Month: September 2022

Learn about the different types of insulation available to help retain heat in your home and find out if you’re eligible for funding towards the cost of installing these measures in your home.

Lack of insulation in your home can cause significant heat loss which means the cost of heating your home can be much higher than necessary. By installing insulation, you can increase the energy efficiency of your property and help reduce the cost of your heating expenses.

Learn about the different types of insulation available:

Solid Wall Insulation

You could be losing around 45% of the heat in your home through uninsulated solid walls.

Around one third of homes in the UK have solid walls – your property is likely to have solid walls if there is an alternating pattern of long and short bricks on your walls.

Solid wall insulation can be installed internally and involves insulating walls from the inside of the property by building a frame which is then filled with mineral wool insulation and boarded. The process requires all skirting boards and fittings to be removed from the walls for installation.

Cavity wall insulation

If your property has uninsulated cavity walls, you could be losing roughly 35% of the heat from your property through the walls.

Your property is likely to have cavity walls if the bricks are laid lengthways in an even pattern on the outside of your home. This is typical for houses built after the 1930s.

Cavity wall insulation involves blowing Thermabead insulation into the external walls of your home to fill the space between the inner and outer leaf of the wall. The bead insulation helps retain heat during the winter and also helps keep your home cool in summer.

Loft insulation

Insulating your loft or room in roof is another effective way of preserving heat in your home. A typical gas-heated home loses an estimated 25% of its heat through an insulated loft or room in roof.  

A room in roof is a habitable space in the attic of a property, often with a fixed staircase and dormer window. Room in roof insulation involves affixing insulated boards to the external walls, slopes, and ceilings of the area with any residual areas insulated using wool (similar to loft insulation).

When we install loft insulation, we use mineral wool insulation to cover the flat area between the joists in your loft, creating two layers of insulation for a total depth of around 300mm which helps to greatly reduce heat loss.

Underfloor insulation

You can prevent draughts and keep your house warmer by insulating ground level floors – about 15% of the heat in a room can be lost through uninsulated floors.

If your home has suspended timber flooring and enough space between the joists and the floor, you can benefit from underfloor insulation. The material used is mineral wool insulation and this gets attached under the flooring to help reduce draughts and reduce your energy bills.

Funding for insulation:

Arktek’s team of engineers recommend that all areas of your home should be insulated. The cost of having insulation installed varies depending on your property type and which type of insulation your home requires, but you may be eligible for government funding towards the cost of the install.

Find out if you qualify: https://www.arktek.co.uk/funding/.

We are proud to be able to assist with the ECO4 funding process to install insulation in homes in the North East and Yorkshire. Simply contact us to get the process started.

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a document that outlines the energy performance rating of your property and offers recommendations for ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home, which can help you save money on your energy bills.

Read a guide on EPCs from Arktek, a North East team of Gas Safe engineers who help homeowners and landlords with home energy improvements:

What is an EPC?

An Energy Performance Certificate gives your property a rating between ‘A’ – very efficient – and ‘G’ – inefficient, as well as an energy score between 1-92+.

The certificate states how energy efficient certain features of your property are by describing them as ‘very good’ to ‘very poor’. Featured on an EPC are property characteristics such as the types of walls (if they are insulated), windows (if they are double glazed), lighting (if this is energy efficient), flooring (if this is insulated) and more.

The EPC also provides an insight into the property’s potential energy rating, with recommendations for home improvements that could improve your rating and reduce your energy bills.

How can I find my EPC?

All domestic buildings in the UK available to buy or rent must have a valid EPC. The average energy rating for properties in England is D, with an average energy score of 60.     

You can find out what your EPC rating is using the government’s online registry.

My address isn’t showing on the EPC register – is this common?

If your property has not had an EPC assessment, then your address will not show on the register.
This is common when the property was purchased before EPCs became a requirement for selling or renting domestic properties.

If you do not have an EPC and would be interested in having an assessment carried out, please contact Arktek on 0191 516 6911 to arrange an appointment.

My EPC rating is low – what are the best options for improving my home’s energy rating?

When reviewing your EPC, you will find a list of recommendations for improving your energy rating and reducing your energy bills under the heading ‘Improve this property’s energy performance’. Recommendations are property-specific and range from installing different types of insulation such as cavity wall insulation, underfloor insulation, or loft insulation to installing a new energy saving boiler or energy efficient lights.

The EPC will outline typical installation costs and estimated yearly savings, as well as the potential energy rating you could achieve if the recommendations are completed.

Arktek can help improve your EPC rating; we can advise you on the most cost-effective and impactful changes required to reduce your energy bills. We are a property services company who specialise in providing energy-saving measures for your home and can also assist with the process of receiving government funding and ECO4 grants for those who are eligible.

How we can help:

• We can advise on your eligibility for the ECO4 scheme
• We can help you complete and process your application for funding
• We can conduct a free, no-obligation survey to determine the best possible energy saving measures for your home
• We can install energy-efficiency measures to help heat your home and provide relevant certificates

Simply get in touch with our team of Gas Safe engineers who can advise on the best energy saving measures for your home as well as your eligibility for funding.

Read more:

• Landlords: EPC Rating Changes to Prepare for
• ECO4 Funding for Heating & Insulation Home Improvements

With autumn approaching and energy prices increasing, it’s important to consider how you will heat your home this winter.

If your property is heated by inefficient gas room heaters, electric room heaters or electric storage heaters then you may be spending extra money on your heating bills which could be reduced by installing a central heating system.

First Time Central Heating involves replacing existing heaters with a new central heating system which is powered by either an efficient gas boiler or a renewable form of energy such as an air source heat pump.

Did you know that you could qualify for funding towards the cost of first time central heating if you are in receipt of certain benefits?   

Learn more about first time central heating and find out if you could qualify for funding for the installation of a new central heating system:

Benefits that qualify for funding

There are grants under the government’s ECO4 scheme and LA Flex programme for people who either own their home or rent their property from a private landlord and are in receipt of certain benefits.

If you receive any of the following benefits, you may qualify for funding towards first time central heating:

• Child Benefit (conditions apply)
• Child Tax Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit)
• Pension Credit Savings Credit
• Universal Credit
• Working Tax Credit

There may be additional circumstances that allow you to qualify for funding under LA Flex, but they differ for each local authority. The team at Arktek will be able to advise if you qualify via this route – contact us to discuss your options.

Is my home eligible for first time central heating funding?

Your property could qualify for funding if your home is currently heated using one or more of the following methods:

• Electric room heaters
• Gas room heaters
• Electric storage heaters (inefficient or broken)

You can find out which type of heating system is in your home by looking up the ‘Main Heating’ source on the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for your home.

Your property must not already have a central heating system installed or have had a central heating system removed. It must also have been connected to the gas network before 1^st April 2022 to qualify for a gas appliance to be installed.

If you do meet the eligibility requirements, you could have either a mains gas boiler or air source heat pump installed under the grant. All central heating system installs will also include radiators, pipework, and heating controls.

Get in touch with our team of Gas Safe engineers who can advise on your eligibility for funding and can arrange for installation of first time central heating in your home.