Cavity wall insulation

[giveup]

Is it a big con? Who has had it done,what type of filling(sounds like a cake) did you have. Was it worth it. Any advice etc. would be most welcome. I know very little about this subject so hope some more knowledgeable AB'ers could help me out.Thanks in anticipation.

[buildersmate]

This is perhaps the best overview of what it is about. The Energy Saving Trust is the pseudo-Government organisation so doesn't have a particular axe to grind. A commercial provider would.
http://www.energysavi...avity-wall-insulation
If you have stuffed at least 300mm of fibreglass in the roof space, draughtproofed all round and fitted DG windows, cavity insulation would be the last in line investment to save on energy.

[The Builder]

You can never have too much insulation, Giveup. Only as little as forty years ago, houses were built with cavity brick/block, with no insulation at all. Dense brick or blocks have virtually no insulating property.
Go for one of the many companies installing government subsidised wall and roof insulation.
I wouldn't worry about which filling they use. It'll probably be a blown fibre of some sort. (Blown in under pressure)

[giveup]

So all fillings are safe (fireproof etc)I,ve got a leaflet here about thermabead diamond which as on all advertising leaflets,looks good. Have you heard of this?

[sasskins]

I have it, and it does seem to make a slight difference in the inter - in summer though, I'm freezing indoors!

[slinky.kate]

was supposed to get my loft insulated today but the men said they could'nt do it as i had no air vents,so need to find a roofer now,they said if they laid it down without it would cause dampness

[slinky.kate]

got off the subject there ,yes i have cavity wall insulation and we have a wee hot hoose.

[The Builder]

"Thermabead" is one of the bonded bead systems. An alternative to blown fibre ........... more efficient too. Lower U-values (ie better insulation properties.) Although I'm not sure if it's included in the subsidised scheme.

[woofgang]

We have mineral wool (rockwool) we had it done in our first house and the difference in warmth was so amazing we have had it done at both subsequent houses. At our first house 30 years ago, it was a better cost return prospect than double glazing and it still was 20 years ago when we moved here. But you have to do the figures.

[The Builder]

Wee Slinky ............... that's a common problem. Ask a roofer (or handyman) to install some slate or tile vents. Very simple. Just replace one concrete tile with a suitable vent. For slates, it's usually necessary to remove a few slates, fit the vent, then slate around it.

[giveup]

Surely they should have noticed the lack of ventilation in Slinky's roof when they surveyed it.Poor soul if she's anything like me she probably spent yesterday trying to empty the loft of useful things, and now has to put it all back.

[The Builder]

Of course they should have noticed. These "surveyors" they send usually just measure up for quantity. Most of the time they don't even look in the roofspace.
Total waste of installers time by refusing to go ahead. All they need to do is to have the owner sign a disclaimer, with the advice to provide the necessary ventilation later............. then just get on with it :o)

[slinky.kate]

i have everything in my bedroom,they said when i have it done to phone them back,so i'll get onto it as quick as possible.just had my roof sorted last month because of the high winds we had,its never ending.

[giveup]

It is never ending. Just paid a huge fuel bill which is what got me thinking about wall insulation.

[bookbinder]

I'd be interested to hear how much cavity wall insulation costs. I have a 3-bed detached bungalow, built in 1994. The outer wall is brick, and the inner wall is made of breeze blocks which have polystyrene fixed to the inner face (the face that is inside the cavity).

[Valeriea]

My father got it done about 30 years ago in our flat and I noticed the warmth straight away and I remember my Father saying the heating bil had reduced greatly and we lived in the cold North!