GBIS–Great British Insulation Scheme
What is the Great British Insulation Scheme?
The Great British Insulation Scheme is a government initiative to improve energy efficiency in eligible British homes. The scheme is exclusively for adding or upgrading home insulation with free or discounted installation. It is offered alongside the existing ECO4 Scheme that can provide additional home energy efficiency upgrades to eligible low income households.
There are a variety of different kinds of insulation that can be provided through GBIS:
- cavity wall insulation.
- internal or external solid wall insulation.
- loft insulation.
- flat or pitched roof insulation.
- underfloor insulation.
- solid floor insulation.
- park home insulation.
- room-in-roof insulation.
How does insulation help me save?
The average household spends more than half their energy bill on heating and hot water according to the Energy Saving Trust1. Yet, a large amount of that heat simply escapes into the great outdoors through our windows, walls, roofs, and more.
Insulating our homes is like wrapping them in a warm cosy blanket. The insulation helps to trap in the heat we are generating so our boiler doesn’t have to work quite so hard to keep us warm. This saves energy and money on heating our home.
Which insulation does my home need?
Loft and roof insulation.
There are several places you can add insulation around your home. However, according to Energy Saving Trust around a quarter of heat escapes through the roof2, which makes roof and loft insulation a good place to start.
It’s currently recommended that, in homes without loft conversions, mineral wool insulation is added to a depth of 270mm throughout the loft space3. This should be installed between the joists with any board flooring laid on top – but not compressing the insulation.
You can pick up mineral wool insulation from many DIY stores, as it is relatively easy to install yourself if your loft is accessible.
If you currently use your loft space as a room (most commonly due to a loft conversion) then the walls and ceiling should be insulated. Flat ceilings can use standard loft insulation. Sloping ceilings and vertical walls must be insulated via solid board roof insulation. Roof insulation will need professional installation, unlike the mineral wall loft insulation, and is generally more expensive.
Wall insulation
Another leading cause of heat loss is through the walls. The Energy Saving Trust estimates around a third of all heat is lost through the walls of your home4. While that’s even more than the roof, it’s also not a job you can do yourself – which means it is usually more expensive.
Unlike loft insulation, the key factor when insulating walls is not the amount but the type of insulation. There are two main types of wall insulation, and it is important to identify which would work for your home.
The majority of houses built after the 1920s will have cavity walls, and thus need cavity wall insulation. Houses built before this will usually have solid walls, and so need solid wall insulation – this may be installed internally or externally depending on the property. Solid wall insulation can be very disruptive to install and is usually significantly more expensive5. It is a good idea to try combining it with other redecorating or refurbishment work.
Unusual properties, such as timber framed houses, will need specialist advice on wall insulation as they may not be suitable for either.
Floor insulation
Most people will only need to insulate the ground floor of their home, as heat will rise through the upper floors helping to keep them warm. If you have any rooms above unheated spaces, such as garages, workshops, or basements, it is also a good idea to insulate them.
Most modern houses have solid floors of concrete on the ground floor. However, older homes may have suspended timber floors.
If you have an accessible basement the easiest way to check is to go down and have a look at the floor from below. If you can see joists and the underside of the floorboards it is a suspended timber floor.
For homes without access below the ground floor, you will need to lift up a corner of the flooring (including underlay) to check. Another clue is if there are ventilation bricks in the walls below the ground floor level that are visible from outside the house. This means you probably have suspended timber floors.
It is generally much cheaper to insulate a suspended timber floor6, as mineral wool can be added between the joists – kept in place by netting. For DIYers this is a relatively straightforward job to attempt yourself, and all materials can be easily found from DIY stores.
Solid floors must be insulated with a layer of rigid insulation that is professionally installed. The insulation can go below the floor if the concrete floor is being replaced. Alternatively, it can be installed above, but this will increase the height of the floors. Bear in mind that this could create uneven floor heights between spaces or not line up with existing skirting boards and doors.
ACTIVE ECO are committed to helping you reduce your energy bills. Working directly with the UK’s leading energy companies; we can offer free insulation, heating grants, heat pumps and solar panels via the ECO4 and ECO4 Flex schemes.