Cavity Wall insulation work carried out to meet government energy targets has left over 1.5 million homes with botched insulation causing dampness, mould, crumbling plaster and stained walls.
\nThe government scheme, which was introduced in a bid to reduce emissions and charges to make homes more energy efficient, led to millions of people being persuaded to sign up by the promise of cheaper bills.
\nHowever, a survey by thermal imaging company IRT carried out on 250,000 properties found that the retrospective installation of cavity wall insulation had in a quarter of cases, failed to work. It also found that half the homes they surveyed had problems relating to failed cavity wall insulation.
\nAs more than 6 million houses have had the treatment since 1995, the survey suggests that the overall figure of properties suffering could well be over 1.5 million.
\nThis has undoubtedly left many homeowners with rather large repair bills, with one victim, Helen Thomson from Cornwall having to part with \u00c2\u00a330,000 in order to repair damage that occurred after the installation of loft insulation.
\nIn December, Ministers published a report that highlighted that there were \u00e2\u20ac\u0153too many poor quality installations\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which in turn were carried out by companies which \u00e2\u20ac\u0153do not have the skills required\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.
\nStephen Hodgson of Property Care Association explained that a number of the properties were just not suitable for the installation of cavity wall insulation due to their design meaning that the insulation acts as a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbridge\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and assists the moisture crossing the cavity into the property.
\nHe explained:
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Contractors were desperate to mop up vast sums of money made available by energy firms on the back of Government green targets.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nMany of the homeowners that had experienced problems have expressed their difficulties with getting compensation from the Cavity Wall Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA), with experts even suggesting that its\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00c2\u00a318 million pound fund was not enough to cover the damages caused by botched work.
\nChief Executive of the National Insulation Association, Neil Marshall disputed the results of the survey carried out by IRT:
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153These figures are widely inaccurate as thermal cameras in isolation are ill-equipped to assess the effectiveness of cavity wall insulation.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nHe did however admit that 13,000 CIGA guaranteed houses had reported issues with the insulation.
\nThe true extent of inappropriately installed or incorrectly installed cavity insulation has yet to surface however our surveyors have had to supervise many problems with insulation inappropriately installed including full removal of retrospective cavity wall insulation which was likely to destroy the inner timber skin of a property if not removed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"