First, a brief summary
In recent years, the world has started to realize that climate change is not something that can be swept under the rug and ignored - it is in fact a real problem that needs to be treated. So, on the 11th December 1997 in Kyoto Japan, the Kyoto Protocol was introduced. This was an agreement between 37 industrialized countries (including the UK) to reduce and stabilize harmful greenhouse gases. On 16 February 2005, the Kyoto Protocol entered were set to reduce emissions an "average of five percent against 1990 levels over the five-year period from 2008 to 2012" in full force and goals.
In recent years, the world has started to realize that climate change is not something that can be swept under the rug and ignored - it is in fact a real problem that needs to be treated. So, on the 11th December 1997 in Kyoto Japan, the Kyoto Protocol was introduced. This was an agreement between 37 industrialized countries (including the UK) to reduce and stabilize harmful greenhouse gases. On 16 February 2005, the Kyoto Protocol entered were set to reduce emissions an "average of five percent against 1990 levels over the five-year period from 2008 to 2012" in full force and goals.
In 2008, the British government decided to go a step further and announced an ambitious goal of reducing the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, in an attempt to combat climate change.
But what has all this to do with your roof insulation? Well ...
... It is to do everything with CERT
The government is committed to the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 80% in 2050. One of their plans to do this was to introduce CERT - the "Carbon Emissions Reduction Target" was brought into force in August 2008. It obliges energy suppliers to take measures to ensure that the amount of CO2 emissions will be reduced from our homes last. Or put it this way, the big six energy companies (British Gas, EDF, E.ON, Npower, SSE and Scottish Power) have to put their hands in your pocket, so your home more energy efficient. If they do not, they have some pretty heavy fines. And it just so happens that loft and cavity wall insulation, the fastest, easiest and cheapest way for the big 6, this is done - and it is much cheaper than paying the fines for them.
A simple way to understand it is like this. The big six money into a big pot, and if you equipped your insulation, the installer puts his hand in the pot and takes the money to pay for the installation. It does not cost a dime.
How long will it take?
In the past, only those receiving certain benefits were entitled to get their insulation for totally free - some were able to get grants to cover part of the cost, others would pay the full amount in order to save money on their electricity bill. But at the time of this writing, everyone is entitled to free loft insulation if they currently have little or no insulation in their attic, and everyone can free their cavity walls insulated, if they do not already isolated.
Policy and state regulations do not change all the time, so the best advice is do not do it out - book an energy survey to find out if your house is suitable. If so, you could save up to £ 310 per year in energy costs.
Sounds too good to be true? Now you know why....
