Insulation Chief welcomes Government’s Greener Homes Strategy

Friday, 12 March 2010

Neil Marshall, the Chief Executive of the National Insulation Association (NIA), has welcomed today’s announcement of a new Household Energy Management Strategy – Warm Homes, Greener Homes and the specific focus on a Pay as You Save scheme for hard to treat homes and a whole house approach to more energy efficient houses.

Details of the new Pay as You Save financing scheme were announced setting out how householders will be able to spread the cost of energy efficiency measures over a long period of time. The move will require a change in law that will attach the loan to the house and not to the householder but will be repaid from the reduction in energy bills that will naturally occur on completion of the work.

Although still in the planning stage, this innovative new financing mechanism is welcomed by the NIA as it will support the installation of more costly measures such as Solid Wall Insulation which can save households around £400 per year on their energy bills.

Commenting on the scheme, Marshall said: “There are around 7 million homes in the UK that need Solid Wall Insulation and this plan sets out a roadmap for insulating these and the millions of other houses that require Cavity Wall and Loft insulation in the short term. The fact that there will also be special provisions to provide for council and housing association homes is also very promising.

“With this in mind, the NIA looks forward to continuing to work with Government, both centrally and on a local level, in the development of a detailed delivery plan to ensure the scheme’s success. This will need to include investment and support for skills and training to build the capacity needed for solid wall insulation and a major Government backed consumer awareness programme on the benefits of insulation.”

Marshall continued: “It is important that the public realises the very real savings that can be made by fitting adequate insulation measures and that this scheme is there to help them pay for these measures through their energy savings and not up front.

“The savings that can be made in both carbon and monetary terms (up to £400 per year from Solid Wall Insulation and up to £265 from Loft and Cavity Wall Insulation) are vast, but the message is not getting through to the majority of householders.”

The NIA recently conducted an opinion poll* to test the public’s awareness of the effectiveness and necessity of insulation. The results identified a real lack of knowledge on the subject:

- 2 out of 3 adults in the UK were unaware that around half a house’s heat can be lost through the walls and roof of an uninsulated home 
- Only 1 in 5 adults in the UK knew that they could save over £250 per year on their energy bills by adequately insulating their homes.

Although this new pay as you save scheme will take time to develop, the public should be aware that they can enjoy the benefits of insulation now. There are currently a range of grants and subsidies available for cavity wall and loft insulation which mean that both measures can often pay for themselves in around 2 years.

Marshall went onto to say: “It is vitally important that Government works with energy suppliers and the insulation industry to increase public awareness and the uptake of these measures in order to achieve its aim of insulating all cavity s and lofts by 2015.”