Loft insulation scam ???

Billandben

Hi ,
I wonder if someone could tell me if I am trying to be scammed , I had a Surveyor come round from a goverment site for my loft insulation yesterday they said they could not install loft insulation in my loft as I have downlighters in the bedrooms below and it would not be worth it as you would have to leave a gap around the downlighters because of moisture issues , we explained to him that we had the appropriate covers for the downlighters which we purchased ourselves and he said it would be no benefit BUT what we would have to do was have our loft spray foam which the goverment does not give grants for but he could do it for £3.800 I said we have not got that sort of money so he said he could do it for £2.700 as a discount , IS THIS A SCAM !! We are both retired and in our 70s have no insulation at all in our loft so as you can imagine it is very very cold ,
I have been looking on insulation sites and they say we can have loft insulation with downlighters so long as we have covers . Please can someone help as we don’t know what to do .
tha k you very much 

frugalmacdugal

Hi,

sounds a bit iffy.

Have you had a look at MSE GBIS, or maybe your energy supplier HERE.

marcia_

 We rented a house with down lights with insulation over them and had a fire in the loft. Not a clue if they had covers on but it was pretty scary, 

Peter999_2

I personally wouldn't touch it with a barge pole - https://propertyinspect.com/uk/blog/spray-foam-insulation-guide-2023/

Some horror stories about buildings insurance and selling properties with spray foam.   Totally unregulated as well apparently.

Emmia

I'd avoid spray insulation, it can cause other issues with damp and removing it could require a whole new roof.

prowla

I wouldn't do spray foam; if nothing else, it'll be hassle if any work needs doing to the roof/loft.

born_again

Billandben said:

Hi ,
I wonder if someone could tell me if I am trying to be scammed , I had a Surveyor come round from a goverment site for my loft insulation yesterday they said they could not install loft insulation in my loft as I have downlighters in the bedrooms below and it would not be worth it as you would have to leave a gap around the downlighters because of moisture issues , we explained to him that we had the appropriate covers for the downlighters which we purchased ourselves and he said it would be no benefit BUT what we would have to do was have our loft spray foam which the goverment does not give grants for but he could do it for £3.800 I said we have not got that sort of money so he said he could do it for £2.700 as a discount , IS THIS A SCAM !! We are both retired and in our 70s have no insulation at all in our loft so as you can imagine it is very very cold ,
I have been looking on insulation sites and they say we can have loft insulation with downlighters so long as we have covers . Please can someone help as we don’t know what to do .
tha k you very much 

Read that as I had a sales person from one of the companies on the list.

Avoid spray foam installs, as other have said. Can lead to massive problems selling as some mortgage co's will not offer mortgages.

Billandben

Thank you everyone for all your help actually got in touch with the goverment scheme people and they said they haven’t sent anyone around to us yest so it was a scam after all , god knows where they got my name and number from thank you for all your help really appreciated it 

jcrooke

Don't use Spray Foam.
GBIS isn't really going to give you loft insulation for Free due to the extra costs involved in compliance on the scheme which add 800-1000 to the average job via it.  you will find competent people to do it on the Insulation Assurance Authority website local to you. Likely Paying for the work will be cheaper than via any government  grant. 

You may be lucky and be in an area where connected for warmth is available (Google) which maybe better suited to sort your loft insulation out FOC, but under BGIS it will cost more than just paying for it via a local contractor.

stripling

Billandben said:

Hi ,
I wonder if someone could tell me if I am trying to be scammed , I had a Surveyor come round from a goverment site for my loft insulation yesterday they said they could not install loft insulation in my loft as I have downlighters in the bedrooms below and it would not be worth it as you would have to leave a gap around the downlighters because of moisture issues , we explained to him that we had the appropriate covers for the downlighters which we purchased ourselves and he said it would be no benefit BUT what we would have to do was have our loft spray foam which the goverment does not give grants for but he could do it for £3.800 I said we have not got that sort of money so he said he could do it for £2.700 as a discount , IS THIS A SCAM !! We are both retired and in our 70s have no insulation at all in our loft so as you can imagine it is very very cold ,
I have been looking on insulation sites and they say we can have loft insulation with downlighters so long as we have covers . Please can someone help as we don’t know what to do .
tha k you very much 

There's a lot of these Spray Foam scammers around. As others have said, avoid the Spray Foam insulation like the plague. It causes lots of problems. 

The Great British Insulation Scheme grant funding has a few restrictions (income level and assessment of your property for energy efficiency) but as far as I know, it is only administered via your Energy provider. Get in touch and ask them. 
There's also the ECO4 scheme but in most areas you need to be in receipt of Pension Credit. However, some local authorities extend it to people on a low income but not in receipt of benefits. Contact your local council for this. 
However, loft insulation (NOT spray foam - I'm talking about rolls of it over your rafters)  is not that expensive and if you can afford it, is worth getting done as soon as you can because it will make a big difference to your heating bills. 
This website the Energy Saving Trust is worth a look.

FreeBear

Billandben said: I have been looking on insulation sites and they say we can have loft insulation with downlighters so long as we have covers . Please can someone help as we don’t know what to do .

(A bit late to the party).... Intumescent or fire retardant hoods should be fitted to downlights where they are covered by insulation. These things are not hugely expensive and don't need an electrician to fit (they just sit over the top of the light fittings & cables). It is also possible to get fire rated LED downlights that don't need hoods and will work quite happily with a ton of insulation on top.