Find an Insulation Installer you can trust in Bingley.

With cavity walls being very similar to other type of brick works, it can be quite confusing to figure out the type of wall your property possesses. If your house was constructed after the 1920s, then its highly likely the you have cavity walls, while older houses (houses before the 1920s) are likely to have solid walls. What’s more? If you happen to own a home that was built in the last decade, then it’s very possible that it was built with insulation installed during construction.

An effective way to determine whether or not your property is built with cavity wall is to examine the brickwork on your home’s exterior. The bricks will typically possess a regular pattern if it features cavity walls. In the event whereby the brick work is covered by render, you can also figure it out by taking a measurement of the wall’s width. If the brick wall is beyond 3000mm in thickness ( from the exterior wall to the interior wall), then it probably features a cavity. Meanwhile, a wall that’s narrower is very likely to be solid. Stone walls, on the other hand, may actually be thicker but are most times solid.

In a situation whereby your house is built using steel frame or timber frame, or made using pre-fabricated concrete, there are varying rules that applies when it comes to insulation and should be examined by an expert before any insulation is installed. More often than not, most contractors will have installed special air vents, which can also be a good indicator that a cavity wall insulation has been done.

External Wall Insulation (EWI) is the act of insulating a home by fitting insulation to the exterior parts of the building which in turn improves thermal performance, cuts energy consumption ( savings on energy bill) and also adds to the home’s visual appeal. The systems are built in multiple layers, with the insulation board offering a plethora of options with each being suitable to varying projects and their needs. Installing an external wall insulation comes with a variety of benefits, let’s have a look!

• Thermal Performance Improvement

With EWI, the thermal inertia of the walls are greatly enhanced while also restricting the loss of heat. Ultimately, this lowers heating costs, enhances the comfort of indoor thermal and also reduces CO2 pollution.

• Eliminates Noise Pollution

When the noise levels are high, it can have a bad impact on our overall well being. A great way to reduce the disturbances from the outside like traffic noise is by fitting an External Wall Installation system.

• More Comfortable Living Space

Do you know the damp in homes can contribute to respiratory problems? A properly insulated home will greatly limit the impact of condensation by combating the damp issues. As a result, you can always expect your house to be cosy and comfy irrespective of the season. A cooler summer and warmer spring is guaranteed with EWI.

• Enhances The Property’s Visual Appeal

Looking for an excuse to rejuvenate your home’s aesthetic appeal? Well, you can as well try out adding an EWI system. There are a plethora of unique colours and styles you can pick from to beautify your home effortlessly.

• Adds Value To Property

An insulated home will generally cost more than an uninsulated one at the time of resale. Potential home buyers are more interested in the acquisition of a home with an EWI system due to its various benefits - and a higher demand can only imply a higher price!

When thinking about the right insulation material for your loft, some of the first few things that comes to mind is the various properties of that material as well as how good they fit with your home’s needs.naturally, you’d like to ensure that the insulation will be efficient enough to add to the overall energy efficiency of your home, however there are also other features that may not get as much attention but also happens to be equally important. As the primary function of an insulation is to blanket your house to offer a barrier against heat loss, going for an insulation material that’s also fireproof is crucial as loft insulation can burn. Although most insulation materials are fireproof, a myriad of problems can actually make your insulation burn.

For instance, fibreglass insulation is produced using glass combined with plastic polymers and is naturally resistant to fire. However, even at that you’d have to be careful with batts that are supported with foil or paper due to the fact that these materials can burn pretty quickly. Cellulose, on the other hand, is not fireproof and is required to be treated by other flame retardants in order to help reduce combustion. Some of the best insulation materials that are resistant to fire includes the following:

• Fibre glass. This is made of glass that’s spun into fibres, then combined using plastic polymers. As a result, fiberglass insulation is naturally resistant to fire.
• Mineral wool. Having a high melting temperature, this insulation material happens to be a great fit for thermal applications due to its superior fire resistant properties. In fact, mineral wool is still naturally non-combustible even if composed of recycled iron and steel by-products, or from actual mineral rock itself.

Damp issues on a property are usually generated by a lot of factors such as a poor or broken guttering, condensation and lots more. The question arising here is what is the possibility of External Wall Insulation (EWI) preventing condensation? Not only is EWI a reliable way to reduce condensation-caused damp, but it’s also one of the major reasons property owners in solid wall homes consider thermally rendering or cladding their external walls.

Condensation arises as a result of warm moist internal air hitting a cold surface such as the steaming up of both windows and mirror when having a shower. What happens here is the condensation of the water vapour in the air from a gas to liquid in the process of touching the cold surface - one whose temperature is significantly reduced to reach the dew point. At the dew point, condensation is very rampant, and to tackle this issue you’ll have to heighten the wall temperature in order to convert the moisture to vapour and permit it to pass through the wall. And that’s exactly the job of an external wall insulation!

To get started you must ensure that the walls are clean and dry prior to fitting the external wall insulation. The month of May through to September when the weather tends to be dry and more stable are usually the best period to carry out the project. The external wall insulation will function just like a cosy blanket around the building. Ultimately, changing the feel and temperature of the inside of your home. As a result, the previously cold walls will no longer be cold which goes a long way to mitigate the effects of condensation. Furthermore, when an EWI is installed, the rooms of your home will automatically trap more thermal mass as the heat is saved in the walls’ fabric and released back when the temperature drops.

If you want to install an external wall, it is only wise to consider whether or not a planning permission is required in order to avoid a hefty fine. In a great kudos to the government and a welcome relief to home and property owners, the installation of external wall insulation is seen as an “improvement to the house and not an “extension or an “enlargement. Ultimately, this implies that external wall insulation fitting is to be done under permitted development and a planning application may not be required. However, like many other regulations, there are also exceptions to this rule and the main one is if the activity changes the appearance of your property. Properties such as a listed building having tighter regulations may pose some issues. As a result, we’d advise you to consult your local authority to ensure that there’s no fast rule to this topic before commencement of the external wall insulation project.

At the moment, according to the Government Building Regulations, the surface of the entire wall is to be improved to existing standards if the area to be insulated exceeds 25 percent of the wall. In normal situations this is usually the typical case, however to prevent avoidable fines and other possible punishments, it is always best to reach to your local authority and check out the rules guiding external wall insulation in your constituency. Furthermore, since external wall insulation is not a task that’s recommended to be done by yourself, you can also ask the professional external wall insulation fitting company for the applying rules before proceeding. As a good professional, the company should have a better knowledge of the rules and regulation guiding its activities.

External wall insulation works to keep your home cosy and comfy while also helping to cut the energy bills. However with the great benefits also comes great costs, so it’s actually a logical decision to know whether there are grants out there which you’re eligible for to help you handle the cost of the external wall insulation.

There are grants available for external wall insulation, but rarely will you find one that covers the full installation cost. With the help of the government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, a couple of energy companies assist in making your home more energy efficient by offering grants or free insulation. In certain cases whereby you receive particular state benefits, you may as well qualify for a higher grant that’ll cover more of the insulation cost.

However, if your energy supplier doesn’t offer any grant, you need not worry as you can save as much on energy bill after installation. Here’s what insulation can help you save per year on energy bills:

• Floor insulation can help you save within a range of £30 to £75 each year.

• Cavity wall insulation can help you save about £85 to £280 a year.

• Loft Insulation (270mm) can help you save about £135 to £250 a year.

Generally, the amount you’ll be able to save on your energy bills depends mainly on the type and size of your property, as well as how energy efficient it already is without the insulation. In the long run, your external wall insulation will more than give you back your investment on the valuable project through your savings on energy bills. In other words, whether or not you’re eligible for a grant should never stop you from installing an external wall insulation.

Insulating a cavity wall should not affect the damp proofing of the wall. All insulation approved for use in cavity walls has been tested to ensure that it does not allow damp to pass through the wall. Some walls which receive a lot of wind driven rain are unsuitable for cavity wall insulation.

This is a very great opportunity to not only get free external wall insulation, but also cut down your energy bills depending on the type of property you live in. Generally, to enjoy free external wall insulation you must at least be part of the group receiving one of the benefits listed below and also depends on the amount of money you earn. The benefits include:

• Income based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA)

• Income support

• Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)

• Tax credits

• Pension credit guarantee credit.

• Universal credit.

There are also other important factors that determines if you can have a free insulation fitted on your property. These includes the place you reside, the carbon level of your home and according to some suppliers, the level of beneficial impact the insulation will have on your home. In order to have a free external wall insulation installed, you must either be the owner of your home or at least obtain the go ahead from your landlord before any external wall insulation activity can be made.

Good news is, if you fit the aforementioned criteria and you’ve already installed an external wall insulation, you just may be entitled to receive a refund for the good job done. However, to really find out if you’re eligible, we’d recommend you get in touch with your supplier directly. Also, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) can direct you to some organizations who can assist you in the determination of your eligibility.

As a home and property owner living in England, you can also check out the Each Home Counts Advice Website which is committed to giving impartial energy efficiency advice.

At the end of the day, if it turns out you happen to be ineligible for a free external wall insulation, you can still go ahead to contact a professional installer for a help at a competitive price to enjoy the several benefits that comes with home insulation.