Tesco Home Insulation Service
Got a question?
Please see below for a list of our most frequently asked questions.
If you still need help, please contact us.
Q. Is the assessment free and unconditional?
Q. How much will it cost me?
Q. Are there any additional costs?
Q. How much will I save?
Q. If I live in Ireland or the Scottish Islands can I have insulation installed through Tesco?
Q. How is cavity wall insulation installed?
Q. How is loft insulation installed?
Q. What type of material is used in the loft/cavity wall insulation?
Q. My property was built before 1935. Can I still have the cavity wall insulation installed?
Q. I have a semi-detached/terraced house. Can I have cavity wall insulation? Will it affect the neighbour´s property?
Q. I have a flat. Can I have cavity wall insulation?
Q. I have a small roof space, can I still have loft insulation installed?
Q. Can I put boards down over the 10 inches of loft insulation after the work is done?
Q. My builder told me not to have cavity wall insulation because it will cause damp problems, is this true?
Q. How will my airbricks or vents be affected by cavity wall insulation?
Q. My property suffers from condensation which causes mould growth; will cavity wall insulation stop this?
Q. I have a very small loft hatch, is it still possible to install loft insulation?
Q. I have bats in my loft. Can I still install loft insulation?
Q. My roof is off at the moment, and the loft can be insulated from the outside only. There´s no internal access. Can I still insulate my loft?
Q. Is the assessment free and unconditional?
Yes!
Q. How much will it cost me?
Installing loft and cavity wall insulation will cost just £198 per measure. If you are over 70 or in receipt of benefits you can have loft and cavity wall insulation installed for free!
Q. Are there any additional costs?
No charges will be incurred without your approval.
Additional charges will apply for the following items and these will generally be advised by the assessor:
- Extra meterage - If your property exceeds a maximum meterage there will be an additional charge of £5 per m2 for the area above the maximum allowed for your property type
- Core vents - If you are having cavity wall insulation installed there may be a requirement to fit a ventilator (known as a core vent) in an external wall to provide adequate airflow into any room containing certain types of heating appliances (all solid fuel appliances, gas fires above 7kW, and oil appliances above 5kW).
- Walkways - If you are having loft insulation installed and there are any cold water tanks or other fitted appliances in the loft space a walkway will need to be constructed to allow access since loft insulation will be laid to a minimum level of 250mm which will completely cover the joists. The cost of the walkway will be charged at £5 per metre.
- Loft ventilation - If you are having loft insulation installed additional ventilation may be required in some circumstances to avoid the potential for condensation problems in the loft space. There are many different types of ventilation that can be fitted into lofts and the assessor will determine if additional ventilation is required and the installer will confirm the cost to the customer before installation takes place.
- Pipework insulation - All pipework situated in the loft space must be adequately insulated to prevent potential problems with freezing and the first 20m of pipework is included as part of the job. There is an additional charge of £3.00 per metre only where there is more than 20m of pipework.
- Water tank insulation - Insulation to the first two water tanks situated in loft spaces is included as part of the job and there is an additional charge of £10.00 for each extra tank above the first two.
- Extra wide cavities - Most cavities are between 50mm-65mm wide but in some rare cases a property may have extra wide cavities which will clearly take more insulation material to fill so there are additional charges where that is the case and these will be priced individually depending on the width of the cavity
- Scaffolding - All installers will carry some access equipment where it is required to overcome obstructions such as conservatories when carrying out cavity wall insulation but in some cases the only safe method of accessing certain parts of properties may be by using scaffolding and, where that is considered necessary, the installer will advise of the additional costs.
Q. How much will I save?
You can expect to save up to £365 through the installation of loft and cavity wall insulation. Loft insulation saves about 25% of your heat loss or on average £205 per year on your fuel bills. Cavity wall insulation saves about 35% of your heat loss or on average £160 per year on your fuels bills.
Q. If I live in Ireland or the Scottish Islands can I have insulation installed through Tesco?
The Tesco Home Insulation Service is currently only available in mainland Great Britain and the Isle of Wight. Tesco plans to extend the coverage of the service to include Ireland and the Scottish islands in the new year. If you live in Ireland or the Scottish islands and have applied/would like to apply, Tesco is currently registering all enquiries and will be in touch when they can service your enquiry.
Q. How is cavity wall insulation installed?
The installers drill holes in the walls of your home from the outside about 1.5m apart in all directions. They then gently blow the material into the cavity which is usually a 50mm-75mm gap between the walls. For further information read our Guide to Insulation.
Q. How is loft insulation installed?
Loft insulation is laid to building regulations standards, cross-hatched, firstly between the joists and then over them at right angles up to 270mm (approx 11"). For further information read our Guide to Insulation.
Q. What type of material is used in the loft/cavity wall insulation?
Most installers under the Tesco Home Insulation Service use mineral wool or glass fibre. Some may also use Bonded bead (white polystyrene beads) and Urea formaldehyde foam (white foam) However you can discuss the type of material with the assessor when he visits. Greener, sustainably manufactured insulation materials are available but do incur additional costs - please advise us upon application or during your assessment and we will discuss the greener options available to you and the additional costs.
Q. My property was built before 1935. Can I still have the cavity wall insulation installed?
In most cases properties built before 1935 do not have a suitable cavity to accept insulation, however, it can be possible and there are instances where cavity walls have been found in properties built before 1935. The installer´s surveyor will assess the suitability of your property during a free no obligation survey.
Q. I have a semi-detached/terraced house. Can I have cavity wall insulation? Will it affect the neighbour´s property?
Yes we can insulate your walls; a special brush is used to prevent insulation spilling into your neighbour´s cavities so they are not affected.
Q. I have a flat. Can I have cavity wall insulation?
Some flats are just like houses, so they are possible to do. However, in order to complete a job on flats, all the walls need to be filled. This means that all of the residents in the block will also have to agree to the work. N.B tower blocks, custom built flats with metal frames and flats where access problems are an issue are not normally possible.
Q. I have a small roof space, can I still have loft insulation installed?
Through the Tesco Home Insulation Service our installers can only install loft insulation if your loft space is a minimum of 1.5 metres high due to health and safety, and practicality issues.
Q. Can I put boards down over the 10 inches of loft insulation after the work is done?
No, it is not a good idea to compress the material. This is because it is not the material that insulates your home, but the air that it traps. Compressing the material will reduce its ability to reduce heat loss.
Q. My builder told me not to have cavity wall insulation because it will cause damp problems, is this true?
Modern cavity wall insulation is treated with a water resistant coating to avoid water passing from the outside wall across the cavity to the inside wall therefore the inside wall will remain dry. The Cavity Wall Insulation comes with a 25 year guarantee with CIGA to protect you against any defects.
Q. How will my airbricks or vents be affected by cavity wall insulation?
The installers will put sleeves around any airbricks or vents to ensure that the insulation does not disrupt the flow of air.
Q. My property suffers from condensation which causes mould growth; will cavity wall insulation stop this?
If your property suffers from condensation and you have mould growth on the walls, installing cavity wall insulation will help to alleviate this problem. If you have rising or penetrating damp it would be advisable to have this problem corrected before the cavity wall insulation is installed.
Q. I have a very small loft hatch, is it still possible to install loft insulation?
Your loft hatch may need to be enlarged to enable the contractor to install the insulation. The installer may be able to provide you with a quote for the additional cost for this work.
Q. I have bats in my loft. Can I still install loft insulation?
Unfortunately, bats are an endangered species and our installers are unable to carry out insulation when bats are in residence. Please contact either English Nature 01733 455 000 or the Countryside Council for Wales 08451 306 229 who will be able to guide you in this matter.
Q. My roof is off at the moment, and the loft can be insulated from the outside only. There´s no internal access. Can I still install loft insulation?
Unfortunately the installers are not allowed to do lofts that do not have internal access.