If your insulation is in need of removal, replacement or a completely new installation, choosing a certified insulation installer to carry out the work is essential. In this article, we provide a thorough guide to choosing a certified insulation installer, offering expert guidance and advice, to ensure you are far more likely to receive the best possible work at a reasonable price.
Choosing Your Certified Insulation Installer
When it comes to choosing your certified insulation installer, there are a handful of vital considerations one must keep in mind. Below, we take a closer look at some of the key considerations you should make when choosing a certified insulation installer.
Grant Eligibility
Before you make contact with any local tradespeople, or even consider receiving a quote, you should always check if you are eligible for a government grant to help cover the cost of the work. The Energy Compliance Obligation (ECO) Scheme is one such grant, designed to offer either reduced or completely free installation of insulation for suitable homes. Some energy providers will offer this grant regardless of your income, whilst offers may expect you to in receipt of specific benefits.
PAS 2030 Approval
If you have discovered you are eligible for the government’s ECO scheme, the next step is to ensure you are hiring an insulation specialist that has the necessary PAS 2030 approval. Set out by the government, PAS 2030 is the industry-standard specification that all energy efficient installers must be certified to, and compliant with, when carrying out energy efficient measures set out by the ECO scheme.
Do Your Research
Once you have discovered if you are eligible for an ECO grant, you will now be able to research local contractors that will be able to perform the task. Carrying out early, extensive research is imperative when seeking the best certified insulation installer for your project, and this can be performed easily with a simple Google search. Search for local insulation installers, read online reviews and testimonials, and gather as much information as you possibly can. This will provide you with the necessary knowledge and options moving forward to ensure you are receiving the best possible work for the best possible price.
On top of this, you should ensure that any insulation contractors you research have the necessary accreditation, certification and warranties to protect yourself in the long run. Any proven insulation contractor should be able to provide you with proof of the necessary certifications and accreditation paperwork to convey their skills and experience, so don’t be afraid to ask your local contractor for this information. Should they hesitate to offer them, this could be a sign they aren’t to be trusted.
Gather Quotes
Now you’ve carried out the necessary research and narrowed down your options to a handful of proven, professional and certified insulation installers, you should now collect quotes from your chosen few to provide yourself with a clear assessment of an average price, ensuring you aren’t overpaying for a service you could find cheaper elsewhere. A proven insulation contractor should always provide you with an initial quote for the cost of the work, if they don’t, then they are best avoided, as contractors who fail to offer initial quotes often end up charging you considerably more than expected once the work is completed.
Gathering quotes from a handful of sources will provide you with an understanding of cost, and ensure you are choosing the right service for the best possible price.
Benefits Of Choosing A Certified Insulation Installer
Choosing a certified insulation installer for the safe removal, replacement or installation of loft insulation, for example, is essential for many reasons. From improved efficiency at home, to a guarantee of safety, hiring a certified insulation installer is imperative. Below , we run through some of the key benefits of using a professional, certified insulation installer.
Knowledge & Experience
As with any profession, choosing a certified insulation installer with the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to carry out your insulation installation is imperative in ensuring you have the best possible chance of achieving optimum energy efficiency. Sure, you may be thinking to yourself that this could be a job for either yourself, a friend, or a family member with relative experience. Still, in truth, no matter how confident your close ones may be in carrying out the work, it’s unlikely they’ll come even close to achieving the results of a proven, experienced insulation professional. A certified insulation installer will have all the knowledge and experience necessary to complete the work based on your home’s design, climate and insulation location.
Not only this; but an experienced insulation contractor will also have the knowledge required to help choose the appropriate insulation solution for your property, whether this be spray foam, fibreglass or blow-in insulation, they’ll be able to discuss your options with you at length.
Tools
Hiring a certified insulation installer will have a significant impact on the eventual outcome of your project, not just in terms of knowledge and experience, but also in gaining access to all the right tools for the job. A professional insulation contractor has unique access to a wide-range of specialised and necessary tools for a variety of works, meaning they can often complete works in one sitting. Ultimately, this will save you time and money in the long-run, saving you the hassle of hiring each individual tool separately, which would cost a fortune. Insulation work often requires a variety of tools, such as expanding foam sealant, chalk line, drywall, caulking guns, extruded polystyrene foam among many others, making hiring a professional an absolute essential.
Energy-Efficient
An effective, professional and proven certified insulation installer can have a major positive impact on your energy use, helping to reduce waste, cut bills and improve your home’s comfort levels all in one. Hiring a certified insulation installer for your home will ensure you are insulating your home effectively, thus reducing an escape of heat, controlling your home’s efficiency and ultimately reducing your energy bills.
Removal
When replacing your home’s old insulation, it’s essential that the old insulation is removed in the first instance. This should always be carried out by a certified insulation contractor, as the removal of old insulation can be a potentially hazardous task. Old insulation will have naturally collected dirt, dust, debris and other pollutants in the fibres, making safe removal an absolute priority. In extreme cases, old insulation may even carry mould, or worse, asbestos, which will require serious care and attention upon removal, to avoid breathing in the hazardous toxins.
Hiring a professional, certified insulation installer will ensure the safe removal of old insulation, as they will have important access to specialised safety equipment, such as masks and eyewear, as well as carrying out vital risk assessments before any work is due to begin.
Disposal
Safely removing your old insulation is one thing, but it’s just as vital you ensure your old insulation is safely disposed of. As you’d probably expect, old loft or cavity wall insulation isn’t suitable for your regular bin, and will instead require safe and appropriate disposal that should be carried out by a person of experience. Hiring a certified insulation installer to safely and efficiently remove and dispose of your old insulation will guarantee that all safety standards and regulations are met, and your old insulation is removed and disposed of appropriately.
UK Energy Management – Government Insulation Grant (ECO4)
Want to improve your home’s efficiency? At UK Energy Management (NE) Ltd, we’re a national organisation working primarily within the ECO industry delivering funded measures for eligible customers nationwide. The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme allows us to improve energy efficiency to customers through a range of measures that effectively improve the quality of living whilst reducing energy use. Get in touch with us today.
