Insulating Measures Included within the Green Homes Grant
The Green Homes Grant is a Government run scheme, offered to eligible properties in England. Release of vouchers began in November 2020, and the scheme lasts till March 2022.
The energy saving scheme offers up to £10,000 off the total installation costs and allows Primary and Secondary measures.
Primary Insulation Measures Included in the Green Homes Grant
Insulation is aimed at reducing the amount of heat entering or leaving a building. The more insulation you have, the better the building will be at retaining heat in the winter and therefore the lower the carbon emissions and bills.
Loft / Roof Insulation
This type of insulation can either sit in the rafters or the joists of your property. It creates a thermal barrier, preventing valuable heat escaping from the property during the winter or entering the property during the summer. Also qualifying are insulation for flat roofs and roof rooms.
Typical Cost: £300 Typical Savings: £200 Typical Payback: 1.5 Years
Cavity Wall Insulation
Properties built after 1930 will tend to have cavity walls, where the main external walls of the property will consist of two thin parallel layers of bricks with a cavity in the middle. They are built like this to help prevent moisture passing through the wall. Insulating material can be injected into this cavity to help slow down the passage of heat out of the home during the winter.
Typical Cost: £1,000 Typical Savings: £200 Typical Payback: 5 Years
Solid Wall Insulation (internal or external)
Properties built before 1930 tend to have solid walls, where the main external walls consist of a solid brick about 250mm in thickness. In these properties internal or external insulation needs fixing to the solid walls to help slow down the movement of heat through them.
Typical Cost: £9,000 Typical Savings: £200 Typical Payback: 22 Years
Under-Floor Insulation
Floors tend to be of two types; suspended timber or solid floors. Both types of floor are insulated in different ways, but perform a similar function in that they slow down the movement of heat through the lowest level of the property.
Typical Cost: £1,000 Typical Savings: £50 Typical Payback: 20 Years
Secondary Insulation Measures Included in the Green Homes Grant
Draught Proofing
Draughts in the home happen where there are unwanted gaps in the construction of your home, so potentially through floorboards, around doors or windows, or down the chimney. A draught is an inflow of air into the home, which during the summer may actually be a nice relief, but in winter can quickly decrease the temperature of the home so you need to use additional heating to keep warm. Draught proofing stops this cold air entering the home, helping to save you money on your heating bills.
Typical Cost: £75 Typical Savings: £50 Typical Payback: 1.5 Years
Double or Triple Glazing
In new properties double glazing is often installed as standard since it vastly increases the energy efficiency of the windows and prevents heat escaping. It uses two panes of glass separated by a space which is normally filled with an inert gas such as Argon. Older properties can be retrofitted relatively easy with double glazing, and it comes in numerous different designs (wood, uPVC, metal) to fit in with the current characteristics of the property. The Green Deal also includes secondary glazing, which is much cheaper than double glazing and lets you add a pane of glass to the existing single glazed window. Triple glazing is also offered, which is slightly more efficient than double glazing, but costs more.
Typical Cost: £8,000 Typical Savings: £100 Typical Payback: 80 Years
Water tank Insulation
Have you ever noticed how warm the airing cupboard is where your hot water tank sits? This is because heat is escaping from the hot water tank, meaning you need to spend more to keep the water within the tank at the required temperature. Insulating your water tank slows this heat loss, helping to save you money on your heating costs.
Typical Cost: £30 Typical Savings: £20 Typical Payback: 1.5 Years
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