Exterior Wall Finishes

The government has announced the launch of a new pilot project which will see homeowners in the south of England given access to ‘green loans’ so as to allow them to boost the energy efficiency of their properties.

Under the terms of the new scheme, the loans will be attached to the houses themselves, rather than to the owners, who tend to move around every ten years, with occupants then asked to repay the money borrowed over a longer period.

It is hoped that this will allow consumers to avoid the large upfront costs usually associated with fitting some of the more effective energy-efficient measures, including insulation, double-glazing and even home renewable energy devices such as solar panels and wind turbines.

“This new approach will allow people to pay for home improvements after they have had them installed rather than before,” explained Ed Miliband, the energy and climate change secretary.

“More people will be able to get the work they want done.”

It is also estimated that as many as 65,000 jobs in the green home industry will be created through this eco-housing push over the next ten years.
ent has announced the launch of a new pilot project which will see homeowners in the south of England given access to ‘green loans’ so as to allow them to boost the energy efficiency of their properties.

Under the terms of the new scheme, the loans will be attached to the houses themselves, rather than to the owners, who tend to move around every ten years, with occupants then asked to repay the money borrowed over a longer period.

It is hoped that this will allow consumers to avoid the large upfront costs usually associated with fitting some of the more effective energy-efficient measures, including insulation, double-glazing and even home renewable energy devices such as solar panels and wind turbines.

“This new approach will allow people to pay for home improvements after they have had them installed rather than before,” explained Ed Miliband, the energy and climate change secretary.

“More people will be able to get the work they want done.”

It is also estimated that as many as 65,000 jobs in the green home industry will be created through this eco-housing push over the next ten years.

Cavity wall insulation currently very cheap or free but be warned it can do more harm than good.

Just because the government is urging everyone to embark on a mass insulation program with generous attractive grants available, don’t be tempted into having this type of work done until you do your homework.

Cavities allow building to breathe, both moisture from inside the home and any damp that enters the wall from the outside has to dry out, bridge this cavity with material that can stay wet and you have the perfect recipe for disaster. Your may not notice the cavity is working until you stem the flow of air with moisture retaining material.

Over the years we have put right a few cavity wall jobs that caused horrific damp problems

We recently repaired a double brick cavity wall that had the mineral stuff blown in, it had been forced in with so much pressure it was just about solid.

The gable was in an exposed location, wind driven rain etc. They had experienced  no problems until they had this work done, soon after they noticed internal damp patches all over the upper sections bedrooms, landing, hallway the lot.

Remedial work: When we opened up the wall we had to remove a mass of sodden insulation material, we replaced 50 bricks, re pointed the gable in natural hydraulic lime, and it’s now a breathable dry wall.

 So If you want to get the cavity of your home filled then go for foam or bonded polystyrene beads, most firms use mineral wool as its cheap, go for foam or polystyrene or if the walls are old just don’t bother having this done, insulated from the inside with dry lining or go for exterior wall insulation, both these methods allow the walls to breathe and leave the integrity of the cavity intact

Chris Beaumont

Director

Wall2wall Solutions.co.uk

 For more information Read this excellent article by the knowledgeable

Ask Jeff

http://www.askjeff.co.uk/cavity.html

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W2W