Cavity wall insulation.

16 October 2017

Cavity Wall Insulation was billed as the great energy saving way to insulate homes and save money. However, a draught has blown through the scheme and it is now looking like CWI has caused more issues than it has solved.

What is CWI?

The idea was that insulation – often wool like or polystyrene balls- would be placed in the cavity wall to reduce heat loss, by preventing heat being transferred from the inside of the property to the outside. The filling of the cavity wall prevents heat loss through conduction.

The potential issues with CWI:- Poorly or incorrectly installed CWI can lead to a number of potential problems, including but not limited to:

Damp

Mould growth

Inability to use rooms

Health problems

Damaged walls and decoration

These issues can arise for a number of reasons but in essence either the CWI has been incorrectly and/or poorly fitted, or the property was not suited to the instalment of CWI in the first place.

What can I claim for?

Below are a number of the “Heads of Loss” you can possibly claim for:-

The cost of the extraction of the CWI

The damage caused by the damp/condensation

The decorating/redecoration costs incurred

The impact on your health i.e. asthma

What do I do next?

Feel free to contact one of our experts if you have had CWI installed and are experiencing any of the above problems.

If possible locate the details of the installer and any guarantee certificate that you were given when the CWI was installed. In addition any contract, business card or additional information you can provide will assist us.

If the installer is no longer trading it is still possible to have the CWI removed via the relevant guarantee scheme however this would impact on your ability to recover damages – the guarantee schemes that were put in place do not cover damages associated with the CWI – this is perhaps, on oversight on the part of Government when the CWI scheme was set up and could be the subject of future litigation… watch this space…

In the meantime if you have suffered any of the above issues, please call Curtis Law on 01254 297130