Insulation was supposed to SAVE us money — but it ruined our homes

Filling cavity walls is part of the Tories’ green dream. But rogue firms cashing in have left up to 2 million houses wrecked and needing repairs

GETTING Britain’s homes insulated is the cornerstone of the Government’s green energy policy and an obsession for road-blocking eco-protesters.

But the scale of damp-related problems linked to cavity wall insulation is so serious that an MP is calling for an independent inquiry to improve protection for householders.

One expert has estimated that up to two million homes may have problems as a result of insulation being pumped into the cavity between outside and inside walls.

In some extreme cases, the resulting problems of damp and mould inside the house have rendered properties worthless and unsellable.

Critics claim victims of botched installations have been ignored and nothing has been done to establish the true number affected by the problems, often caused by incompetent or unsuitable installations.

Fixing cavity wall insulation disasters can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

Over the past 35 years, about eight million homes in the UK have been retrofitted with wall insulation to improve energy efficiency. More than six million of these were done under the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA) scheme, providing a 25-year guarantee for the work.

Although properly installing suitable wall insulation in an appropriate property does reduce heat loss, thousands have blamed insulating wall cavities for triggering mould and damp inside.

More than 34,000 people have tried to claim for corrective work under the CIGA scheme, with only a small percentage accepted as ‘justified’.

Rejected claims are usually blamed on the lifestyle of residents or poor property maintenance, rather than on the negligence of installers.

Chris Elmore, Labour MP for Ogmore in South Wales, says action needs to be taken to help householders.

MR ELMORE adds: ‘I have long called for fundamental reforms to be undertaken by the Government ... to ensure that people have the protection they expect and deserve. The Government must initiate an independent inquiry into the way cavity wall insulation complaints have been handled, to determine the scale of the problem and find resolution for people affected.’

Problems arise when rain penetrates the outer wall and the insulation material can transfer water across the cavity to the interior. Debris can also enable the cavity to be bridged, while gaps in the insulation create cold spots with increased condensation inside. The result is mould, damp and damage to internal walls.

Over the years, governments have failed to set up a register or conduct surveys to accurately establish the number of homes with problems linked to cavity wall insulation.

But a leading industry expert who has advised the Government has estimated that 20pc to 25pc of retrofitted homes — up to two million in total — could have problems of some sort. Other estimates within the industry have put the figure at three million.

Experts say that only homes not overexposed to the elements and with exterior walls in good condition, with a proper dampproof course, should be considered suitable for this work, and ideally a survey should be carried out first.

But with government green energy grants fuelling demand, cowboy installers have carried out work on numerous unsuitable properties. The result has been the birth of a new industry of tradesmen paid to extract insulation from inside walls.

Damian Mercer runs a Lancashirebased company with eight staff that specialises in extracting botched cavity wall insulation — and he’s busier than ever.

He says ‘standard’ jobs cost about £3,500 but it can cost £65,000 to remove some insulation that solidifies, as the outer wall needs to be dismantled.

He says: ‘Installers are not policed and have never been policed. When an installer goes on site, he has to do a due diligence check. They drill holes in the wall, look at the condition of the building and check the cavity and if there is rubble inside. They should walk away if there is a problem.

‘But they are paid by the square metre — and if they fill it and get paid, and five years later damp manifests itself, they will say: “It’s nothing to do with us”.’

Mr Mercer says many of his customers have had applications to CIGA for work to correct damprelated problems rejected on spurious grounds.

He says: ‘Drying too much washing on the line, too many boiled potatoes and steam from cooking going into the cavity are all excuses CIGA have told customers.

It’s laughable. They blame the lifestyle of residents rather than failings by the installer.’

Mr Mercer says green energy grants for social housing have made the problem worse, as residents often don’t have the funds to maintain properties in good condition to avoid rainwater infiltrating walls.

Pauline Saunders set up the campaign group Cavity Insulation Victims’ Alliance (Civalli) after suffering damp inside her home in Newport, South Wales.

Five neighbours had the same issue with damp, and she discovered that exposure to rainfall meant the properties were unsuitable for the work.

She says the Government’s green energy drive could make the problems worse.

‘What concerns us is that the Government is under pressure to cut carbon emissions and they are pushing this like crazy,’ she says.

‘There will be a lot of cowboys jumping on the bandwagon to do the work.’

SHE adds: ‘People need to do their research first because we know the Government is turning a blind eye to the problem, as it doesn’t fit in with their message.’

If repairs are not carried out under the guarantee scheme, or the original installer