Is Cavity Wall Insulation soon to be compulsory?

[CAPTAIN GREALISH]

Seen that as well. Apparently you should not consider it if you live in an area where you are at risk of 'wind-driven rain' which probably means most people who live on or near the south and west coasts of the UK. The cavity is there to (1) keep a layer of air which will stop your house getting cold and (2) separate the innner and outer skins so that you don't get damp walls because of rain. Cavity wall insulation bridges the gap.

you must be in the building trade?

 

[Justice]

Kingspan is the way to go

 

[00snook]

I work with the Government on its policies around this area and havent heard anything like this at all.

I do know that the heavily subsidised installation of Cavity wall insulation will come to an end in the spring, so if you wanna get it done for cheap (often free) act now as in the spring the subsidy ends.

Ring the Energy Saving Advice Service for free impartial advice, or to get a referral for the insulation job (this is who I work for)

0300 123 1234

 

[Bold Seagull]

Seen that as well. Apparently you should not consider it if you live in an area where you are at risk of 'wind-driven rain' which probably means most people who live on or near the south and west coasts of the UK. The cavity is there to (1) keep a layer of air which will stop your house getting cold and (2) separate the innner and outer skins so that you don't get damp walls because of rain. Cavity wall insulation bridges the gap.

Point 1, there is absolutely no way, not unless you created a vacuum in the cavity like a double glazed window, that the air in the cavity has any thermal quality that is even worth considering as a benefit. In U-value calculations, even when using partial fill insulation (i.e. 50mm insulation, 50mm air gap) you do not include the air gap - it is doing nothing thermally - it is simply for your point (2) which is the sole reason we started building with cavities at the end of the Victorian era when iron cavity ties enabled structural stability across the cavity, along with cavity trays over windows etc. where the cavity ensured the internal skin never, or should never get damp.

Cavity insulation DOES NOT bridge the cavity for moisture. What bridges the cavity is debris which when clear drops down to the bottom of the cavity, but when insulated can collect in localised areas which in excessive conditions can bridge the cavity with the water travelling along the debris usually called 'snots'. Most cavities are clear of this debris, and so it usually doesn't effect people.

In many buildings, having cavity wall insulation is as likely to cure some residual condensation problems by keeping the inner skin of masonry 'warm' so that moist vapour in the house doesn't condense on it, as it is to cause damp problems as indicated above.

There are a lot of myths about insulation, and I'd urge anyone to do your own research.

 

[jackanada]

Depends what you mean by best. It's most effective for most buildings, but wouldn't look great on the outside of most old buildings.

True that. Can always stick insulation board on the inside if there's no cavity - can be made to look bang on even in a period house but you do lose those few inches of space and no thermal mass for summer.

 

[Triggaaar]

True that. Can always stick insulation board on the inside if there's no cavity - can be made to look bang on even in a period house but you do lose those few inches of space and no thermal mass for summer.

Isn't thermal mass good for winter too? I'd love a well insulated house, but it's not easy on a big old lump.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Is there a problem with cavity wall insulation for timber framed houses? I've seen conflicting advice.

 

[blockhseagull]

Free insulation was meant to come to an end this year and a new initiative called Green Deal was meant to start.

However due to the complexity of green deal the grants and funding for free cavity wall insulation has been extended to May/Jun and possibly longer.

If you want to get it done for free I'd get it done sooner rather than later as it won't be free forever and will have to pay one the current funding streams end.

 

[jackanada]

Isn't thermal mass good for winter too? I'd love a well insulated house, but it's not easy on a big old lump.

Pretty much yes but doesn't really matter so much for heating the house in winter. Well insulated with low thermal mass will heat up quickly, but leave a through draft for a couple of minutes and it'll be parky again.

My cousin recently bought an old stone house and after a think we decided to insulate the crap out the roof and line a one or two of the walls with insulation board (possibly a thin lime render on top to look period). Hopefully be a reasonable balance of original features, insulation and mass.

 

[00snook]

Free insulation was meant to come to an end this year and a new initiative called Green Deal was meant to start.

However due to the complexity of green deal the grants and funding for free cavity wall insulation has been extended to May/Jun and possibly longer.

If you want to get it done for free I'd get it done sooner rather than later as it won't be free forever and will have to pay one the current funding streams end.

I haven't heard the CERT funding had been extended until June.

Where did you hear this?

 

[Czechmate]

Sorry, to me another load of bollocks to create more tax and give people jobs that can't already be employed . No problem with that by why invent something , we buy our houses as they are , we are sensible people we know if we have children to put a fire alarm on each floor , the governemnt should not tell or make it compulsory to do something to a house you required/built or whatever , f--k me if we told the governemnet how the country should be run we would be here for years . Just let people make their own decissions and if something happens then its down to them , stop telling us what we should and should not do .And as i am on the subject , stop telling us what we should say and how we should say it , what has happend to freedom of speach ? F--king feel like communist Russia more everyday !

 

[Bold Seagull]

Sorry, to me another load of bollocks to create more tax and give people jobs that can't already be employed . No problem with that by why invent something , we buy our houses as they are , we are sensible people we know if we have children to put a fire alarm on each floor , the governemnt should not tell or make it compulsory to do something to a house you required/built or whatever , f--k me if we told the governemnet how the country should be run we would be here for years . Just let people make their own decissions and if something happens then its down to them , stop telling us what we should and should not do .And as i am on the subject , stop telling us what we should say and how we should say it , what has happend to freedom of speach ? F--king feel like communist Russia more everyday !

The government is funding the insulation of your home if you want it. I think you maybe overreacting a tad!

 

[Butch Willykins]

I work for a major insulation manufacturer and sat in on a presentaion on this subject matter earlier today.

All i'll say is that if I was any good with my hands I'd get myself up trained up on installing 'External Wall Insulation'. There is going to be a shit load of work in this field in the next few years. Lots of older housing stock will be upgraded, plenty of money to be made.

 

[beorhthelm]

The energy bill payer is funding the insulation of your home if you want it.

sorry, just have to make a point.

 

[blockhseagull]

I haven't heard the CERT funding had been extended until June.

Where did you hear this?

Two of my customers who install blown cavity insulation have told me that they have been offered cert funding till June, both from the same funding source.

 

[blockhseagull]

Double post

 

[00snook]

Two of my customers who install blown cavity insulation have told me that they have been offered cert funding till June, both from the same funding source.

Really that is interesting, as the deadline for the Energy Companies to have met their CERT obligations is April as far as I was aware. Perhaps it has been extended and its just slowly filtering out into common knowledge.

Good news for people who are wanting to get discounted or free loft / cavity wall insulation.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

We have got so much stuff in our loft it would cost us a fortune to get it all out and dispose of it so we can get insulated.

 

[Czechmate]

The government is funding the insulation of your home if you want it. I think you maybe overreacting a tad!

Yeh , your right , just had a bad day .

 

[melias shoes]

Is there a problem with cavity wall insulation for timber framed houses? I've seen conflicting advice.

If you are talking about timber framed houses with a brick 'skin' exterior then you'll have insulation on the interior behind the dry lined plaster board. There should be at least 100mm of rockwall or similar.