What’s included with a Loft Insulation Grant?

If you apply for a loft insulation grant through EnergyLink, you may be surprised at just how much is included.

Firstly, the installers will lay rolls of fibre glass (mineral wool) insulation on the floor of your loft. If you don’t have any insulation already there, they will typically lay 100 mm of insulation between the joists. A further 170 mm is then laid at right angles to the joists bringing the total depth to 270 mm. If you already have some insulation, this will normally be topped up to the required depth of 270mm.

Once the loft floor has been fully insulated, there will be little to no heat rising from below so the loft space will be colder. If there any water pipes in the loft, these will also be lagged with foam insulation to prevent them from freezing during the winter months. You may have cold water supply pipes in the loft or other pipework connected to your central heating system so both types would need to be insulated.

If your central heating system is gravity fed, there will most likely be two cold water tanks in the loft. A smaller tank that feeds the central heating radiators and a larger tank that stores water prior to it being heated for baths, showers, etc. As with the pipework, tanks will also need to be lagged to prevent the water inside from freezing and this is also included in the loft insulation grant.

If cold water tanks are present in the loft and they are more than 1m from the loft hatch, a walk board must be fitted. This is to ensure that there is safe access to the tank because you will be unable to see the joists once 270 mm of insulation is laid.

Loft spaces also need to be adequately ventilated or they can become damp. Older properties often have sufficient natural ventilation. Many modern properties also have vents built into the soffit boards next to the eaves. However, there are some properties that won’t have sufficient ventilation, particularly after loft insulation has been installed. In these cases, the grant would also cover the cost of having vents fitted. These are typically installed under some roof tiles to allow air to circulate into the loft.

As you can see, there is more to a loft insulation grant than just having insulation fitted in your loft. To apply for a grant simply complete our Online Form. Someone will then contact you to arrange a free, no-obligation survey.