Chepstow To Be UK’s Most Insulated Town
The Energy Network is aiming for Chepstow to be the UK’s most insulated town saving residents £100’s off their heating bills. Large numbers of households in the town have been visited to discuss the benefits of loft and cavity wall insulation and to encourage residents to insulate their homes. In Transition Chepstow’s last phase of promoting insulation the take up rate increased insulation by 92% in the Garden City area. These visits will continue to be replicated in other parts of the town and the surrounding communities. In addition those who manage local halls and other community buildings have been increasingly approached, not least because some grants remain available.
Energy Network member, Tim Melville, noted that “It’s really a question of why we can’t afford not to insulate our homes to counter rising fuel costs and reduce carbon emissions. Ignoring the Oct-Dec 2012 energy price rises (typically 10%), in October 2012 the energy regulator Ofgem estimated that the average dual fuel energy bill was now £1310pa http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/rmr/smr/Pages/indicators.aspx . Clearly conserving energy is the easiest way to keep bills down.”
Without sufficient loft insulation the average house can loose up to £1 in every £4 spent on energy. According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST) there are still up to 1.5 million UK homes with no loft insulation and almost 13 million with too little – that’s 1 in 2 homes with no or too little loft insulation. The EST advises that insulating your loft to the correct thickness of 270mm could actually make a saving of up to 15% off your heating costs, which for the average household could be as much as £200 a year.
To insulate your loft, if you are over 60 or are in receipt of qualifying benefits2 insulation is free. For all others loft insulation is heavily subsidized and costs £2001 for a typical 3 bed semi – saving the cost of insulation in about a year and saving similar amounts every year. Cavity wall insulation is also free for the over 60’s and those on qualifying benefits2 and costs £2001 with an average saving of £1001 per year.
If you want information on insulating your home or to take advantage of the free or grant aided offers just call the South East Wales Energy Advice Centre free on 0800 622 6110. The Centre is managing the scheme on behalf of Monmouthshire County Council.
1 Costs/savings for a typical 3 bed semi
2 Qualifying benefits for free installation: Income support; Housing Benefit; Council Tax Benefit; Income Based Jobseekers Allowance; Attendance Allowance; Disabled Living Allowance; Disablement Pension (which must include constant attendance allowance); War Disablement Pension (which must include the mobility supplement or constant attendance allowance); State Pension Credit; Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit (where household income is less than £15,592; all households where one or more members is 70+.