PropertyImproving Your HomeCut your heating costs overnight - with free or subsidised insulation of your walls and loft Cut your heating costs overnight - with free or subsidised insulation of your walls and loft
By Tony Watts - Editor - 12/12/2008
The cost of heating and lighting our homes has risen sharply over the last few years – the era of cheap fuel prices is now well and truly over. That means all of us are looking for ways to trim our bills. But help is at hand – from the energy suppliers who are keen to help by offering insulation of your home – at discounted or even no cost, to help you cut up to £300 a year from your fuel bills.
Without proper insulation, more than half your heat can escape through your roof and walls, so it’s important to make sure your home is properly insulated. Insulation will not only keep your house warmer in the winter but will also make it cooler in the summer.
Huge amounts of heat – up to a third of what your boiler produces – can disappear through your roof. And while you may think that you’ve already ‘got it covered’ because you insulated your loft in the past, think again: the recommended level of insulation in your loft is now almost three times what it was: 270 mm – that’s 10.6 inches.
According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST) you could save typically around £150 a year by doing this. And it takes just hours to install.
How much will it cost? If you are aged 70 or over, or in receipt of certain benefits, you could qualify for free loft insulation.
If you do have to pay there’s some excellent news. The average cost of insulating a loft say, the EST, is £500. But if you speak to npower - on 0800 980 2135 and whose website is linked below – they are offering this at half price – or around £250. And if you are already a customer of npower, there’s a further discount of 20%.
When you’re saving around £150 a year, that’s a really, really fast payback.
If you have cavity walls, you could typically save £120 - £160 a year by filling the gap between the internal and external walls. The insulation is installed by drilling small holes in the mortar between the bricks and then pumping in the insulation material. This will take just a couple of hours and the holes are then neatly filled back in.
If you are 70 or over or in receipt of certain benefits, the cost to you is absolutely nothing. For those who don’t qualify for this, the unsubsidised cost is around £500 – but again npower will radically cut the cost for you. Their cost is around £250, depending upon the size of the house and, if you are already an npower customer, there’s a further 20% discount. That means a payback time of just two years.
To find out exactly how much it would cost, call freephone 0800 980 2135 or visit the website linked below and npower will arrange a free survey with no commitment for you to say ‘yes’. Plus, when your home insulation is complete, they will even send you four free energy-saving light bulbs.
Terms and conditions:
Offer is subject to availability and subject to survey. To be eligible for free insulation you must be a resident of Great Britain, homeowner or rent from a private landlord (offer is not available to homes rented from social housing providers), you or someone you live with must be in receipt of a qualifying income-related benefit or aged 70 or over. For further details on relevant benefits please call 0800 980 2135. Light bulbs: will be sent out within 3 months of home insulation completion.
A quote for the work is given after site survey. To be eligible for cavity wall or loft insulation you must be a resident of mainland Great Britain, a homeowner or rent from a private landlord (offer is not available to homes rented from social housing providers). Offer is not available in Northern Ireland. Postcode restrictions apply. The offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or incentive from any other energy supplier.
npower is a registered trademark and a trading name of Npower Limited (registered in England and Wales No. 3653277) and associated companies. Registered office: Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon SN5 6PB.