Cavity wall insulation offer

If it's really a government grant why should it depend on you using N Power? Perhaps they are simply trying to get you to change electricity supplier (and get a commission for that).

Did they contact you out of the blue? If so, i would say 'no thank you' and not let them in the house.

Robert

.. >On Nov 22, 10:24 am, Mike P wrote: .. >

.. >

.. >> It all hinged whether we got bils from N Power .. which we do not. .. >> What does the panel think ? .. >

.. >If it's really a government grant why should it depend on you using N .. >Power? Perhaps they are simply trying to get you to change .. >electricity supplier (and get a commission for that). .. >

.. >Did they contact you out of the blue? If so, i would say 'no thank .. >you' and not let them in the house. .. >

.. >Robert .. >

Yes .. cold call. This is the relevant page from the company concerned

Ring your council and ask them if there are schemes they know of in your area.

.. >On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:24:35 +0000, Mike P wrote: .. >

.. >>We have just been offered a cavity wall insulation deal by a private .. >>company offering to do the job for £175. They get a grant from the .. >>Government so they get £680 for the job. .. >>Small Three bed semi with ground floot extension. .. >>

.. >>Sounds a good deal to me and a chance not to be missed. .. >>It all hinged whether we got bils from N Power .. which we do not. .. >>What does the panel think ? .. >>

.. >>Chappy coming around tonight to discuss. I will ask about air brick .. >>avoidance .. anything else ? .. >>

.. >>Mike P .. >

.. >

.. >Ring your council and ask them if there are schemes they know of in .. >your area.

Thanks .. so I did.

It is pukka. The bit about N Power and asking who was our provider loosley meant ....... that when we pay our utilities bills, the money goes in a pot and our provider has to make carbon effiency savings. One way is to get us to make our homes more energy effiicient, so they contribute part of our bills to the scheme. Looks like N Power is not doing their bit at the moment. .. but don't quote me :-)

Mike P

We have just had ours done through this company. They contacted us and said that because we are claiming family tax credits we can have free cavity wall and loft insulation completely FOC. We have also had our combi boiler replaced with a new modern one also FOC.WE HAVE NOT PAID ANYTHING.Apparently, most people don't know (I didn't) that this can be done if you are on F.T.C. I'm not sure why they are charging you?

Borosteve.

.. >On 22 Nov, 10:40, Mike P wrote: .. >> On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:32:16 -0800 (PST), RobertL .. >>

.. >> wrote: .. >>

.. >> .. >On Nov 22, 10:24 am, Mike P wrote: .. >> .. >

.. >> .. >

.. >> .. >> It all hinged whether we got bils from N Power .. which we do not. .. >> .. >> What does the panel think ? .. >> .. >

.. >> .. >If it's really a government grant why should it depend on you using N .. >> .. >Power? Perhaps they are simply trying to get you to change .. >> .. >electricity supplier (and get a commission for that). .. >> .. >

.. >> .. >Did they contact you out of the blue? If so, i would say 'no thank .. >> .. >you' and not let them in the house. .. >> .. >

.. >> .. >Robert .. >> .. >

.. >>

.. >> Yes .. cold call. .. >> This is the relevant page from the company concerned .. >>

.. >>

.. >> Mike P .. >

.. >We have just had ours done through this company. They contacted us and .. >said that because we are claiming family tax credits we can have free .. >cavity wall and loft insulation completely FOC. We have also had our .. >combi boiler replaced with a new modern one also FOC.WE HAVE NOT PAID .. >ANYTHING.Apparently, most people don't know (I didn't) that this can .. >be done if you are on F.T.C. I'm not sure why they are charging you? .. >

.. >Borosteve.

We will be charged because we are not claiming any benefits. Glad the scheme worked for you.

Mike P

We had loft insulation and cavity wall insulation installed completely free as we are pensioners. Part Government grant part electricity/gas supplier. We got free loft insulation because there was none, a top up would have cost us, though subsidised! Figure it! It has made an immense difference to our power bills.

My new Combi cost £2,500 (fitted) in 2004, and the cavity my insulation £280 in 1984.

In this country that's the way the benefit system works. It's a bit like winning an accumulator at the bookies.

It must be he's not "On the free".

DG

week. They seem to have done a good job. I'll ask next time I see them.

Let me make this CLEAR.I am NOT a scrounger and work very hard full time and my wife part-time.We also have three young children and are both on low wages. I did not go looking for this free work...THEY came to us. If you were offered =A33000 quid by a stranger in the street you would take it. In the long run this will be beneficial to us as far as heating bills are concerned and therefore to the enviroment which I care about.

Borosteve.

Let me make this CLEAR.I am NOT a scrounger and work very hard full time and my wife part-time.We also have three young children and are both on low wages. I did not go looking for this free work...THEY came to us. If you were offered £3000 quid by a stranger in the street you would take it. In the long run this will be beneficial to us as far as heating bills are concerned and therefore to the enviroment which I care about.

Borosteve.

Well said.

Mary

OTOH the guy who offered to do my late mother's loft on the same basis was a total idiot. The loft was fully boarded (and filled up to the boards). They wouldn't take the boards up; they offered either to lay 4 inches on top of the boards, or (if I took the boards up) stuff extra in the space, claiming it would still double the insulation if I then put the boards back.

The benefit system in this country is crazy. Family tax credits are available even to those earning =A350k+. We were on the borderline and received a small amount which we had to repay the following year when the system cought up with a pay rise I had received at about the same time our claim was accepted. Just Mr Bs way to try and buy off the "middle classes", I guess. Meanwhile old people are bled dry for care home fees because they made the mistake of saving for the future.

I wonder, does the amount of help you get installing insulation depend on the level of tax credits you get?

MBQ

on 22/11/2007, Mike P supposed :

Go for it... It makes a worth while difference to the heating bills, but probably the biggest difference you notice is the elimination of cold spots in your house - due to the out side walls being much closer to room temperatures.

We have DG, CWI and our loft is extremely well insulated - to that I added some carefully thought out ventilation. We found as we completed each, that the comfort levels increased noticeably.

Without too much outside door opening, our home retains its heat for far longer than it used to do and the boiler only rarely fires.

Based on research I did for a relative, no. You are "passported" to entitlement if you tick the tax credit box (or relevant other benefit box).

Welcome to Gordon Brown's means-tested Britain. (Clever bloke: more people on means-tested benefits = more people inclined to vote Labour. )

The govt take so much in tax that, unless people are really abusing the system, I think people should on principle apply for everything they're entitled to.

Owain

Some things to check or ask in general.

How do they handle vents? o Plain air vents

---- some just cement them all up (wrongly)

---- some insert hollow plugs or sleeve, for free or at a cost

---- min house ventilation for gas fires 500mm in insulation

---- eg, small CSA shower cables in cavity are at risk

Do you have any cavity damp problems? o Usually very obvious re darker coloured bricks

---- white staining on walls from salts etc

---- down a wall or visible at damp course o Typical cause is a cistern filling to near the overflow

---- wind gusts into overflow, wave washes water out

---- overflow pipe tilt is insufficient, water wets wall

Verify your cavity is dry before you stuff it :-) Least likely is penetrating damp unless in a moat.

Do you like your wall colour? o When they drill to push insulation in, catch the dust

---- when they fill the holes in, add dust in to match o Avoids cement or clear-but-not-invisible silicone

Do you have outside chimney(s)? o Verify they are aware of their location if not obvious o Not a good day if they drill through a refractory lined flu

If you plan on bashing the living daylights out of a cavity wall, it will make insulation settle & may need a top-up. Same goes for drilling 6" extractor vents and such like, indeed the former could almost be fun with polybead...

The difference roof/wall insulation make is very very big. Roof makes a big difference, wall as big a difference again.

My only concern is the sometimes poor method they use to prevent the airbricks becoming blocked at a later date. But you may like to read this

We had the roof done, going from 20mm to 250mm. We did not have walls done due to fully South Facing.

In any sunshine the loft insulation keeps solar gain heat in, in peak summer that results in a higher average temperature. The only downside is when it is extremely windy, no solar gain, and sub-zero - those days you notice the lack of CWI.

Conversely a colleague is fully North Facing on a hill and did CWI a year after the roof - very noticeable difference.

The neighbour is polybead, poor coating, no separator. That would force us to have polybead which I do not like much. They have dampness since every airbrick cemented solid, I wonder if those reporting problems a) plugged every air brick to maintain all heat, b) have no window vents and c) have blocked-up chimneys without air vents either, d) dry washing on radiators & lack kitchen extractors.

Many (confounding) factors to consider.