Subsidised cavity wall insulation - good value?

[Rich]

I've discovered that my electricity company, Powergen, is offering a number of energy saving incentives, including cavity wall insulation at a subsidised price of =A375.

Had a surveyor round today who made some measurements. He said that the full price would be =A3450ish, of which I would need to pay =A397, slightly over the odds because I have three external walls and my 3-bed end-terrace is not fully covered by the subsidy scheme.

Now this still seems like good value to me, assuming that the job really is worth =A3450, and not threppence. Particularly good if, as he claims, I will save an unlikely =A3150 per year on my gas bills.

Incidentally, there are a number of other offers which came in the pack:

- 4 free energy-saving lightbulbs (can't say fairer than that)

- =A310 off an energy-saving kettle (not for me - still pay 30 quid for what is effectively a dosing device to make sure you only boil the right amount of water - I'm pretty good at that anyway)

- =A3200 off an A-rated boiler

My gut intstinct is not to touch the last one with a bargepole. I imagine that they's just bump up the price of the boiler to cover this 'discount', but maybe I'm being too harsh.

I guess what I'm asking you folks really is - are these genuine offers or am I being taken for a ride? I remember taking up an offer of allegedly 'free' flights a couple of years ago. The price I paid for 'taxes and charges' miraculously came to the same price *including taxes and charges* I would have paid had I booked the easyJet flight myself. In that case, my suspicion was that the 'free' flights were just a lead generator for what was an effectively a travel agency.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Rich.

[PhilC]

Had a surveyor round today who made some measurements. He said that the full price would be £450ish, of which I would need to pay £97, slightly over the odds because I have three external walls and my 3-bed end-terrace is not fully covered by the subsidy scheme.

Now this still seems like good value to me, assuming that the job really is worth £450, and not threppence. Particularly good if, as he claims, I will save an unlikely £150 per year on my gas bills.

Incidentally, there are a number of other offers which came in the pack:

- 4 free energy-saving lightbulbs (can't say fairer than that)

- £10 off an energy-saving kettle (not for me - still pay 30 quid for what is effectively a dosing device to make sure you only boil the right amount of water - I'm pretty good at that anyway)

- £200 off an A-rated boiler

My gut intstinct is not to touch the last one with a bargepole. I imagine that they's just bump up the price of the boiler to cover this 'discount', but maybe I'm being too harsh.

I guess what I'm asking you folks really is - are these genuine offers or am I being taken for a ride? I remember taking up an offer of allegedly 'free' flights a couple of years ago. The price I paid for 'taxes and charges' miraculously came to the same price *including taxes and charges* I would have paid had I booked the easyJet flight myself. In that case, my suspicion was that the 'free' flights were just a lead generator for what was an effectively a travel agency.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Rich.

Hi

Had our 4 bed detached cavity wall insulated for 175GBP about two years ago - money well spent. Company from Reading - Instafoam? - did the work

100% no probs and internal walls now feel warmer. Not sure about savings but house now more comfortable in colder months.

Phil

[Joy Marshall]

Had my 3-bed detatched bungalow done last December - lots of external walls. It was subsidised by Guildford Council and done by a company from East Sussex I think. They did a good job for about £175. Don't have a clue what the full value would have been however.

Joy

[dg]

It is good value and is about =A3350 to =A3450 worth of work.

Have you been scammed in having to pay =A397? There is nothing in the offer saying that it will cost more than =A375.

In fact once I get mine done, I will be switching supplier as I am not happy with their recent price hikes

dg

[Rich]

Cheers for the replies all. Seems like it is decent offer after all.

I'm happy about the price - my house *is* an odd shape, so there's a lot of area to cover.

Incidentally, if you are thinking of switching supplier (I am too), it's worth waiting a while. Martin Lewis at

(V reliable IMHO) reckons there's a few more price hikes to come so it's not a level playing field at the mo.

[Paul]

Its easier said than done to get out of Powergens grasp. It has taken alot of time in communitcations and being on hold (with bad music). They even set me up a double account instead of closing it down. I have changed to power2

my bill has gone down and my environmental conscious clear and they answer their phones quick.

Paul

[manatbandq]

The new supplier does all the work. The fact you had problems probably says more about Power2 than Powergen. We certainly had no problems switching.

MBQ

[Paul]

The new supplier puts in the request and that part worked. You still have to settle your final bill with powergen which didn't work in fact they sent me two of different values so I am now waiting for a refund.

Paul

[mark harrison]

How do qualify for the Powergen energy saving incentives (cavity wal insulation etc) ?????????????

Any info would be gratefully appreciated

Mar

-- mark harrison

[Set Square]

The cavity wall insulation is extremely good value - bite their hand off! Even if the savings on your fuel bills are not as high as they claim, they will be measurable - and your house will immediately gain a warmer, more comfortable, feel. In order to get the full benefit, make sure also that you've got adequate insulation in the loft. Are they offering a subsidy for that? And make sure that you've not got draughts from doors and windows. Are all your windows double glazed?

The low energy bulbs for *free* have *got* to be good!

I wouldn't bother with the rest.

[Rich]

Glad to hear that everybody gives it a glowing review. Have accepted the quote. Feeling very green at the moment, having just installed a water meter and water butt.

My loft insulation seems to fall in no man's land. At 6 inches, it's not as much as 'recommended' but too much to get any decent size of grant. It would cost me more to have another 6 inches put in than somebody with no insulation at all. Anyway, it was bloody freezing up there when I went to hide some junk the other day, so that's good enough for me.

Windows are that old aluminium-framed double glazing. Not great, but not in need of replacing. Thick curtains will have to do.

Sorry, can't read that sentence. I only switched the lights on two hours ago so I can't see the screen properly yet.

Incidentally. On the subject of green energy tarrifs (discussed above), does anyone have any recommendations for green electricity suppliers.

I'd like to switch suppliers but I've got no interest in paying a 15% mug's supplement for 'renewable energy' when the energy company are obliged to buy green anyway. Neither do I particularly want anyone to plant a tree in my name, or invest in obscure educational programmes. I could do that if I wanted by going for the cheapest brown supplier and giving my money to charity.

Is it possible to buy from a company which offers genuinely green electricity without the Emperor's New Clothes factor?

[Martin Bonner]

Essentially, the answer seems to be "No". Friends of the Earth used to do a review of "Green Electricity" and make recommendations, but they have given up doing that (they couldn't get accurate information from the supply companies).

What one wants to do, is to increase the demand for renewable electricity, and and hence reduce the amount of CO2 being emitted.

There seem to be two sorts of "Green Electricity" tarrif.

a) Brands like "Juice" where provided Npower (or whoever) don't sign up more than 10% of their customers to it, they will have enough "green" electricity to supply - because they are obliged to buy 10% of their supply green anyway.

b) Companies that only buy green electricty. This sounds great, until you discover that they don't promise not to sell the "Renewables Obligations Certificates" that they get with the green electricity. Other supply companies can buy these instead of buying actual green electricity - so customers still haven't increased the net amount of green electricity generated :-(.

It seems the best choice is to choose the cheapest brown supplier you can find, and give the extra money to a suitable organization. Anyone got any good suggestions for that?

[David Hansen]

On 26 Oct 2005 09:36:20 -0700 someone who may be "Martin Bonner" wrote this:-

something somewhat different:

"Sadly, we no longer produce a green electricity league table.

"This decision was not taken lightly - as we believe it is vital that individuals are empowered to take personal action to tackle climate change.

"Friends of the Earth does, of course, still support green electricity tariffs in principle.

"However, we have decided that we can't continue putting huge resources into what should be a government responsibility."

Two 100% green electricity suppliers come to mind.

build wind farms with the money they make. Thus they are investing directly in extra renewable capacity.

don't build sustainable generation directly. However, they do buy electricity from others who have done so, including a sister company, creating a market for others to invest. They also retire a proportion of their ROCs.

Both approaches are valid and both are doing their best in an electricity system that is not of their making.

[Rich]

If you're a customer of Powergen, give them a ring on 0500 20 10 00. There's also some info on their website:

don't think this sort of thing is limited to Powergen. Whoever supplies your energy is obliged to offer some form of assistance, as far as I know.

Another good source of info is the Energy Saving Trust.

[Rich]

that are made, together with the price I would pay for 3914kWh (currently costing =A3292 with Powergen).

• Ecotricity 'New Energy':- 10% of all the electricity that you use is matched with new green electricity. This will increase to 30% after 3 years. =A3348.96

• Ecotricity 'Old Energy':- Every unit of electricity that you use is matched with wind generated power built before 1996. =A3377.93

• Good Energy:- Good Energy provide only renewable electricity. All electricity supplied is generated using wind, water and solar power. =A3401.98

If I'm going to pay a premium of =A350 - =A3100, I want to be sure that it's going somewhere useful. I'm not interested in the crafty sleight-of-hand stuff that involves shuffling the figures.

The Centre for Alternative Technology, in Machynlleth, would be as good an option as any. it's a fascinating and inspiring place to spend an afternoon if you're passing by.

[David Hansen]

On 27 Oct 2005 06:06:37 -0700 someone who may be "Rich" wrote this:-

I don't believe either company is doing that. Others may believe differently and others may tell you differently, for whatever motive. It is up to you.

IIRC Good Energy take a fair proportion of the electricity they generate.

[Gavin]

I've just had a guy round to provide a quote for cavity wall insullation, £99 for a 3 bed detached house, stonking good deal!! A typical price should be in the region of £450. Should be done within 3-4 weeks :-) This price is subsidised by the local council, but I'm not on any benefits, in fact I'm a fully paid up member of the "give all my money to Brown" party!

I started off here

and searched for a grant. My local council came up on the list so gave them a bell :-)

IHTH