titanenergysolutions
Titan Energy Solutions
Lowering UK Heating Bills www.titanenergysolutions.co.uk
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Cavity Wall Insulation: What It Is and What It Does.
Did You Know: Cavity walls can account for up to 35% of heat loss in the typical 3 bed semi-detached house. This results in your boiler working overtime to compensate for the loss – putting more stress on the boiler, throwing more CO2 into the atmosphere and costing you more in your energy bills.
Cavity walls are a type of construction method that came into existence mainly in the 1920s, replacing solid wall construction. To describe the difference between them, simply, cavity walls are two layers of bricks that are 1 brick thick. Solid wall construction is 1 layer of bricks, 2 bricks thick. Here’s a couple of images for reference:
Why Did Construction Switch To Cavity Walls?
Primarily the main issue with solid walls was the damp associated with them. As the years past and winters and summers expanded and contracted the mortar between bricks, tiny cracks formed.
These cracks let water pass through when it rained, and since directly attached to the outside wall was the inside of homes, damp patches and mould became and issue.
The Cavity Wall method was brought in to limit this – those tiny cracks still occur, though less-so because we have better materials to create the mortar. Water still can get inside the wall, but the cavity wall construction also added vent blocks which you’ll typically see at the bottom of the wall – this lets moisture escape, so it doesn’t ruin the wall or get inside your home.
Essentially, the moisture doesn’t even reach the second layer of bricks because it just drips down the first layer and then leaves the wall through the ventilating blocks at the bottom.
Do Solid Walls Need Insulating Too?
Absolutely they do, in fact they’re worse for heat exchanging than cavity walls as there’s the layer of air between the two brick layers that can very minimally help to regulate the temperature. This regulating effect is miniscule however – the heat loss will still be around the same, it just takes a couple minutes longer to escape through a cavity wall. This is why both walls types need insulating – heat exchange still occurs in both construction methods. We also insulate Solid Walls and it could be free with an ECO4 grant!
Will Cavity Wall Insulation Make My Home Warmer?
Yes and No. Insulation helps stop heat travelling from one place to the other, and stops cold travelling from one place to the other. So essentially in winter when you’ve got your heating on, it’ll keep the heat in. In summer, when it’s melting outside and your homes brickwork could fry an egg, it’ll help keep the inside of your home cooler.
How Is Cavity Wall Insulation Installed?
The insulating material is blown into the cavity by drilling small holes in the brickwork at various points around the house to ensure a full fill. The material is then blown/injected into the wall to fill up the space, trapping air and reducing heat loss via conduction and convection.
At Titan Property Services we use Bonded Bead – very spall balls that are essentially glued together to set them in place after the fill. This “glue” is also waterproof, which both protects the insulation and also reduces the chances that the damp from outside will reach the inner brickwork – limiting the chances of damp forming in your home via the cavity.
How Do I Know If I Have A Cavity Wall?
There’s a few ways to check if your home has a cavity wall construction.
The easiest way is to just pop outside and have a look at your brickwork – do you see any half sized bricks? If you do that means your wall is probably a solid wall. If you don’t and you only see bricks laid on their side, then it’s more than likely a cavity wall. You can use the images above for reference!
You could also use the date your house was constructed to tell you – if it was before the 1920’s then it’s likely solid wall. If it was after 1980 it’s likely cavity wall, if it’s between the two dates it’s probably a cavity wall however some homes were still being built using solid wall construction – refer to the brickwork on this one.
You could also measure the wall with a tape measure. Open a door or window and measure from the outside of the wall to the inside – if it’s above 30cm, it’s probably cavity. If it’s below 30cm, it’s likely solid.
Lastly you could also check the EPC for your home. EPC stands for Energy Performance Certificate – it’ll tell you what wall type you have and give a good indication as to whether the wall is insulated already. Just pop your post code in the link below then click your address:
How Can I Tell If My Cavity Is Filled?
You could check the link above to see your homes EPC which will be an indication, however they’re not perfect.
Pop outside and check the brickwork again. During the installation process holes are drilled to allow the material inside – you should be able to spot several holes around the brickwork, especially below windows, if your homes had it’s cavity filled.
You can also request a borescope check – a surveyor will come out and drill a small hole in the brickwork, then use a borescope tool which is essentially a camera on a stick, to visually inspect the cavity. They’ll be able to tell you if the cavity is filled or not.
Is It Possible For Cavity Wall Insulation To Become Damp?
Because cavity wall insulation repels water, it should not get moist. Some houses, however, will not be appropriate for cavity wall insulation if they are prone to rain caused by the wind and have damp issues. Before this kind of insulation can be placed, the damp issues in the property must be resolved.
How Much Does It Cost To Insulate Cavity Walls?
The cost of insulating cavity walls varies substantially depending on the size of your property, the materials used, and the amount of time it takes. For the average 3 Bed Semi Detached we charge around £400 as a paid service, however qualifying home owners could receive cavity wall insulation for free with ECO4.
Read more about Cavity Wall Insulation and the ECO4 grant here.
Given that energy prices are increasing by a further 70+% in October, this will pay for itself in under a year when you’re saving up to 35% on your energy bills! Insulation is also guaranteed for 25 years and usually good for 40+ years, so you’re making profits repeatedly each year by saving on those bills!
You can apply for ECO4 and claim many free home energy saving measures here.
Do I Need Planning Permission to Insulate Cavity Walls?
Cavity wall insulation typically won’t need planning permission. In some circumstances it may – but only if the insulation would modify the look of your home’s exterior, or if you reside in a listed building or a conservation area, will you need to contact the planning department.
Is It Possible To Get a Grant To Insulate Your Cavity Walls?
Cavity Wall & other types of insulation for your home are available under the ECO4 government grant. If you are a homeowner in receipt of government benefits you may be eligible for free or heavily subsidised cavity wall insulation for your home. You can read more about ECO4 and apply here.
Is It Possible To Remove Cavity Wall Insulation?
Yes. It is feasible to remove the insulation from the cavity walls. If the insulation is formed of mineral fibre, a strong vacuum may be used to remove it. Other forms of insulation must first be dismantled. This is accomplished by removing some brickwork, using special technology to break down the insulation, and then sucking it out until it is entirely clean.
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The Energy Crisis: Why UK Bills Are Rising And The Price Cap Explained
What Caused the Price Increase For Energy Bills?
The price increase is directly related to the Price Cap increase. The Price Cap is the maximum price that energy suppliers in England, Wales and Scotland can charge the households they serve.
It also sets the daily maximum standing charge. This charge is a cost pair for a home to be part of and connected to the national grid. The standing charge cap is designed to stop supplies from passing on the wholesale hikes directly on to the consumer.
The energy regulator, Ofgem, brought the price cap into existence in January of 2019 and reviews the price cap every 6 months.
The price cap runs from April until October, and October until April again. This gives us a “Summer Period” and a “Winter Period”. This means that April’s Price Cap Increase stands until October, and it’s not good news for afterwards.
The Price Cap increase for April was accurately predicted by the Investment Firm Cornwall Insight, and they’ve said it will increase again by another £629 for the Winder Period, coming in October.
This means that families suffering already will be really struggling through the winter months, when gas usage goes up as we start to fire up the central heating again.
Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said this:
“While the Government’s £350 worth of support will provide some respite to consumers this time around – albeit not enough – with the cap almost guaranteed to rise again, the Government will need to look at expanding the scale and scope of this support after October at the very least.” Ofgem have also released a statement which said “The energy market has faced a huge challenge due to the unprecedented increase in global gas prices, a once in a 30-year event, and Ofgem’s role as energy regulator is to ensure that, under the price cap, energy companies can only charge a fair price based on the true cost of supplying electricity and gas.” “Ofgem is working to stabilise the market and over the longer term to diversify our sources of energy which will help protect customers from similar price shocks in the future.” “It is too soon to predict the level of the price cap from October, but any customer worried about bills should contact their supplier to access available support.”
Why Has The Price Cap Increased?
We’ve heard all sorts of information and theories about why the price has increased. The truth is it’s a combination of everything that’s been going wrong with the world lately.
Ultimately the Price Cap has increased because the wholesale price of natural gas has increased and companies would have immediately went bust had the increase not happened – despite the price cap increase, many energy suppliers did go bust.
The wholesale price of gas increase started with China and Asia and their increase in demand coming out of lockdowns. China in particular has been given bad press over its huge usage in coal. In response to that, they’ve opted to try and lower their carbon footprint by switching from coal to gas. They were using a substantial amount of coal, and so this has hugely increased the demand for Natural Gas.
After this, Europe experienced a very cold winter which meant that stored gas supplies were used which in turn also pushed up prices.
Over summer we had a lack of wind which then hit our largest renewable energy source – wind farms. This then increased demand for gas so that we could keep up with electricity demands via power stations.
Lastly, Russia.
Most of Europe’s gas supply came from Russia, and while the UK’s supply largely didn’t, everywhere has placed sanctions on Russia because of the invasion of Ukraine – so all of the other countries now have to find gas from somewhere else. It’s a more competitive market with a smaller pot of gas up for grabs.
Gas prices were expected to stabilise for 2023, however with the Russian invasion that’s now all up in the air. Once we’re all used to the new markets and buyers know that it’s not the end of the world and that other sellers are there, then the market should stabilise as there’s no reason to try and outbid everyone else to make sure we can keep the lights on.
The Seller’s market is now smaller because we don’t have Russia’s huge gas supply to take from, and ultimately the rates are set by the cheapest a seller is looking to sell for. With less competition, sellers can keep their prices high, because the rest of the world needs to buy gas in order to stay functioning.
Will the sellers reduce their prices because the rest of the world is struggling? We’re not sure, but those that have a chance to profit usually want to profit. There is a grain of good in there though – sellers can only sell for a price a buyer is willing to pay. Ultimately if the world linked arms and said we’re not paying this much for gas, the price would have to come down.
However, the countries of the world are not best friends and China has the capability of bidding higher than many other countries.
Why Are “Green Energy” Providers Prices Increasing?
Over 9 Million households are on Green Energy Tariffs, which supposedly comes from renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines, yet all are seeing their bills rocket. This is leaving many question why they’re subject to the same price increases as homes running on fossil fuels, which is rightfully so.
The way we receive energy into our homes is kind of like a giant smoothie, with coal, gas, solar, wind farms and every other source of power blended together. The national grid is the smoothie. So, even on a green tariff, the electricity you use to power your fridge could have come from digging up coal in Russia, from fracking operations that decimate the countryside, or from solar panels.
Unless you’re completely off grid, in that you don’t use power from the national grid, you have no way of specifying that you only want power from renewables.
So what’s a Green Tariff?
Energy companies have worked out several workarounds to off “Green Tariffs”. The first is to invest directly into renewable energy projects such as setting up wind farms and solar farms. This is what most people imagine when they think of a Green Energy Supplier. Some Green Energy Suppliers do this, most do not.
The second option is by signing contracts with existing renewable energy projects, to buy the power they create from them to send to the grid. This isn’t the most popular method either.
The most common way an energy provider becomes “Green” is by purchasing certificates in recognition that somewhere, at some point, some renewable energy has been produced in the UK.
When doing research we discovered that Green Energy suppliers actually have the highest rates – Comparison Website Uswitch says 14 of the 23 tariffs available currently are Green, but the 5 most expensive of those are also green energy.
So even if you’re on a Green Tariff, you’re still consuming just as much natural gas as everyone else is, it’s just that your company is likely purchasing certificates to show that green energy was produced somewhere which got sent to the power grid. Also those companies taking the second option of buying the power from generators also have to deal with those farms increasing their purchase costs, which they typically do alongside gas prices.
What Can I Do To Lower My Bills?
Unfortunately we’re all at the mercy of gas prices. The cost you pay for fuel will stay how it is until it rises again in October, then again in January. The only thing we can all do, is use less energy. Overall, hands down, the best way to reduce how much energy you use while also staying comfortable, is to make sure your home is insulated. 60% of the heat you generate is lost through uninsulated walls (35%) and through an uninsulated roof (25%).
This is where where Titan Energy Solutions comes in – the energy crisis isn’t going away soon, so by insulating your home as soon as you can, you’ll be saving much more on your energy bills.
The UK has released ECO4, the latest iteration of the Energy Company Obligation. The leading energy providers in the UK have to contribute by law towards a £1billion pot of funding per year which homeowners can access in order to improve how energy efficient their homes are.
Titan Energy Solutions has partnered with some of these energy companies so that we can provide these energy saving measures to residents and then we get paid after completing the job.
The energy saving measures you can claim are:
• Cavity wall insulation — if your home is constructed with Cavity walls, we can insulate the space between bricks to keep the warmth inside your home.
• Internal Wall Insulation — like cavity wall insulation, we also insulate solid walls to help maintain the heat in your home. 35% of heat you generate is lost through uninsulated, or badly insulated walls which means you can make substantial savings on heating bills.
• Loft Insulation — 25% of your heat is lost through the roof — we can insulate between your ceiling joists in the loft space which then bounces the heat back down into your home.
• Flat Roof Insulation — Even when you've got no loft space, we can insulate! Flat roofs are commonly found on garages and extensions, and due to the cost, most aren't insulated when constructed as it means the builders can offer a lower quote and still increase their profits. We insulate on top of the roof, so you don't lose any space inside the room below.
• Central Heating (First Time Central Heating) — FTCH is where we help properties currently using Electric storage heaters by installing an entire central heating system. Combi boiler, Radiators and all the pipework to go with it is available under the grant if your home is "on gas" but doesn't have a wet central heating system in place. If it's "off gas" then we have other options...
• High Heat Retention Heaters — these electric heaters share the same DNA as electric storage heaters but are designed to get warm and stay warm, giving out heat even after you've turned them off. This means you could even heat them at night, when electricity is cheaper on a dual tariff, and then open them up to heat rooms during the next day.
• Air Source Heat Pumps — These are perfect for those people wanting central heating while having no gas supply. Electrically powered, they work essentially the same way as a boiler — with pipes and radiators pushing warm water through your home. They also heat a storage tank full of water, so you get hot running water for baths and washing the dishes.
• Solar Panels — If you're using electric heating, such as Storage Heaters or an Air Source Heat Pump, you can also apply for solar panels from the grant to help lower your bills even more. They essentially make operating the heating during the day either free or very nearly free, depending on how high you're cranking the heat. There's also the benefit of sending power to the grid if you don't use it, for which you can actually get paid for!
Titan Energy Solutions facilitates the ECO4 grant. We'll do all the paperwork, the surveys, the submissions and we'll install the measures with our expert fitters and engineers. To start your ECO4 claim, head over to our website and fill out our application form!
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