FREE LOFT INSULATION
Free Loft Insulation Grants are available in Cardiff, Bridgend, Newport, Swansea, Caerphilly and throughout South Wales.
Breaking News!
As of 15/5/25, you can now get both free cavity wall insulation and free loft insulation together using The Great British Insulation Scheme.
How do I qualify for a Free Loft Insulation Grant?
It is the same set of qualifications as for Cavity Wall Insulation. However, because of the way that the grant is calculated, it will not always be totally free.
If you are having loft insulation together with cavity wall insulation, it will always be free. But by itself, it will depend on a number of factors – EPC (energy performance certificate) rating, Council Tax banding and size of property are a few.
There are 2 routes to qualifying for a grant.
- The General Group.
- The “low-income” Group.
The General Group qualification for a grant.
Two ✔’s and you qualify.
- Your Council Tax Banding in Wales is A, B, C, D or E (or in England A to D). You can find your Council Tax Banding on Gov.Uk ✔ and
- Your EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating is a D, E, F or G. You can find your EPC on the EPC Register. ✔
However, the size of the property and other factors could come into play.
These rules apply to both owner-occupiers and privately renting tenants (with Landlord’s consent). However, for Cavity Wall Insulation and Loft Insulation, privately renting tenants will need to be in receipt of a qualifying benefit.
The “Low Income” Group qualification for a grant.
The personal qualification criteria for the “low income” group is benefit-based. The qualifying benefits are listed below. However, your EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating must still be a D, E, F or G. If you are a private tenant, your EPC rating must be a D or E because it is illegal for landlords to rent out F or G rated properties.
Here is the list of Qualifying Benefits.
- Pension Credit
- Income-Based Job Seekers’ Allowance
- Universal Credit – No income threshold
- Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance
- Tax Credits (including Working and Child Tax Credits) – No income threshold
- Income Support
- Housing Benefit – NEW
- Child Benefit/Family Allowance. Income Thresholds apply – see table below
| Number of children | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 1 adult household | £19,900 | £24,800 | £29,600 | £34,500 |
| 2 adult household | £27,500 | £32,300 | £37,200 | £42,000 |
Is my Loft suitable for insulating?
A full and thorough survey of the loft space is carried out, including a health and safety survey, to ascertain its suitability.
Any findings or concerns will then be discussed with you.
These could include, but are not limited to, damp, ceiling cracks, high amp cables, down-lighters, wasp nests, evidence of rodents, condensation, shallow lofts with less than 1 metre head height, etc.
If Bats are present, you cannot have your loft insulated- it’s illegal. They are a protected species and must not be disturbed. However, the loft can be insulated during their “away period”.
How is Free Loft insulation installed?
We don’t use the “itchy stuff” any more.
For our free loft insulation, we use what can be described as a “quilt” which the manufacturers state “you could comfortably sleep on”.
The rolls are brought into the house in “poly bags” and taken into the loft, where the insulation is removed from the bags.
The first layer of free loft insulation is then laid between the joists. A second layer is then laid at right angles to the first layer, that is, across the joists, therefore “sealing off” the insulation below.
The recommended depth of loft insulation is 270mm ( 11 inches).
Our technicians will then ensure that there is sufficient ventilation within the loft space.
Each loft will have its own set of circumstances, such as down-lighters, electricity cables, water pipes, etc., but these would have been noted during the initial survey and discussed with you.
An average semi-detached house would take less than 2 hours to insulate. The empty bags are removed from the loft, and no mess to be seen.
All our technicians are fully insured.
Methodist Church, Blackwood.
This is a church loft that we insulated in Blackwood, S.Wales.
It has a beautiful “barrel” ceiling.
It could only be done by blowing insulation into the loft space. It was potentially too dangerous to try and lay the insulation. The area of the loft was 325 sqm, that is equivalent to about 6 semi-detached houses.
Rafter Insulation
We do not install “rafter” insulation. There are 2 main reasons for this.
Firstly, we just don’t see the point of it.
Yes, it stops the heat from leaving the house, but it does not stop the heat from leaving the “living space” (the bedrooms). It only serves to heat the loft space – great if you are growing plants in the loft.
However, our second reason is somewhat scary.
Rafter insulation normally takes the form of “foam insulation”, and this forms a bond with the roof. I had read horror stories online where a problem had arisen with a tile letting in water. Owing to the bond formed by the foam insulation, the whole roof had to be removed.
In August 2016 I had a call from a customer in Whitchurch, Cardiff, where that exact same situation had arisen. The customer had to have the roof replaced at a cost of £7,000.
Loft Insulation is supposed to save you money, not cost you £1,000’s.
Give us a call now on 0800 8 10 10 60 or 07960 799681 and speak to an expert adviser