SIG INSULATION

The UK's market leading specialist distributor of insulation, dry lining and related products to construction and industry. http://www.siginsulation.co.uk/

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The Green Deal fund – what is it, and how could it help you?

What is the Green Deal?

The Green Deal allows you to make energy efficiency updates to your home without having to shoulder the burden of the cost upfront. It is a government sponsored policy in the UK, which was initially launched on the 1st of October 2012. Typical improvements include types of insulation, for example solid wall, cavity wall or loft insulation, heating, draught-proofing, double glazing and renewable energy such as solar panels or heat pumps.  An update to the Green Deal was launched in 2014, where you are able to take out a grant instead of a loan.

It is principally a loan made to you on your property to allow you to complete energy saving measures, that became available in January, 2013. It was designed to allow homeowners to benefit from making energy-efficient improvements to their home.

There are a list of 45 home improvements covered by the Green Deal, and the government has estimated that a typical three bedroom semi-detached house, as an example, would save around £270 per year from solid wall insulation*.

How does it work? The Green Deal is a four-step process: 1) Assessment, 2) Finance, 3) Installation and 4) Repayment.

The Deal applies to the home, not the home owner so benefits transfer to a new owner. The loan is repaid by taking the savings made on your energy bills, until you have paid off your loan – at that time, the savings are yours to take full advantage of. The intention is that the savings you can make on energy bills will outweigh the cost of repayment of your Green Deal loan. It also means however that the new owners, or tenants, are liable for a debt that they did not enter into.

Assessment

If you’re eligible for Green Deal funding, you will need an assessment. To arrange for an assessor to visit your hope you need to pay a fee of  first have to pay an assessment fee of around £150.  to determine what work can be done. This needs to be handled by an assessor who has been accredited with the Green Deal Quality Mark to determine the work eligible for Green Deal funding. During the home visit the assessor will talk to you about your energy usage to determine which of the 45 measures, if any are suitable for the property.

An assessor is likely to ask you: • Do you own or rent the property? • Is it a listed building, in a conservation area, built before 1900 or of a non-traditional construction style? • Are there access issues (e.g. is it hard to access your loft)? • Please can you provide bills showing recent energy usage? • How many people live there? • What heating do you use, with what appliances? • How often is your heating on? • What, if any, energy saving measures are already installed? After the visit, you’ll get a Green Deal advice report which will contain: • Your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), rating your home’s energy efficiency • An occupancy assessment which measures all occupiers’ energy usage • Any improvements recommended by your assessor • An estimate of the savings you could make on your bills • A statement illustrating whether the improvements will pay for themselves through reduced energy costs

Your report will be valid for ten years, or until you make changes or energy saving improvements (for example if you built an extension, or changed your windows). Any household in England, Scotland or Wales with an electricity meter (this includes prepayment meters) can use the Green Deal scheme. You can still apply if the building is rented, but both tenant and landlord must agree.

Find out if your home could benefit from Green Deal funding: You can talk to a Green Deal assessor or provider, use this energy grants calculator or talk to the Energy Savings advice Service if you’re in England or Wales, or the Home Energy Scotland if you’re in Scotland. The Green Deal isn’t available in Northern Ireland.

Energy Saving Advice Service 0300 123 1234 Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm Saturday, 10am to 2pm Home Energy Scotland 0808 808 2282 Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Saturday, 9am to 5pm

Finance

As well as the initial fee paid to a Green Deal-assured contractor, there is a £20 annual fee. You may remember that insulation was made available free of charge in the past. The most recent free insulation scheme ended in December 2012, although some energy providers do still have some offers available. These free schemes were previously paid for through everybody’s energy bills. The Green Deal is different from these old schemes, because you take out a loan to fund these energy efficient measures.  

The range of available interest rates can differ from provider to provider. The Green Deal Finance Company, though, has provided a list of sample rates where APR varies from 7.9% to 10.8%. You should be aware and factor this in on your purchase, as these levels of interest make your purchase significantly more expensive over time. Some providers will also charge a one-off fee for their admin work. Be aware that if you have enough saved up, you can still buy your energy efficiency updates outright, and make up the difference with government help from the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund, as you are not obliged to have taken out Green Deal finance to qualify for this.

Installation

After your assessment, the next step will probably be undertaking any of the measures suggested by your assessor. Just like the assessment, only an authorised Green Deal installer can undertake these updates for you. You may need more than one supplier for your range of updates, you may not. See the Green Deal Quality Mark above, because only certified Green Deal Installers can undertake this work, and they can be identified by this mark.

Repayment

Early repayment schemes have been scrapped thanks to campaigners such as Which?. The idea is that the energy saved is factored into your bill – so if you paid £1000 before, you should still pay around £1000 (because your energy costs less due to your efficiency updates). You are therefore paying your loan back without actually having to find any further money. This can be a different situation, for example if you use much less energy than an average user – but in general, you won’t be paying more than before, and after you’ve paid back your loan, you get to keep the energy savings for yourself.

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Residential Retrofit Roof Insulation

For centuries houses were not built with any insulation which means that there are a large number of home that are not sufficiently insulated within the UK. This has a negative impact on the residents of these properties and also on the world as a whole due to the release of carbon emissions.

Why You Need to Insulate the Roof of Your Home

According to the Energy Saving Trust up to 25% of heat can be lost through the loft and roof space of an uninsulated home. This means that a great deal of money is lost through insufficient roofing insulation often resulting in high energy bills. The government claim that energy bills can be cut by 20% by effectively installing loft insulation. This usually amounts to between £45 and £150 per annum meaning that the homeowners usually recoup the costs within a few years. The benefits of insulating your home are not just the immediate benefits to making your home warmer but also the increase in value and therefore its selling price. It is therefore worth insulation your home even if you are planning to sell in the near future.

What type of insulation do you need?

The most suitable roof insulation will depend on the type of roof on your property; flat or pitched. If you have a pitched roof there are more options to choose from but the choices for a flat roof are more limited and therefore more of a challenge to insulate.

Pitched roofing insulation

A pitched roof property has the choice between a cold or warm loft. A cold loft is where you insulate immediately above the ceiling of the top storey, so no heat from your home gets into your loft and a warm loft is where you insulate immediately under the roof, which means your loft space is warm as well. There are more advantages to warm roof solutions as even though they are generally more expensive they retain more heat and allow the loft to be used to store temperature-sensitive items, as a cold roof can get hot in the summer. 

Flat roofing insulation

There are three types of insulation solution if you have a flat roof; warm deck, cold deck or an inverted roof. Warm deck or warm roof refers to a situation where the 'deck' of the roof, which is usually made of wood, is below the insulation. Cold deck or cold roof is where the insulation is below the roof deck (and the associated joists). Typically a gap will have to be left for ventilation - because this is a 'cold' area, condensation may form which can lead to rot. In both these cases the weather membrane, typically formed of roofing felt and bitumen, will be the topmost layer, protecting against rain. Inverted roof is where the insulation goes above the weather membrane, effectively protecting it from heat and cold which can shorten its life and that of the roof deck - it can even protect against wear and tear if there is access to the roof. With an inverted roof, the top-most layer is generally gravel or similar.

Contact SIG Insulation to find out more loft and roof insulation suitable for your home - http://www.siginsulation.co.uk/show_subcat.asp?CatID=36

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Considering Wall Insulation for Your Existing Home?

The UK government is in pursuit of carbon neutral homes.  You may have heard about the new building codes; part L, which applies to new builds and material conversions. These regulations were released in late 2013 and cover the type of materials that can (and should) be used for maintaining the energy efficiency of a home. 

These guidelines don’t apply to existing homes, so perhaps you were unconcerned about the specifics.  However, if your home doesn’t have that lovely layer of protection to keep you snuggly warm in the winter, then you probably considered just how nice it would be.

If you’re considering wall insulation for your existing home, it all begins with the type of walls that you have.

Understanding the Walls of Your Home

There are two main types of walls that have been used in home construction in the UK.  These are solid walls and cavity walls.  Both of these are used to construct homes with brick or stone.  Newer homes that may be made using a timber frame will already have insulation in the walls as the materials used dictate the need for it.

Until 1920, most homes in the UK were constructed using a solid wall technique (quite obviously without the use of insulation).  Solid walls are exactly what they sound like.  They are a single, solid structure of brick or stone.  They were commonly used simply because other techniques had not yet been considered.

After this time, the building industry underwent a major shift in design.  Cavity walls were brought to the fore.  As the name suggests, these are two parallel structures with a cavity, or hollow, running through the middle of them.  These were initially employed to avoid the rising damp that occurred in many parts of the UK, but they also served as a primitive insulatory structure, even without any material running through that centre hollow.

In the mid 1990s, building changed again.  This time, insulation was brought into all new build homes and change of purpose conversions.  However, the regulations that affected homes between 1990 and 2013 were not nearly as strict as they are now.  As such, your home may still benefit from additional insulation in the walls.

Usually, it is quite easy to determine the age of a home in the UK as strict records have been kept for many years.  If there are no records, you can bet that your home was built well prior to 1920, and, therefore, has a solid wall construction.  However, if your home was built on the cusp of the 1920s, you may need to visit the council to determine the structure of your walls.

Alternatively, you can measure them yourself.  Simply open any door or window that lies along the outer wall and measure the width of the wall.  If it is greater than 260mm, then it is likely to be a cavity wall.  Of course, that may vary slightly if you have a stone wall; these were almost always made as a solid structure.

Insulating Cavity Walls

Consider yourself lucky if your home has cavity walls.  Not only has this managed your energy and gas consumption better over the years, this type of construction is remarkably easy to protect now.  Once your friendly insulation consultant has determined that you do, indeed, have cavity walls, the procedure is simple. 

A small portion of the outer walls is removed temporarily.  Then, insulation is pumped into the cavity before the wall is replaced.  For most stand alone homes, it is as simple as that.  Terrace houses require a small incision into the wall prior to the insulation application in order to avoid your paying for your neighbour’s walls as well as your own.  (Though you should consider whether they would like to invest at the same time as you.)  Do keep in mind that only exterior walls require insulation. However, you may want to speak to your technician about party walls, especially if you would like extra acoustic insulation along these walls.

Insulating Solid Walls

Solid walls are not necessarily more difficult to insulate, but they do require a different method and, therefore, different materials.  As a result, it usually takes longer to cover solid walls effectively.  The most important step is to decide whether you prefer interior or exterior insulation.  Both have their pros and cons, so it is necessary to weigh your options properly.

Exterior Application – This is usually the more expensive option, but it does have plenty of benefits.  For a start, it is less disruptive to apply.  It is also easier to ensure that multi-storey homes are completely covered.  Additionally, this type of wall insulation is sometimes less hassle in the future.  Solid wall insulation cannot be jeopardised by driving nails through it, and homeowners (and tenants) are less likely to attach items to the outside of their homes.  On the other hand, exterior insulation will negate any structurally decorative elements on the outside of your home that may not be appropriate for historic houses.  And, you may need council permission for this type of insulation.

Interior Insulation – This method is usually cheaper, and it can be done room by room if you do not have the funds available as a lump sum.  However, it does put pressure on the occupants while the insulation is installed.  Entire rooms will need to be cleared, including door frames, window frames and skirting board.  Once the job is complete, it will be harder to affix items to the insulated walls.  Any attachments will necessitate specialised materials.  These are available, but you will not be able to use any other items in their place.

But, no matter what type of wall you have or what type of insulation you choose, one thing is sure; the effects are immediate.  Your home is instantly more comfortable.  And, your gas and electricity bills will also drop, especially in winter.  In fact, most insulation pays for itself in a matter of years.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get comfortable now.

If you’re considering wall insulation for your home then please visit the SIG Insulation website - http://www.siginsulation.co.uk/

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How to Choose the Right Acoustic Insulation

Babies cry and televisions blare.  Traffic roars and guitars squeal.  The world is filled with noise, so much so that people are becoming just as sensitised to noise pollution as they are to garbage pollution.  It’s understandable; it’s a mad, mad world out there.  And sometimes it’s a crazy world inside too. 

And, if you’re considering this at all, it’s likely that you need to think about insulating your home acoustically.  It could be that you’re tired of listening to your neighbour’s noises, but it could also be that you want to turn up your music a little louder without negatively affecting your status within the terrace.  Whatever your reasons, a desire for acoustic insulation is only the beginning.  After that, it’s a matter choosing the right acoustic insulation for your home. 

Why Do You Want Acoustic Insulation?

There are serious reasons to concern yourself with noise pollution and acoustic insulation.  If you can be clear about your expectations, it goes a long way to choosing the materials and installation methods that are right for your home. 

The easiest reason to recognise is the absolute irritation that unwanted noises cause.  It almost doesn’t matter what’s causing the noise; if it is disrupting you in any way, it’s going to make you crazy.  Noise pollution can disrupt your family time and cause your own children to wake early from their naps.  If you work from home, even occasionally, unwanted noise can affect your productivity.  Before considering the type of insulation you want, make a note of the sounds that tend to annoy you, how loud they are, and how far away they are.  This will assist your insulation specialist immensely when it comes time to purchase your materials. 

Another reason to consider acoustic insulation is that excessive noise can negatively impact your health.  It disturbs your sleep; you can become physically ill.  If noise keeps you under constant stress, it can have all kinds of negative ramifications.  As a result, it’s important to block as much noise as possible from and within your home – and this may require more insulation than is usually required in a dwelling. 

You could also have a desire to future-proof your home against potential UK legislation and building codes.  After all, there are very specific regulations for soundproofing new homes and conversions; existing, non-converted houses could be on the cards at some point in the future.  Or, perhaps you are building or converting your home now – in which case acoustic insulation is legally required.  If you are in the middle of a build, you should talk to your contractor about your insulation requirements in terms of Part E of the building regulations.  But, if you are simply future proofing your home, then you will want to opt for the latest and most resilient acoustic insulation on the market. 

A final reason for you to consider acoustic insulation in your home is that you are planning to invest in other insulation and would prefer to do it all at once.  If this is the case, you will want to chat to a professional that understands the world of acoustic insulation as well as your heating requirements.  It simply doesn’t make sense to handle these tasks separately. 

Where Do You Want Acoustic Insulation?

Before rushing off to order insulator materials, it’s a good idea to consider what kind of coverage your home requires.  It is also worth noting that there is a difference between sound reduction and sound elimination.  Recording studios usually require the complete elimination of outside noise.  But, most homes don’t actually need this level of protection.  Keep in mind that the closer you get to the total exclusion of noise, the more it will cost.  Because this level of acoustic insulation is rather difficult to achieve, it may also take a significant amount of time to install.

Once you understand the level of sound protection that you want, then it’s truly time to consider where you want it in your house.  Most homeowners opt for a complete sound makeover when they choose to acoustically insulate their homes.  Indeed, this will provide the best overall living condition, but not everyone requires this extreme.  But, keep in mind that the type of insulation you choose will relate directly to where you need to install it. 

Some owners only wish to acoustically insulate individual rooms of their home.  Most often particular room installations are for the purposes of keeping noise in – rather than keeping it out.  This is the case for home gyms and theatre rooms.  You may want to consider music rooms, game rooms, or even laundry rooms into this mix.  There are a wide variety of insulation materials specifically for these types of places.  Some of them are even remarkably easy for DIY enthusiasts to install.  However, these options will never be as powerful (or as easy to disguise) as professionally installed options. 

Of course, you may want to provide a sound barrier between floors – or just your party walls.  Once again, these installations require very different types of materials and methods.  However, as these areas are regulated in new builds according to the Part E Regulations, you’ll discover that there are many material solutions for these areas.  The key is to opt for insulation that already outstrips current law so that you can stay ahead of the construction game. 

Keep in mind that if you have no other form of insulation in your home, you will want to speak to a consultant about covering all your needs at once – whether the government mandates it or not.  It won’t be long before homes without proper insulation will be charged higher rates and taxes.  At the moment, the government is even prepared to help cover the costs of insulation in an effort to reduce the carbon emissions of homes.  And, that’s definitely something you will want to take advantage of before it switches to negative consequences during the enforcement stages.  Just be sure to hire a professional installer – otherwise, you may just need to do it all over again.

If you need help choosing the right acoustic insulation please visit the SIG Insulation website - http://www.siginsulation.co.uk/

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Where to Insulate a Home

Your home is likely to be your biggest investment, and that means you have got to care for it properly.  And that means more than simply washing the windows when they get dirty or replacing the roof when gaps and holes begin to appear.  It certainly does mean those things (though you unquestionably should replace the roof before wear becomes visible), but it also means upgrading your house to be the best that it can be at all times.  With technology moving at such a rapid pace, new methods of home improvements are continually being discovered, and building codes are constantly being updated.  Your home could need plenty of work without you even knowing it.

But remember, any work you put into your home raises its value, and, therefore, increases your investment.  Insulation is one area of home improvement that does this almost effortlessly.  And, as a bonus, it also reduces your monthly expenditures when it comes to heating, cooling and maintaining the temperature of your living areas.  It is hardly a question of whether you should insulate your home, and more of a concern for where you should do it. 

Roof and Loft Spaces

Heat rises.  It is as simple as that.  So, the first place you should insulate is the roof of your home or any loft spaces that fall under it.  Roughly a third of all the heat lost in any home goes up through the roof, so even if you cannot afford to insulate your entire home at once, this is the place to start because it will provide you with the greatest savings. 

Homes with flat roofs should have insulation applied outside as there are few spaces to work insulation on the inside.  All other roofs are likely to require insulation within the home.  If you have a house with easy roof access from the inside, and regular joists, you may be able to insulate your roof on your own (or with the assistance of a few handy buddies).  However, some roofs are difficult to access or have irregular joists which mean that you may be better off calling a professional to handle the job. 

Exterior Walls

All of the exterior walls of your home should be insulated.  If your home was built after 1990, then this should have already been done during construction.  But, if you think that your walls are not holding the heat as well as they should, then it is best to have a professional assess the situation; it could be that you simply need to draught proof your home.

Insulating your perimeter walls depends on the type of construction used.  Houses built before 1920 typically were constructed with a solid wall structure, whereas cavity walls were largely used after this point.  Insulating cavity walls is as simple as getting into the cavity and filling it with suitable insulation materials.  Solid walls will require an additional layer applied either to the inside or outside of your home.  Often, this is a decision that must be undertaken by the homeowner as both inside and outside installations have pros and cons.   Typically, indoor wall insulation is less expensive; however, it is usually more disruptive unless the house is emptied of its people and furniture.

Provided all the exterior walls are insulated, there is no need to worry about the interior walls as long as you live in every area of your home.   

Floors

Once you have insulated the roof and walls of your home, it is time to worry about the floors as the final crucial structural area.  Recently built homes are likely to have been built with this insulation.  However, older homes simply will not have any ground level insulation.

The type of floor insulation that you need has to do with the type of flooring that you have – and whether this covers a cellar area or is poured concrete over the foundation level.  Much older homes are most likely to have suspended floorboards which mean that insulation is often installed by lifting, and subsequently replacing these boards (or installing new ones).  Floors installed over poured concrete will require an additional layer of insulation to be applied; typically, insulating these floors should be undertaken when they are redone. 

Do not forget about walls and floors built over and around attached garages.  Unless you plan to heat your garage, you should consider these areas as the exterior walls and ground level floors. 

Additional Insulation Areas in Your Home

Although the roof, walls and floors of your home are the areas where insulation is most needed, there are other spaces that may be cause for concern.

Windows - Exterior windows are a perfect source of fresh air ventilation when you want it.  However, they are also adept at letting heat escape when you don’t.  Consider replacing single glazed glass with double glazing where you can.  But, you should also check the opening windows are tightly sealed when closed through the use of additional insulation.  All windows, whether they open or not, should have the edges sealed to prevent draughts. 

Other Draught Areas – In addition to windows, exterior door frames should also be insulated to protect against draughts.  Do not forget about the heat lost through letter boxes and key holes, and consider upgrading these items to insure your home remains as cosy as it can.  There are other areas in your home that you may not have considered, such as electrical points and pipe work leading away from the house.  Consider bringing in a professional team to assess the draughts in your home, as they may be releasing more heat than you realise.  Just be careful of over-insulating areas that require excellent ventilation, such as kitchens and bathrooms.

Tanks, Radiators and Internal Pipes – Insulating these items does not prevent heat from escaping your home, but it will minimise the amount of gas or electricity required to heat rooms – and the water that flows to your sinks and showers.  Including these items in your whole house insulation project will ensure that your home is running as efficiently as it can – and that will instantly improve the value of your home while reducing your monthly spend.  Now, that’s a job properly done.

For more information about insulating a home please visit the SIG Insulation website - http://www.siginsulation.co.uk/