External Solid Wall Insulation Will Save You Money

External solid wall insulation is one of the most effective ways of reducing your heating bills if your home has solid walls. Homes built before 1924 would have solid walls. According to the March 2014 UK Government report there are 8 million homes in the UK that have solid walls. However, only 257,000 (3%) of these homes have solid wall insulation. The UK Government is trying to encourage the other 7.75million homeowners with solid walls to apply for external wall insulation by offering free external insulation or partial external insulation funding.

What is external solid wall insulation?

External insulation is a thermally resistant package that wraps the exterior of the house preventing up to 45% off heat loss. Although the installation of external wall insulation is more expensive than cavity wall insulation the savings made on the heating bills are considerably greater. In the UK you can also get full or partial funding for external wall insulation installation depending on your heating fuel type.

If you were to consider installing external wall insulation at your home you will experience the following benefits:

• Installation of the insulation doesn’t affect the inside of the property so life inside the house can carry on as usual without any mess.
• Reduces your heat loss by 45% so you will save money on your heating bills every year.
• Adds a waterproofing and soundproofing layer to your home making your home more airtight – any cracks in the external walls will be covered by insulation.
• There are different render finishes available to match your home’s style.
• If you live on a terrace, it is possible to have all the properties done at one time all together.
• Internal and interstitial damp and condensation is prevented from within your property.

There are a handful of external insulation considerations that need to be considered before the insulation is installed, these include:

• You need to have solid walls – if you have cavity walls then cavity wall insulation should be installed because it is cheaper.
• There needs to be good access to all external walls and do not lead directly onto a pavement and external walls need to be made from structurally sound solid brick, stone or concrete.
• You may require planning permission to install the exterior insulation as it may not be permitted for listed buildings or properties in conservation areas.
• If there isn’t sufficient roof over-hang then your exterior wall needs to be sloped, weatherproofed and new guttering fitted to accommodate the insulation which can make the installation more costly.
• Your walls must be free from damp. If you have damp in your walls than this damp needs to be addressed before the insulation can be installed.

UK External insulation funding

There are two main types of funding available through the Government’s ECO scheme and is open to everyone regardless of where they live and their personal financial circumstances:

1. 100% funding for homes that use electricity or solid fuels for their main heating source. There must be NO gas supply at your property to qualify for 100% of the grant.
2. 50% funding for homes that use gas, oil or LPG for their heating. You can access £4000 or 2/3 of the insulation cost depending on which one is the less.

If you qualify for external solid wall insulation funding then you will receive free loft insulation as a secondary energy saving measure.

Visit MLH Insulation for more information about external solid wall insulation grants and how UK homeowners can access the home insulation funding they are eligible for.