It has been revealed that the salesmen are asking homeowners if they have received information regarding insulation grants and will then offer their services to complete the work.

Suspicious

Colin Glover from A&M Insulations, a legitimate installation company has commented that the bogus salesmen are making life difficult for companies such as his own. He says that many homeowners are becoming suspicious and will not use their services.

A&M offers government grants which are available to most people on benefits and to households were the female earner gets less than £16,000 per year and receives family tax credits.

Glover points out that homeowners should never feel pressured to accept their services and that they always use properly qualified surveyors to check and see if the home qualifies for insulation.

Ask for advice

Meanwhile Sefton Council have said that all residents who would like to take advantage of government insulation grants should contact the council or the Energy Saving trust for advice. They go on to say that homeowners should always ask for identification from door to door salesmen and if in doubt they should contact Consumer Direct for advice.

Last Winter saw some of the coldest temperatures on record in the UK, as snow and ice brought chaos to the country. As a result, homes were forced to turn up their thermostats and use energy-hungry appliances such as electric heaters to keep themselves warm. This, together with ever-increasing prices, led to a huge rise in energy bills, and many found it difficult to find the money to pay.

The survey also found that retired people are most worried about the winter months. Almost half of retirees said they would struggle to afford the extra cost of heating their home.

However, as part of the Government’s Carbon Emission Reduction Target, free cavity wall and loft insulation grants are available to those over 70 (or those on benefits) and for everyone else, a grant of between 40-70% can be received. Insulating a property’s cavity wall and loft can reduce the average annual energy bill by around £250, as well as keeping a home warmer in the winter months.

Applying for an insulation grant is straight-forward and can be done here. However, please be advised that as temperatures drop, demand for insulation grants will rise, and home owners are advised to apply now before the rush.

Whilst many homes have taken advantage of insulation grants available towards cavity wall and loft insulation, nearly 2 million households have yet to make the move.

The average saving on a two bedrooms home is around £160 after insulating cavity walls and loft. Those on benefits or over 60 could also qualify to have the work done for free. For everyone else, the cost is around £400 for both cavity wall and loft insulation, making the payback time less than 3 years.

Most houses built between 1930 and 1980 will have a cavity between the two outer layers that make up an external wall. An insulation installer will drill a series of small holes into the wall and pump insulation material into the holes, therefore preventing valuable heat from escaping. For most houses, the job takes less than 2 hours to complete.

The government is to make further funds available for insulation grants, in line with their target to reduce carbon emissions by 29% by 2020.

If you haven’t already taken advantage of these grants available, simply fill in the 3 step form at the top of this page and we’ll tell you exactly how much you could qualify for.

In a joint project between 15 local councils and the Energy Saving Trust, planes will fly above Lancashire and detect the amount of heat escaping from local homes, in order to assess their energy efficiency.

Houses deemed to be amongst the least energy efficient will be told of their low efficiency rating, and given advice on how to improve it. The cabinet member for environment and planning at Lancashire Country Council, Councillor Tim Ashton said: “In the current economic climate anything we can do to help families and firms to cut costs is very welcome. By undertaking this high-tech approach, we will make sure that future work and grants are targeted effectively.”

Whilst it is not known how much this project will cost (the sky’s the limit), it is a further example of the lengths the government will go in order to increase the energy efficiency of homes in Britain, and reduce the amount of heat escaping through walls and roofs.

The government has already pumped millions into insulation grants to help home owners, landlords and tenants to insulate their homes and help retain valuable heat within their four walls. According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average UK home could save around £115 off their energy bill every year by insulating their walls.

To find out how much you could be eligible for, use the form at the top of this page.

(In case you were wondering, the carbon emmitted from these flights will be off-set by a donation to the Lancashire-Gulu Carbon Compensation Scheme).

A combined £1.9 billion in extra fuel payments is expected, as the demand for gas and electricity continues to rise during the so-called Big Freeze.

It seems the rising demand has come as a surprise to companies such as the National Grid, who have reported a limited supply, causing prices to escalate even further.

Many argue that it is another example of poor planning and forecasting on behalf of the energy companies, and once again the public have no choice but to pay prices far in excess of most other European countries.

An increase of almost 50% on this months fuel bill is likely to hit those on lower incomes and benefits the hardest, many of whom are already struggling to afford to heat their homes.

Aside from winter fuel allowances, the Government could have issued advice on how to keep warm this winter. This information could have included tips on ensuring valuable heat stays inside your home.

With recent news that funding for insulation grants is coming to an end later in the year, the Government needs to do more to ensure that households in Britain are not forced into choosing between heating their home, or putting food on the table.

More information and advice on insulating your home is available, as well applying for insulation grants for your home.

According to recent estimates, as many as 2 million homes could qualify for help towards cavity wall or loft insulation in the form of free government insulation grants, but have yet to come forward to claim this help.

Home owner, tenants and landlords can all benefit from insulation grants, and it is not dependant on whether you receive benefits or not. There is very little effort needed from the person claiming the grant, and the insulation company will usually deal with most of the paper work.

Find out if you qualify for a free insulation grant and make sure your home is as warm and efficient as possible this winter and beyond.

A wait of 6 months for free insulation

Those applying for 100% grant are being told they face a wait of up to 6 months for work to be done, as the amount of funding is due to be halved in 2010. The Warm Front scheme has made 2 million UK home more energy efficient since its launch in 2000, cutting the amount of wasted energy emitted and saving millions of pounds off the cost of energy bills across the country.

The Government has pumped just shy 0f £1 billion into the scheme in the last 3 years, but according to reports, the Chancellor is due to announce that money available in 2010 is to be cut to £195 million. The result? Waiting times for those looking for 100% insulation grants will rise from the current 50 days to 6 months.

Those who are able to pay shouldn’t be affected.

It’s not clear whether funding for those who not on benefits will face similar waiting times. Currently, if a homeowner, tenant or landlord is not on benefits, or are under 70, they are classed as Able To Pay (ATP). This group still receives some funding from the government, but can usually expect to see insulation installed and fitted within days, rather than months. Why? Because they lengthy process of applying for the relevant grant is bypassed, and insulation contractor can receive payment immediately.

The future of insulation grants

So what does this mean for the future of free insulation grants? It’s not yet clear whether the amount of funding available will be reviewed again before next years budget. Energy Minister David Kidney is lobbying the government to increase the funding available for the Warm Front scheme, but it seems likely that a) funding will be cut b) waiting times for those applying for 100% grant will increase and c) those able to pay for part of the cost shouldn’t be affected.

Camberley, Kidderminster and Leicester will act as showrooms for the supermarket’s new line of energy saving heating appliances. As well as cavity wall and loft insulaton, these showrooms will also  provide solar panels and allow customers to compare energy prices.

Upon selecting a heating appliance or energy saving device, an engineer from EDF Energy will then visit the home and install it.

Sainsburys says that this is the first time that energy-saving products have been made available in UK supermarkets. It follows a growing trend from supermarkets to extend their range of products away from food and groceries.

Whether this initative has a future, or whether it is a PR stunt designed to benefit both Sainsburys and EDF, only time will tell.

“It is shocking that so many families have to borrow money to pay for essentials such as heating… families cannot continue to scrape by like this,” Fergus Drake, Save the Children’s UK Director said.

Those who  earn less than £12,000 said they would struggle this winter, and over half said they would be forced to borrow money to pay for heating during Christmas.

According to Save the Children,  those most likely to go cold this winter are families where parents earn less than £30k per annum combined. However,  where these families receive certain benefits, insulation grants are available to cover up to 100% of the cost of home insulation, therefore making instantly cutting an annual energy bill by around £250, for free.

Cavity wall or loft insulation could help to prevent heat escaping from the home and thus reduce bills by up to 20% a year. The effect is instant and the work takes just a few hours to complete.

According to recent reports, 3.5 million eligable homes have not yet claimed a free insulation grant. Find out  if you’re eligable to receive a free insulation grant towards cavity wall of loft insulation.

Households in nine London boroughs will be offered energy saving light bulbs, stand-by switches, as well as free cavity wall and loft insulation to help contain heat within their home.

The campaign hopes to visit 1.2 million homes in London before 2015,  and it is hoped that by supplying energy saving equipment, as well as cavity wall and loft insulation, carbon emissions could be cut by around 1.5 million tonnes a year.

David Kenington, Head of Energy Saving Trust London, said ‘We are very pleased to see the introduction of this programme, in particular the focus on delivering cost effective carbon reduction measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation.

The Mayor has pumped an initial £9.5 into the campaign, with further investment expected. There are currently various different organisations working on the initiative, and the Mayor is developing a single scheme to encompass them all.

Those boroughs taking part in the scheme will receive a letter inviting a visit from a qualified energy assessor, who will assess what measures could be used to reduce their energy usage.

For non-Londoners, grants are available for cavity wall and loft insulation, but recent statistics suggest that many households are not taking advantage of the free grants available to them. You can calculate how much you could claim by using our free insulation grants calculator.