Great British Insulation Scheme - eligibility criteria

NNCVGal

Hello all, 

We applied via the Great British Insulation Scheme and was surprised that were might be eligible for some funding and so continued with the application. Our supplier is EDF Energy. 

I had a call today from the local supplier doing the installation and they asked me these questions right from the start: 

Do you have an extractor fan leading to the outdoors in your bathroom, kitchen, utility room and any other toilets and bathrooms in the property?

If you answer 'No' to any of these questions, they will refuse to send a surveyor around and your application is considered closed.

The representative was extremely empathetic and agreed that this 'new' criteria meant that around 90% of applicants were not eligible. 

I enquired why none of the questions were about my loft space, which is where we need the insulation, and she replied, "This is a new process, and they want to know this first."

Has anyone else had this with their application? I cannot understand why having an extractor fan or cooker hood that leads to the outside would impact any surveyor's decision on whether or not my property is eligible for the scheme. 

Screams of being a new scam for the government to avoid paying out as part of the scheme. 

I am genuinely interested to know how this is going to help people to utilise the scheme and provide more energy efficient homes as per the government's promises. 

elsien

I’d fail as well then. No extractor fans any where although there is an air vent thing which I can’t get to do anything about under the bathroom floorboards, and my cooker hood is on an inside wall.
And as a Victorian terrace, mine probably needs all the help it can get.

NNCVGal

@elsien

It does seem rather strange that this criteria has come in very recently. It will definitely be a barrier for a lot of people.

Teapot55

We benefited from a government scheme about ten years ago and got top-up insulation in our loft and little grey polystyrene beads in our cavity walls. 

Our house (terraced) is definitely warmer. 

However because of condensation this time of year we have had to buy a dehumidifier which we use most days. In the mornings we also have to ‘hoover’ our lovely, recently-purchased double-glazed windows with a window vac. 

While we nearly always dry our washing outside, we also don’t have any fans to the outside or any sort of cooker hood. They are high on the list, mind you. 

FreeBear

NNCVGal said: I had a call today from the local supplier doing the installation and they asked me these questions right from the start: 

Do you have an extractor fan leading to the outdoors in your bathroom, kitchen, utility room and any other toilets and bathrooms in the property?

If you answer 'No' to any of these questions, they will refuse to send a surveyor around and your application is considered closed.

Got an extractor in the kitchen, but not in the bathroom. As for a utility room, that would depend very much on how such a thing is defined. The need for adequate ventilation falls under part F of the Building Regulations and insulation would be subject to part L. So when the installers are making thermal improvements, they should be ensuring ventilation is up to standard. Surprised they don't ask about trickle vents as that would exclude a few more households.

Although I would qualify on a couple of grounds, I'd fall foul of the ventilation requirement (if there is such a thing) and the EPC (never had one).

THD123

My house has just been surveyed and I will be eligible to have the loft insulation topped up to 300mm. The surveyor told me that the extractor fan in my bathroom was fine but that generally the installers don't accept cooker-hood extractors as good enough and it was almost certain that I would need to have an extractor fan fitted in the kitchen.

The "science" behind this is that by increasing the loft insulation you are also blocking off routes for moisture in the home to escape to the outside so have to provide an alternative route/method.

brella

I've applied to this scheme and qualify on my property energy rating alone.

The grant includes fitting the fans if you don't have them. Full list for works (100% grant funded):

1. Top up the loft to 270mm (building regs)
2. Attach loft declaration signed by installer and customer, which is attached in the loft
3. Ensure that the loft hatch is insulated and fixed with hooks and eyes
4. Fit felt lap vents in the felt to help ventilate
5. Fit DMEV fans in all wet rooms (usually the bathroom and kitchen)
6. Fit trickle vents to all windows

wrf12345

I think the insulation rolls, at one point, were subsidized in some manner and you could pop into B and Q to buy them for almost nothing and DIY install - that would save the government a fortune in all these agencies, etc and simplify things for the consumer. Because it is such a simple job, looks like they are making it more complex to justify a bigger take from the government. Again, the energy minister is asleep.

stripling

@NNCVGal
Do you have an extractor fan leading to the outdoors in your bathroom, kitchen, utility room and any other toilets and bathrooms in the property?

It's a legal requirement of the grant - building regs- so without it the firm supplying insulation wouldn't get the funding. It was brought in because of cow-boys causing problems in the past.  Octopus fit the ventilation/trickle vents as part of the GBIS thus EDF are being outrageously tight. I'd go back to them, escalate and if no satisfaction take it your MP because EDF are ducking their responsibilities. 

Lorian

wrf12345 said:

I think the insulation rolls, at one point, were subsidised.

I remember having several dozen rolls of rockwool delivery free at I think £4 a roll and it came with a free installation safety kit. I fitted it all on my own too, great exercise. Must be at least 10 years ago.

I also added a few more soffit vents but they weren't provided