Testimonials

Free Loft Insulation

Chris Hirst from Thornes was delighted to receive free loft insulation through Wakefield Council’s Low Carbon Communities scheme. He bought his home over two years ago and has always been keen to find ways to reduce his fuel consumption.

Chris is a qualified dispensary optician and works for a national company training employees all over the UK. The busy nature of his work usually means that necessary home improvements tend to be put on the back burner.

‘Getting loft insulation was something I knew needed doing’ explained Chris. ‘When I bought the house, the energy performance certificate indicated that the level of insulation needed improving.  I was eventually going to do it myself, so the chance of getting it installed for free was fantastic.’



Chris first heard about Wakefield Low Carbon Communities when he received a leaflet in the post. ‘It didn’t look like the usual junk mail I usually get as it had the council’s logo on it. I read it over and it seemed pretty genuine. At first I thought that I wouldn’t qualify.’

A few days later Chris was contacted over the doorstep by an assessor who provided further information on the scheme. ‘I was very happy to speak to the assessor and find out more. He was very professional and explained everything clearly. We spoke about the other elements of the project, but I was mainly interested in the free insulation. The whole thing seemed straight forward and legitimate so I decided to go for it.’

Chris was reassured that Wakefield Council was backing the project. ‘Having the council involved gives the scheme more legitimacy. Also you tend to trust a project that is backed by a council. If someone else was delivering the scheme, I think I would have probably done a bit of research into the company to check whether they were genuine or not. With the council you feel confident that the work will be carried out professionally.’

Chris’s house is quite an old building with thick solid stone walls, so wasn’t suitable for cavity wall insulation. ‘A surveyor came round and had a look in the loft and saw that there was only a little bit of insulation. He told me that they could top it up and that by installing a thicker layer would help reduce the homes heat loss considerably.’

An installation date was arranged. ‘I asked my parents to come over as I had to work the day they fitted the insulation. They told me that the installers were really efficient and polite and worked really hard. When I got home the house was immaculate, you would not have known that they had been there. A couple of weeks later another surveyor came out to do a quality check, which I was also impressed with.’

Following the installation Chris has noticed a big difference in his house. ‘I’ve have experienced two winters in my home so could make a really good comparison. The first winter without the insulation, I was turning the heating up really high and leaving it on for ages. But last winter I actually turned my central heating down, as the house was much warmer. Although I have changed my Gas supplier recently, I am confident that the insulation has helped reduce my fuel costs, as they have dropped considerably.’

Chris feels that more people seem to be making a greater commitment to saving energy. ‘I think is good that people are starting to change their life styles. I wouldn’t say that I am particularly green, but I do feel it make sense to save energy. People recycle now and use their own shopping bags when going to the supermarket. That’s something you wouldn’t have seen 4 to 5 years ago. People seem more environmentally aware nowadays.’

Following his experience with Wakefield Low Carbon Communities, Chris now encourages other Wakefield residents to reap the benefits of home insulation. ‘I would highly recommend this scheme. If anyone ever asks me I would just say go for it! The fact that it is available to everyone regardless of their circumstances means that people who would usually not be eligible can now benefit. Also from a green perspective, a lot of people will get insulation installed who probably wouldn’t have considered it. I pay my taxes and as a single bloke living on my own I tend not to get anything back for it. So it’s nice to get something. It’s a great idea and I feel privileged to have been involved.’

For more information on Wakefield Low Carbon Communities contact 0800 408 1578.