How to get free insulation worth £1000s – and cut your energy bills
INSULATING your home is one of the most effective ways to cut your energy bills, and some customers can even get it for free.
In fact, by having insulation installed in your home, you can save up to £440 per year, according to estimates by the Energy Saving Trust, although this figure varies depending on the type of property you live in.
About a third of all the heat lost in an uninsulated home escapes through the walls, so if you had a cavity wall insulation done in a detached house, you'd save up to £260 on your energy bills per year, or you instead lived in semi-detached house, you'd save an average of £155 compared to £75 for a flat.
This comes on a typical installation cost of £720 for a semi-detached house, £475 for a semi-detached house and £330 for a flat.
A quarter of heat is also lost through the roof, so if you insulated the roof and loft, you could save up to £230 in a gas-heated home per year depending on where you live and what type of home you live, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
It's a lot of money to fork out in one go - cavity wall and loft insulation can be worth more than £1,000 - but some are eligible to get it for free.
How to insulate your home for free?
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a requirement the Government puts on energy suppliers currently with more than 250,000 household customers - including the Big Six energy providers in British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, NPower, SSE and Scottish Power.
From April 2019, the threshold will be set at 200,000 customers and even lower in April 2020 at 150,000, meaning more and more energy providers will have to comply with the rules or they'll be hit with expensive fines.
The Government scheme, which first launched in 2013, is aimed at helping to reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty.
Generally, the free insulation is for those who receive at least one of the following benefits, but it also depends on how much you earn.
- Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
- Income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Tax Credits
- Universal Credit
It also depends on what improvement your home needs, where you live, the level of carbon in your home, while some suppliers also take into account how much your home will benefit from insulation.
To have the free insulation installed, you must own your home or have permission from the landlord for the work to be carried out.
If you've already insulated your home, you may also be entitled to a refund for the work.
The Sun has asked the six biggest energy providers to clarify their insulation policies - here's what we found:
British Gas
The energy provider said it currently doesn't offer free insulation.
EDF Energy
It offers insulation to eligible customers as part of the new ECO scheme, which launched at the end of last year.
EDF Energy also offers funding of up to 25 per cent via 'Flexible Eligibility', which is when a local authority determines its own criteria for fuel poverty.
E.ON
The energy provider offers free insulation for people who are homeowners and they or someone living in the same household receive benefits such as income support or child benefits.
But you don't actually need to be a E.ON customer to apply.
You can find out if you're eligible or call 0330 400 1083.
NPower
The energy provider is offering free or subsidised insulation to customers who meet the ECO criteria - see if you're eligible and apply .
NPower also offers help through the Health Through Warm scheme, which provides heating help for people who fall outside the usual eligibility criteria, whether or not they are Npower customers.
To get the help, recipients must have a long-term illness, own and have lived in their home for a minimum of six months, with heating that is broken or no heating or insulation and have low household income/savings.
SSE
It provides funding for home energy efficiency measures, including insulation installations, as part of the ECO scheme.
SSE, like all other major suppliers, also provides funding to installation companies to contribute to the cost of installs they have completed or are about to undertake.
Scottish Power
The energy provider hasn't yet told us about its policies, but it says on its website that some customers will receive a free insulation of their homes.
It has not clarified the eligibility criteria, so if you're a Scottish Power customer, we'd advise you to contact the supplier directly.
I'm not with the Big Six, so what rights do I have?
The rules under the ECO scheme affect more than just the Big Six, so if you're a customer with a big energy provider, you should contact your supplier directly to find out if you're eligible.
The can also direct you to organisations who are able to assess your eligibility.
If you live in England and Wales, Ofgem also recommends the , which offers impartial energy efficiency advice.
If you live in Scotland, you can contact Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282.
If it turns out you don't qualify for the free schemes but want to get your home insulated anyway, you can find a list of installers and their contact details on
HOW TO FIND A CHEAPER ENERGY DEAL
FIRSTLY, you’ll need to have a recent bill to hand. This will have all the details you need, including the name of your tariff and your recent spending on gas
- Use a comparison website: Customers can you use websites such as uSwitch.com or Energyhelpline.com to compare tariffs and find a cheaper deal. You could save up to £400 a year if you’ve never switched before.
- There are other service you can turn to: MoneySavingExpert’s Cheap Enegy Club will let you set up an email reminder that alerts you when cheaper deals become available.
- Things to do before you switch: Compare prices and before you switch check to see if you can get cachback from a website like Quidco or TopCashback
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There are other ways to slash your energy bills by £100s as the price cap drives up prices by 21 per cent.
Here are also various ways to get help with the bills if you're struggling to make ends meet.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of households are going without energy because they can't afford to pay the bills.
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