How Risky Is The New ‘Green Homes Grant Scheme’ ?
Last time the government subsidised a national home insulation programme the quality of workmanship in many cases left a lot to be desired.
In fact a whole new industry has since been spawned to repair damp problems in cavity walls caused by incompetent retro-fitting of cavity wall insulation (CWI). More than 13 million older homes have now had their cavity walls injected with insulation (new houses have had it built into the walls as they’re constructed since the 1990s).
The new ‘Green Homes’ Grant Scheme will be launched in September (in England) and the government say they will pay minimum of 2/3rds of the cost of energy efficiency improvements like insulation and new boilers. Homeowners can apply for a voucher of between £5,000 and £10,000 towards the total cost. Some low income households won’t have to pay anything.
The BBC have highlighted the need for quality control – something that politicians obsessed with ‘cutting red tape’ don’t always consider important. The trouble is, an unregulated ‘free market’ in home insulation is an open invitation to cowboy installers, so we hope that lessons have been learned in government from past mistakes!
The BBC have reported disturbing cases were poorly installed insulation has caused problems with damp and mould, to the extent that it has affected people’s health. The Cavity Insulation Victims’ Alliance ( CIVALLI ) was set up to try and resolve these problems but it claims that worried homeowners have been ‘bullied’ when they’ve try to register complaints about sub-standard work that has damaged their homes.
So to get impartial advice it’s worth speaking to a local chartered surveyor or an independent energy consultant.
It’s also a good idea to buy a good quality manual that explains the complexities of retro-fitting home insulation.
Read the latest info on Green Homes Grants here.
Our next blog – coming soon …….
Help To Buy – what happens if house prices drop?
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