Chilly UK homeowners are taking action after a string of harsh winters – with more than a million fitting extra insulation to their property in the last year, new research from the Energy Saving Trust has found.
The latest statistics show an incredible HALF of British homes (13 million) still have under-insulated lofts and 25 per cent (6.5 million) have un-insulated cavity walls – with millions of UK households still eligible for free or discounted help to solve their heat-loss problems
Through the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) scheme, around four million homes in the UK have taken up grants and offers to pay for cavity wall or loft insulation since April 2008. Thousands more could yet take advantage before the CERT scheme ends on December 31. It will be superseded by Green Deal, a financing mechanism which lets householders pay for energy-efficiency improvements using savings they will make on their energy bills.
Around a third of all the heat lost in an uninsulated home goes through the walls, with another quarter lost through the roof. Lofts can be insulated with simple mineral wool, while walls can have existing cavities filled, or have solid insulation fitted to them.
The Energy Saving Trust survey also found more than a fifth (21 per cent) of people are “very interested” in fitting insulation to their home.
An average household could save £175 a year by fitting 270mm of new insulation to their uninsulated loft – as well as preventing 720kg of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. Cavity wall insulation can save up to £135 and 550kg of carbon dioxide a year.
Stephen Passmore, a housing expert at the Energy Saving Trust, said: “It’s clear that more and more people are taking insulation seriously – after all, it can literally stop your money going up in smoke.
“We’re encouraged that so many homeowners have fitted insulation in the last 12 months, and further heartened that 21 per cent are very interested in following their example.
“Green Deal lets householders pay back the cost of energy-saving improvements over time through their energy bill. Anyone performing Green Deal work must be certified – and the Energy Saving Trust is one organisation making sure that only trusted tradesmen can operate under the scheme.”
Green Deal enables private firms to offer consumers energy efficiency improvements to their homes, community spaces and businesses with no upfront payments. Costs are recouped – as savings accrue – through a charge in instalments on their energy bills, with money passed on direct to Green Deal providers by energy companies.
Homeowners wanting more information on insulating their home can visit http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Insulation, call the Energy Saving Trust’s helpline on 0300 123 1234 or post any queries on our insulation forum
A great thing to do to cut your energy bills is to get cavity insulation. I recently got this for my home and it has made a real difference, not only to the amount of heat that is being kept in my house but it has also helped me to save a lot of money on my energy bills. It’s definitely something that I would recommend to others.