Cavity Wall Insulation Facts & Figures

Benefits of Cavity Wall Insulation

There are many benefits of cavity wall insulation, but the most significant benefit people see is the reduction in their heating bills.

Cavity Wall Insulation can save up to 35% on your heating bills as un-insulated cavity walls allow 35% of the heat in your property to escape straight through your walls. If your Cavity Walls were to be insulated, you would need to put your heating on less often and for less time which would reduce your heating bills. Cavity walls are a common building design feature, creating an air gap between a home’s outer and inner walls.

Cavity Wall Insulation Improves Your EPC Rating

Cavity wall Insulation is now also part of building regulations, and when selling or letting your home you will need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) if your home has a low EPC rating it may be more difficult to sell or depending on the rating you may not be legally allowed to let your property. AN EPC is also used to measure how improvements to your home are funded, with EPC C is the current standard required for the addition of renewable technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps. Cavity Wall Insulation is noted on the EPC and if it is not insulated it will reduce your rating, so Cavity wall Insulation will add value to your property and make it more attractive to buyers or tenants.

Another little known fact about Cavity Wall Insulation is that as well as keeping you warm in the winter it will also keep your property cooler in the summer months as the insulation will also stop the warmth from the summer sun heating your property.

Cavity Wall Insulation using Polybead

Cavity Wall Insulation is also very cost effective as any initial outlay will have a payback period of less than 4 years as you will be saving every year on you heating bills.

As well as saving you money Cavity Wall Insulation also saves the environment, by having you Cavity Walls insulated your could reduce your properties Co2 emissions by as much as 1040 kg per year.

How to Check If You Have Cavity Walls?

Most properties built after 1935 and before 1985 would normally have been built with an un-insulated cavity wall. Most properties built before 1935 would have been built with Solid walls meaning there is no air gap (cavity) to insulate and most properties built after 1985 will have had the cavity walls insulated during the build process as part of the building regulations.

If you are ensure if you have cavity walls but your property was built between 1935 and 1985 one of the easiest ways to check is to take a look at the brick pattern on the outside of the property, if the brick pattern is a Stretcher Bond pattern meaning that all of the bricks are the same length going across the wall then this is a good indication that you have cavity walls, If the brick pattern has header bricks meaning that there is a long brick then a short brick or a row of short bricks then this is a good indication that you have solid walls as the short bricks are a full brick going into the cavity.

Another easy way to tell is take a look at the properties energy performance certificate, all properties bought or let recently will have an EPC, if you have an EPC it will tell you on there if you have cavity walls and if they have been insulated.

I have Cavity Walls but how do I tell if they have been insulated?

Allot of people know they have cavity walls but are not sure if they have been insulated as they have not lived in the property since the time of build.

One of the easiest ways to check is to look at the exterior brickwork; if you can see evidence of drill holes at regular intervals normally around 1 meter apart on all of the outside walls then this is a good indication that they have been filled.

Another easy way to tell is take a look at the properties energy performance certificate, all properties bought or let recently will have an EPC, if you have an EPC it will tell you on there if you have cavity walls and if they have been insulated.

How are Cavity Walls Installed?

Cavity Wall Insulation is normally installed from the outside, however if you are renovating your home the insulation can be done from the inside before re plastering.

Holes are first drilled on the outside walls following a strict Drill pattern set out by the manufacturer and the BBA to ensure that all areas of the cavity wall are fully insulated.

After drilling all of the holes following the correct pattern the installer then pumps fiber insulation into each hole until the area around the hole is full, this process is then done for every hole drilled to ensure that all of the cavity wall is insulated.

Following a full and even fill of the cavity wall the installer will then point up and make good all of the holes using mortar dyes to match the existing mortar so the property looks the same as it always did and then clean up any brick dust or mess that has been caused before they leave.

Finally the installer will do a final check of the property ensuring the correct drill pattern has been followed and all of the holes have been pointed up, then he will make a few internal checks to ensure there are no issues and that all vents and flues and clear of any insulation that may have ingressed.

Does Cavity Walls Cause Damp?

Unfortunately in the early days of Cavity Wall Insulation there was very little regulation and governing bodies checking that cavity wall insulation was done correctly and in some cases this has led to the Cavity Wall Insulation causing damp.

The damp was caused due to an un-even fill in the cavity leading to cold spots.

However nowadays there are strict procedures and checks in place to ensure that Cavity wall Insulation is done properly.

Each installer must be approved for a specific insulation material by the material designer and by the British Board Of Agrement (BBA) before they can begin installing cavity wall insulation, so ensure that you check your installer is BBA approved for Cavity Wall Insulation.

Each material must also pass tests by the BBA and each installer must follow the correct drill pattern to ensure an even fill of the cavity wall to ensure there are no voids in the insulation which could lead to damp.

Cavity Wall Insulation is Insurance Backed 25 Year Guarantee by CIGA

Also to give you extra piece of mind Absolute Solar offer a free of charge insurance backed 25 Year Guarantee with CIGA (Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency) with each install so that if for whatever reason you have any issue you know you are covered by this guarantee.

Absolute Solar specialist installer of cavity wall insulation.

Like to know more, contact Absolute Solar to learn how we can assist you, then get in touch and we will talk you through your Cavity Wall Insulation needs.