Whats the catch?

[JD_975]

Today some one called at my house to offer `free loft insulation`, now I`m sure you have all had these people round as have I and normally they are dispatched post hast however I was not in when they called and my girlfriend has let them do an `assessment`.

Apparently our loft insulation is below spec (it probably is, most of the work done previously to the house has been so far!) and even though we do not claim any benefits this company is still able to fit new loft insulation free of charge under a government backed scheme.

I`m not buying any of this jazz, and I`m well aware nothing is free however they have made the appointment to fit the loft insulation, left a carbon copy of the agreement to fit for free and an assurance there will be no cost incurred by ourselves, this is the website for the people who called www.re-ef.co.uk, it all looks legit but I cant get my head around why people are going around doing something for free!

[John h]

Funded through a number of organisations, if you look on the dot gov site you may be able to find which income stream they are using, round here N Power and Eon are doing it for free, they get the money from Energy something etc

[shokenore]

The catch is you have to empty your loft....

[JD_975]

Funded through a number of organisations, if you look on the dot gov site you may be able to find which income stream they are using, round here N Power and Eon are doing it for free, they get the money from Energy something etc

Yeah thats pretty much the jist of the information they have left, I`m sceptical by nature and given a struggling country I find it hard to believe the best use of tax payers money is to insulate my loft for free!

The catch is you have to empty your loft....

This I had not bore into consideration, my loft hatch is so small I nearly had to dislocate my shoulders to get in last time and vowed never again! Cant they just insulate over everything?

[Dodge]

Cant they just insulate over everything?

[Wolfracer]

If the loft hatch is too small, they will charge you for fitting a proper sized one, said one of my customers...
They can only insulate empty lofts said another.

B&q sell "top up" loft insulation @£3.00 a roll (same gov subsidy scheme i think)....if you want to do it yourself.

[JD_975]

It`s been up there undisturbed for years so clearly I dont need it lol

[PM0077]

The catch is you have to empty your loft....

I'd be a tad worried that was what they were planning on doing, along with the rest of the house

Paul

[JD_975]

If the loft hatch is too small, they will charge you for fitting a proper sized one, said one of my customers...
They can only insulate empty lofts said another.

B&q sell "top up" loft insulation @£3.00 a roll (same gov subsidy scheme i think)....if you want to do it yourself.

They are not charging me for sod all! If it`s too small send a child up there!

I`m waiting on the catch, the we can do it and you will only have to pay.... X amount thing, if I`d been in the house when they called they would have found themselves waiting beside the various religious groups that have decided my soul needs saving!

[Wolfracer]

They are not charging me for sod all! If it`s too small send a child up there!

With minature rolls of insulation as well?

[JD_975]

With minature rolls of insulation as well?

The first lot who insulated it must have managed lol

[Wolfracer]

The first lot who insulated it must have managed lol

That was before Health and Safety existed...

When I get sales calls asking "who deals with your H&S (bearing in mind I am a sole trader) I always reply "Health and Safety? I do not use any in my company, sorry!"
seems to do the trick...!

Seriously though, its worth pursuing just to see if you can get some free insulation. It does make a big difference of you've got very little up there at the moment.

[smurfL6]

Make sure it is rolls of insulation they are using...In our old house we signed up to a similar free Gov scheme, along came van full of burly chaps dragged a huge hose through the house and up the stairs, me in my young niave (cant spell) way thought it was a ventilation pipe for those doing the work. I left them to it. Hubby came home from work that evening asked how it went, I replied all done no mess. He went up to inspect the work and was greeted with 2 foot of shredded paper type substance which had been pumped into the loft ( Covering his boxes of Lp's and other junk he'd stacked in the corner out the way).
Made the loft unusable for any type of storage also every time you opened the hatch it rained paper in the hall.

[JD_975]

Seriously though, its worth pursuing just to see if you can get some free insulation. It does make a big difference of you've got very little up there at the moment.

If the general consensus is to go with it and it`s a proper thing then I suppose I may as well let them go ahead, I`ll see if I can get a day off work to oversee the on-goings though, God only knows what my better half will be signed up for next!

Make sure it is rolls of insulation they are using...In our old house we signed up to a similar free Gov scheme, along came van full of burly chaps dragged a huge hose through the house and up the stairs, me in my young niave (cant spell) way thought it was a ventilation pipe for those doing the work. I left them to it. Hubby came home from work that evening asked how it went, I replied all done no mess. He went up to inspect the work and was greeted with 2 foot of shredded paper type substance which had been pumped into the loft ( Covering his boxes of Lp's and other junk he'd stacked in the corner out the way).
Made the loft unusable for any type of storage also every time you opened the hatch it rained paper in the hall.

Really!?!? On the plus side to that my guinea pig would have a field day up there lol

[Predictable Bob]

Keep posting - I may follow up on this ...

By coincidence Jackie and I spent Sunday clearing out our loft - we managed about a third of it (And it was the easiest third at that !) but if we actually finish it then we might see what they can do for us.

Pound to a penny we're ineligible cos we work for a living or some such sh!t !