ECO4 improvements - anyone any experience?

corine39

Hi

Hoping someone can help.

My tenant has applied for an energy efficiency grant. The company who is due to do the work has sent me a comprehensive report. However, given all the horrors with these companies and the loft foam insulation debacle, I just want to check I am doing the right thing before I give it the go ahead.

Their suggested 'improvements' are as follows:

Internal Wall Insulation:-Insulation to be installed with over-boarding of the external walls including plaster skim finish excluding the kitchen & bathroom (no paint or decoration to be carried out ) System depth approximately 115mm.

Room in Roof Insulation:- Insulation to be installed with over-boarding of the external walls including plaster skim finish excluding the kitchen & bathroom and any other wet rooms (see attached floorplan). The ceiling Slopes to be insulated between the rafters and over-boarded with Insulated Plasterboard including a plaster skim finish.

Flat Ceilings to insulated above in the loft space or as per the ceiling slopes if access is not suitable.

Ventilation :- Mechanical extract ventilation to be installed to kitchen and bathroom and background ventilation to be installed to all other habitable rooms via way of trickle vents to the windows (to replace stale air with fresh air and remove excess moisture from the property) Core holes to be installed for combustion ventilation where applicable.

Loft Insulation:- Loft insulation to be topped up to 300mm.

Additional Works :-The design of the works for your property and the funding for it does not include joinery (including but not limited to skirting boards, window sills, picture rails, door architraves, coving), carpet alterations, painting, decoration, minor decorative making good and the like.

Heating Controls:- Existing controls will be replaced with Smart Controls to control heating & Hot water.

I think I am OK with the loft insulation (they need to make an access hole apparently), ventilation suggestions (vents in the landing as well as bathroom and kitchen- not sure why these would be required in the landing?) and smart heating controls (these are just for fun as far as I can see so the heating can be controlled from your mobile). However, having read up a little on the internal wall insulation and room in roof insulation I am not sure I want this. The internal wall insulation I believe reduces the room sizes and can cause damp. It is not easy to remove once done. Also, it is quite disruptive, and the rooms affected would need redecorating. I did query this with the company who said they would give £500 towards redecoration, and redo skirtings (although that’s it not what’s been said in their initial report above). As the tenant has requested this, I think they should do the redecorating and receive the grant.

There is no mention of moving sockets (which may invalidate my elec cert I believe), or moving radiators for the wall insulation.

Has anyone had any experience with this and could offer any advice?

Many thanks

FreeBear

Smart heating controls are worth having. I have one here (which also does a lot more than just heating). It enables me to set different temperatures throughout the course of the day - That in itself has saved me ~10% on heating costs.

Internal wall insulation is something I am currently doing on a room-by-room basis. The first room was done some 4 years ago, and has not caused any damp problems to date. Indeed, it has reduced condensation on the walls to zero, and made the room much easier to heat. This particular room is just 2.4m x 2.6m, and the loss of ~75mm of wall space is not noticeable. It is a minor trade off that pays dividends in the reduction of heating costs as well as getting rid of condensation/mould.

Yes, I am having to replace all the skirting, picture rails, and other bits of woodwork. New flooring will be going down, and redecorated throughout. It is an investment that improves the quality of life, bumps up the EPC rating, and should make it easier to sell the property. Might even get a higher price because of the work.

Aside from the making good & redecorating, you are getting a massive investment in your property at no cost to you. If I could have got the insulation done for free, I'd have jumped at the opportunity.