Cavity Walls

If you receive a qualifying benefit, Free Cavity Wall Insulation grants are available to pay for the entire cost of having Cavity Wall Insulation professionally installed. The property must also be privately owned or rented and occupied at the time of survey.

The grant funding is part of a scheme known as the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) which was originally part of the Government’s Green Deal Energy Efficiency program. The grants come from the main energy suppliers and they do not have to be re-paid.

With energy costs continuing to rise, Cavity Wall Insulation is one of the best ways to reduce your heating bills. Un-insulated Cavity Walls can cause up to 35% of the heat in a property to escape. Cavity Insulation typically saves a household up to £145 each year.

What Is Cavity Wall Insulation?

Most properties built of brick between 1924 and 1982 are likely to have a cavity between two layers of brick, or between brick and block that was not filled with insulation when the property was built.

After 1982, building regulations changed and required insulation to be fitted in the Cavity at the time of build. Before 1924, properties were generally built without a cavity.

A number of properties built after 1982 did not have Cavity Insulation fitted and we are able to help with a grant in most areas, providing it was built before 2005.

Most Installers use Cavity Insulation either made from shredded mineral wool (glass fibre) or polystyrene beads, that can reduce the amount of heat escaping from the walls by up to 35%.

Cavity Wall Insulation can save you up to £145 per year on energy bills and reduce carbon emissions by up to 610kg.

Is My Property Suitable for Cavity Wall Insulation?

Recent research, carried out by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), showed that only 58% of all properties that can benefit from Cavity Wall Insulation have been insulated. Your property could be among the remaining 42% still to be insulated.

The first thing to check before applying for a Grant is whether your home has cavity walls. Most properties built of brick from 1924 onwards are likely to have a cavity. If your property was built before 1924, it is likely to have solid walls as shown below:

Another way to tell whether your property has a cavity is if the walls are at least 250mm (10″) thick. Properties that are built after 1982 should already have Cavity Wall Insulation, as building regulations changed to ensure it was fitted during construction. If you think that your property already has Cavity Wall Insulation, it is not worth applying for a Grant as Cavity Wall Insulation cannot be topped up.