Cavity Wall Insulation???

**tartanyorkie** · 08-Dec-09, 12:17

Has anyone had these people round saying they were working for Highland Council? They came a while ago, insisting on looking in my loft and drilling a hole in the wall. They were coming back to do the cavity wall and I got a phone call last week saying they would be here yesterday, any time from 8 o clock. No one turned up so by late afternoon I called the council, and found out even if you ring Thurso you get someone from Alness answering now. Anyway, the person that answered told me it was nothing to do with Highland Council and to ring the telephone number on the letter I had, she assured me it would not be a con but would say nothing else. I rang the firm who were supposed to be doing it as could not find the letter but remembered the name. There was no answer there so could not do anything. My son then arrived home, he had been talking to someone who had told him that the cavity wall insulation had been postponed as Highland Council could not get funding. I am now totally confused, who rang me to say they were coming yesterday? If it is nothing to do with Highland Council who said they could drill a hole in the wall in the side of the house to see if we needed cavity wall insulation? Why was I not told things were postponed instead of having me waiting all day for nothing? Why is nothing straightforward and simple with Highland Council?

**EDDIE** · 08-Dec-09, 12:52

There was a program on the telly not that long ago about people getting there cavity walls insulted the propery and area has to be surveyed first before doing the jobs not every house is suitable depending on th moisture in the air were u live u can do more harm than good in insulating.

**tartanyorkie** · 08-Dec-09, 13:28

Thank you. This gets stranger, I was already suspicious as last year I was told the house did not need cavity wall insulation and the two rough looking Glaswegians insisted on drilling a hole in the wall to find out why and although I said the loft had been done they insisted on looking. I have just had a phone call from the company who are doing it for the Highland Council. They said they never rang me or booked the job in. Now I did not dream this, I definetely remember it was an 0150 number that rang me as I always look to see if I recognise the number when someone rings. I am getting on a bit but am not so bad as to make things up out of nowhere yet. The list of calls received is deleted from the phone but wonder if you can get a list of received calls from BT just to assure me I am not going senile and to find out who rang to say they were coming out to do my cavity walls. My brother in law did have the same letter as we did last week which did not look very official to me. I hope he has still got it as it looks like some sort of scam is going on.

**igglepiggle** · 08-Dec-09, 13:46

There are a few people going round our area just now, they have a Zafira with home insulation written on it, they are wearing red jackets, i am not sure if they are the same company that you have dealings with. We got our walls done this year, there was no insulation in our extension what so ever when we bought our house, and finially got it in this year, it makes a big difference! I cant remember who the company was that we dealt with, but the rep was from inverness, and the men who done the work was from glasgow.

**Phill** · 08-Dec-09, 13:51

Best bet is to phone the old bill and trading standards.

Either of them will know if there any cons like this going about.

TBH, it sounds like a council cockup. They'll sub these things out to contractors who in turn may sub it out again. It's based on grants and funding which is getting cut like hell right now.

Part of the process to determine if cavity wall insulation will / can work is to determine the size of the cavity i.e. drill a wee hole in yer wall.

**tartanyorkie** · 08-Dec-09, 14:00

The thing is, I would like cavity wall insulation. The person who rang me last week said they were doing it for Highland Council but when I complained that no one turned up ,the firm that do work for Highland Council denied contacting me. As this is a council house I want to know who is doing it, who authorises it and who is paying for it before anyone sets foot anywhere near here. I rang Thurso, got put straight through to Alness and the person I spoke to would not commit herself to anything. That is what is frustrating and have made myself look a plank now by complaining that someone from the insulating firm made an appointment then never arrived and they deny ever contacting me. I thought if you were going senile you forgot things not imagined conversations that never happened.

**Hoida** · 08-Dec-09, 14:06

Originally Posted by tartanyorkie

Thank you. This gets stranger, I was already suspicious as last year I was told the house did not need cavity wall insulation and the two rough looking Glaswegians insisted on drilling a hole in the wall to find out why and although I said the loft had been done they insisted on looking. I have just had a phone call from the company who are doing it for the Highland Council. They said they never rang me or booked the job in. Now I did not dream this, I definetely remember it was an 0150 number that rang me as I always look to see if I recognise the number when someone rings. I am getting on a bit but am not so bad as to make things up out of nowhere yet. The list of calls received is deleted from the phone but wonder if you can get a list of received calls from BT just to assure me I am not going senile and to find out who rang to say they were coming out to do my cavity walls. My brother in law did have the same letter as we did last week which did not look very official to me. I hope he has still got it as it looks like some sort of scam is going on.

O1505 is a Johnstone number and the Highland coucil used to use a firm from that area to cut the grass at the road side,so maybe that might help

**Phill** · 08-Dec-09, 14:10

This may be of some help:

http://www.highland.gov.uk/businessi...ice/grants.htm

**achingale** · 08-Dec-09, 16:29

It is certainly well woth getting done.

**pat** · 08-Dec-09, 17:46

The folk going around with red jackets on are the folk doing a survey to find out how many houses require more insulation - think it is a government survey as folk in the north spend more on heating.

The folk in red jackets will definitely not be drilling holes in walls, have taken part in the survey over a week ago, the result of my survey is going to be posted out in about 2 weeks.
Luckily I knew one of the folk doing the survey or I definitely would not have considered answering their questions. It was a day I would not have put my dogs out was so windy and rainy, survey was meant to be conducted on the doorstep - ferries were not sailing! The people who planned the survey did not obviously consider our Highland/Islands winds, rain etc.

If you are offered cavity wall insulation by the council - please take it, cavity wall has made such a difference since we put it in a few years ago - saved the money it cost in a couple of years.

**Cupcake** · 08-Dec-09, 18:46

contary to a few of this posts the "glaswegian" people apparantley going to house holders offering insulation are not to be confused with the people in red jackets which are from the HOME INSULATION SCHEME which is a goverment funded scheme with the energy saving trust who actulay offer great advice on energy saving and also if you come under the right criteria you get a loft insulation top up at no cost.i got a visit from one of the "red coats" recently and i found it very interesting what advice they had on energy saving tips plus i will be receiving my loft top up at no cost.so if i were you i would welcome the HOME INSULATION SCHEME with open arms.

**pat** · 08-Dec-09, 19:08

Would agree with you Cupcake - hope we qualify for something when report comes through the door.

Home Insulation Scheme are the folks in red jackets doing the survey - will not cost you anything. They will not be doing any work just asking questions and trying to help you cut fuel bills, add insulations and make you more aware of what help there is out there to keep the energy in your home and cut bills too.
The scheme is targeting every household in every Home Insulation Scheme area so they will be knocking on your door - the ones in Western Isles are working until 8pm.

**taffy** · 08-Dec-09, 22:11

The people in red jackets are doing a great job and are only out to help people. In all kinds of weather they trundle from door to door so please listen to what they have to say it costs nothing to be polite.

**sharona** · 08-Dec-09, 22:25

Insted of red jackets straight jackets lol

**tartanyorkie** · 09-Dec-09, 11:50

This gets better. Further to my getting a phone call yesterday saying that there was no job booked in to do and Highland Council did not have funding to pay for the job, two men turned up this morning to do it. I told them I had been told the job was not being done until next year which surprised them . It also transpired that because we have solid fuel we need a five inch hole drilling which I am not happy about as we have enough draughts with this so called double glazing. The vent would also be noisy and as I was not the only one querying what was going on the men went to find a phonebox!! They have now disappeared. I rang the company they work for and somehow, between last night and this morning, Highland Council have now got funding. However, as they have now disappeared off the face of the earth, it does not matter, lol.

**rs 2k** · 11-Dec-09, 03:15

We had the 2 people round a couple of weeks ago and they booked us in for loft insulation over the phone while talking to me, it was booked for thurs 10th dec in the afternoon, i stayed in all day and no-one came

**tartanyorkie** · 11-Dec-09, 12:06

I think there was something fishy going on there. I never had anything from Highland Council to tell me they were authorised to do anything and which firm would be doing it. They soon scarpered on the pretense of looking for a phone box when I and a couple of others would not let them do anything without word from the council ie. drill a 5 inch hole in the wall! I have not heard a word from anyone since despite contacting the council housing and property services about this. You would think someone would say whether or not they were bogus. The name on the van was EAGA.

**tiggertoo** · 11-Dec-09, 23:05

ILM who are based in alness,pattersons from glasgow area also do cavity wall insulation in this area but not so much now as have let many customers down, they cover a large area, eaga is who they are registered with to be able to do this work, there is RDI services who are based in thurso who also do loft and cavity wall insulation and probably more reliable seein there local, and i will say that havin your loft insulated more and walls done does make a differance to your home and you should notice a reduction in your heating bills and theres grants available,you could even be eligable to get it for free if not its not as expensive as you think, ive had mine done by RDI and a fine job done

**ShelleyCowie** · 12-Dec-09, 00:37

I had people at my door a few weeks ago doing a survey for my insulation. I was a bit sceptical but let them continue, the woman made an appointment for them to come check the levels of insulation in my attic, they never showed.

**Bobinovich** · 12-Dec-09, 01:16

Originally Posted by tartanyorkie

I think there was something fishy going on there. I never had anything from Highland Council to tell me they were authorised to do anything and which firm would be doing it. They soon scarpered on the pretense of looking for a phone box when I and a couple of others would not let them do anything without word from the council ie. drill a 5 inch hole in the wall! I have not heard a word from anyone since despite contacting the council housing and property services about this. You would think someone would say whether or not they were bogus. The name on the van was EAGA.

According to this website EAGA are managing the Government's energy efficiency drive, so it looks like they were kosher.