, hang your head in shame and start training the idiots who represent your company.

I intervened because the walls were newly built and had partial fill Celotex insulation. Indeed the walls were so new they had had not yet received a Completion Certificate from the Buildings Regulations Department at the local authority!

Did Thermobead care? They did, and gave me a right ear bashing for loosing them a sale and a nice dose of commission!

Consumers everywhere you have been warned.