Installing home insulation is not high on the list of common home improvement nightmares, but a recent example in Swansea – where a single mother has been living in misery for three years following a cavity wall insulation fitting – has highlighted the need to carefully scrutinise insulation installers before appointing them, and has unearthed the possibility of hundreds of thousands of similar cases throughout the UK.
Mum-of-three Zoe Godrich had her Swansea home fitted with cavity wall insulation in 2021 as part of the Government-backed Green Energy Scheme, but it quickly became apparent that the installation had been botched by unsuitable contractors, and the situation rapidly turned into a health risk. Zoe found that water was running down the walls, black mould was appearing and her children developed asthma and eczema. Beds and wardrobes became consumed by mould and had to be thrown out, with the family now living together in one room.
Trustmark approval not reliable
An independent building surveyor who subsequently inspected Zoe’s property confirmed that neither the installation nor the resulting removal of the cavity wall insulation was done properly. The installation contractor was an approved member of Trustmark, the organisation tasked by the Government to set-up an assurance quality scheme in 2019. The company which provided the grant money was also Trustmark-approved.
Three years later, with Zoe having been passed around departments and organisations to no avail, Trustmark and the grant money providers have combined to pursue a suitable resolution. But in the meantime, Zoe’s home has become largely inhabitable and she has been unable to afford to rectify the problem, nor heat her home to make it more comfortable. She has also found that removing the original cavity wall insulation has invalidated a guarantee agreement.
According to industry experts, a lack of regulation has led to some insulation installers simply chasing grant money and then cutting corners with the eventual contract work. In this case, the organisation which carried out the original work has now gone bust, but there are a number of actions and considerations which should be made when faced with insulation installations, to avoid situations like this evolving:
- A pre-installation survey should be carried out by the contractor
- Any problems discovered in this survey should be rectified before any installation work takes place
- Any contractor appointed for the work should be Trustmark-approved
Accepting the fact that Zoe did appoint a Trustmark-approved installer, clearly the Trustmark supplier evaluation processes also need to be reviewed to more closely scrutinise and vet its contractors.
How to select a reliable contractor for home insulation
Customers like Zoe can still do their own groundwork when selecting contractors, but also acknowledge that grant schemes can sometimes pressurise customers to use specific contractors, over which they have little control. Nevertheless, to avoid sub-standard work and the stressful and damaging scenario Zoe has faced, customers should carry out the following checks on insulation contractors:
- Check the contractors’ website for their credentials – This includes organisational accreditations, but also the training and qualifications of their employees
- Experience – Can you see evidence of previous and similar work? This shows the contractor has a proven track record of successful installations
- Guarantees – Insist on discussing guarantees for the work and the extent to which this applies
- Scope of work – Insist on seeing the scope of work and understanding what is involved
- Testimonials – Try to find independent reviews of the contractor on trade websites, rather than merely taking testimonials on their own website at face value
- Compliance – Check what the contractor says about compliance on their website. This should highlight how much they understand about regulations and safety legislation, and how highly they value doing work correctly
- Responsibility – Before any work takes place, insist on having a contact at the organisation with some authority and responsibility, to whom you can refer if any problems should occur.
Contact Go Greener Energy Services for your home insulation installation
At Go Greener Energy Services we can point to vast skills and experience in this industry sector, and many satisfied customers who have received safe, compliant and effective insulation fittings. Our professional standards aim to provide you with a whole life solution, which takes into account home surveys, recommended actions and after sales inspections.
Following the work carried out on Zoe Godrich’s home, a BBC survey discovered that three million homes in the UK have been fitted with cavity wall insulation since the Green Energy Scheme started in 2008. It claims that there could be hundreds of thousands of homes in a similar state of disrepair to Zoe’s. If this applies to you, contact Go Greener Energy Services today and we can work with you to find a suitable, cost-effective solution, and you can also rely on us to provide a safe, compliant and professional installation as part of our standard service, so get in touch today.
