If your loft is easy to access and has no damp or condensation problems, you should be able to insulate it with ease. We’d recommend that you insulate your loft as, without insulation, your home loses a quarter of its heat through the roof. Loft insulation will prevent this and lower your heating bills and reduce carbon emissions. The best part is that it’s a long-term investment. According to Energy Saving Trust, “loft insulation is effective for at least 40 years and it should pay for itself many times over.”
Before you go ahead and insulate, you need to decide if you’d like to:
- Insulate the loft yourself.
- Hire an expert team to insulate your loft.
Insulating a Loft Yourself
We’d recommend that you hire an expert to insulate your loft if your loft does not have the following:
- Easy access to the loft.
- No damp or condensation problems.
- Regularly spaced jousters.
- A roof that is not flat.
In other words, if it’s hard to access your loft; or you have damp or condensation problems; or your jousters are irregularly spaced; or your roof is flat, you should hire an expert. Likewise, if you do not feel confident about insulating a loft yourself, hire an expert.
If you do feel you can take on this task, you can use rolls of mineral wool insulation to insulate your loft: “the first layer is laid between the joists – the horizontal beams that make up the floor of the loft – then another layer is laid at right angles to cover the joists and make the insulation up to the required depth.” This reduces the transfer of heat from your house to the outside, meaning a warmer home in winter and a cooler one in summer.
How Can I Get Free Loft Insulation?
If you are on one or more of the following benefits, you could be eligible for free loft insulation with The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme:
- Child Tax Credit
- Income-Related ESA
- Income-Based JSA
- Income Support
- Guarantee Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credits
- Universal Credit
- Disability Living Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Severe Disablement Allowance
Alongside being on a qualifying benefit, your home will need to have an accessible loft with no damp or condensation problems. Suppliers will also take into account how much your home will benefit from insulation.
That being said, even if you aren’t on a qualifying benefit, you could still be eligible for free loft insulation. To find out if you can get free loft insulation – or another heating measure – check out our blog post which guides you through the essential steps to find out if you are eligible for a grant.
If you think you might be eligible, you can apply for a grant through Towy Valley Heating here. Alternatively, you can call our dedicated office team on 01269400350 or contact us via email at info@towyvalleyheating.co.uk.
To learn more about loft insulation and its benefits, check out this helpful video from the EST:
Suppliers across the UK are required to deliver ECO from 2020, but we at Towy Valley Heating are proud to have been involved with the ECO scheme since it began. Contact us here to find out if more about the free heating measures we offer.
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Written by Holly Charman, for Towy Valley Heating UK.