The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors ( RICS ) have been instructed by the Government to adopt a new and more realistic stance towards homes that feature significant energy and cost saving technology. Such energy efficient measures as solid wall insulation, photovoltaic solar panels and air and ground source heat pumps along with wind turbines.

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Until recently such measures had no real direct impact upon the value of a property in direct opposition to every other type of product or asset which had energy saving and lower running costs reflected in  higher asking prices. Items such as diesel and electric cars cost around 10% to 20% more to buy than a petrol equivalent and similarly an A+ rated boiler costs more than a B rated boiler etc etc .

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The logic of something being more valuable as it has lower running costs is clear and is easy to both explain and to be understood. However, this has not been the case for houses to any recognisable degree even after the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for homes being sold in the last few years. To redress this imbalance and to encourage more people to invest in green technology the Government has ordered the R.I.C.S to re-evaluate their procedures and methods and to reflect the lower running costs and lower maintenance costs in a houses’s market value.

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This should lead to a significant increase in the uptake for solid wall insulation and other worthy green technologies as the homeowner will be able to benefit from ever lower heating bills but also if they do decide to sell up they know the investment they made into their property will be recouped in a higher asking price.

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It will be interesting to see how much of an increase the R.I.C.S come up with but it should be reasonable to assume at least a 5% premium for properties with lower running costs. After all if there are two semis and one has no exterior decorating required with annual heating bills of £600 whilst the other needs painting every 5 years and costs £1200 per year to heat it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out which house will fetch a higher price when sold.

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If you would like to know more about having your solid walls externally insulated and what grants are available please give us a call on

08456 345 866

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The recent announcements by Ed Milliband come from the long awaited Government report into the future energy saving measures the country needs from 2013 onwards to reduce carbon and hit our target obligations.

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The main thrust of the argument is that as cavity and loft fills are all going to be done by 2015 the emphasis should be on the 7.5 million homes that have solid walls and are known as ” hard to heat ” properties. The Government state that the average cost for a standard family home is around £10,000 for external wall insulation and that this considerable sum may lead to homeowners needing some kind of help up front to help pay for the costs.

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So far so good and the idea of help for homeowners has been adopted by a large number of our European counterparts with their Governments giving out grants of 4000 euros upwards to all homweowners undertaking solid wall insulation. UNFORTUNATELY, our Government has decided that the answer to the large capital cost is to encourage homeowners to take out a low interest loan /mortgage spread over 25 to 40 years and lodged against the property as security! This, at a time when we are being encouraged not to borrow and saddle ourselves with long term debts.

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When the house changes hands the new owners are expected to inherit the loan and continue making payments rregardless of whether they intend to keep the insulation or  perhaps extend the home around the original footprint. If the home is extended then the wall insulation with the loan attached is now redundant as it is on an internal wall !!

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For social housing and people on certain benefits the Energy Companies are expected to provide around two thirds of the costs in the form of a grant but again, the balance will be on a loan against the house. Also, rather optimistically the Government do not expect the Energy Companies to pas on their increased costs in the form of higher bills for us all. Considering we all pay a levy already for the far less expensive cavity and loft insulation grants this would seem to be highly unlikely.

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It is still early days yet as the changes are not scheduled to take place until 2013 but we believe that our Government has missed a great opportunity to boost the economy and UK job prospects by not putting up some serious money themselves in the forms of a universal grant to all homeowners . If they matched the German, Scandinavian and Irish Governments with grants of around 50% of the costs it would be of enormous benefit to everyone in our economy.

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It would be nice to hear your take on the recent announcements so please let me know your thoughts.

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A lot of homeowners contact us to ask about the correct thickness of insulation that should be used on the assumption there is an optimum depth they should aim for. The truth of the matter is that many factors play a part in what depth to use and amongst the most common are:

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1. Budget – phenolic boards are the best insulant but are also the most expensive and sometimes an EPS board is a financial compromise

2. Structural constraints - the depth of cills and soffits and the closeness of cast iron soil stacks to the wall can also restrict the depth available

3. Green conscience – for those wanting a recycled wood fibre board the minimum depth is 60mm compared to 20mm EPS

4. Type of finish required – natural lime or a brick slip finish will both add around 15mm extra to a thin render finish

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These are by no means the only issues but should give an idea as to why there is no perfect depth. Whilst the Building Regs Part L1B state as 0.35 u value is desirable for retro fits it also recognises the restrictions present and allows for any depth as long as that depth is the best available for the property given technical and financial restraints.

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As a general guide on a 9 inch solid brick wall a 40mm phenolic will hit 0.44 the same as a 6omm mineral wool or EPS board and a 60mm phenolic will hit 0.29 U value ie a new build standard with a 50mm phenolic hitting 0.35 ie Building Regs gold standard for existing houses.

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For more information or to speak to one of our advisors please call now on 08456 345866

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Whilst every company likes to think it is doing a great job for its customers or clients it is still a huge thrill when those thoughts are endorsed by an external body. In our case the BBC have approached us to ask if they could film us doing a retro fit of external wall insulation to a typical UK property.

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Filming is due to start around the middle of January assuming the current arctic conditions come to an end before then and the resulting footage will be shown on the BBC national news and an article will be placed on their website as well. We understand the feature is to do with what can realistically be done to reduce emissions from a typical solid wall property.

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We feel immensely proud of the fact we were chosen because of our expertise and track record in the field of external wall insulation systems and our work is being showcase in this way by such a prestigious organisation as the BBC.

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Once filming has begun and we have a clearer idea on the weather I will update the blog and let everyone know how things are going and when the relevant footage will be shown on the tv.

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We are frequently asked by local builders and handy D.I.Y home owners if there is any way we can supply the materials to enable them to carry out external insulation on solid walls. We have decided, due to the demand, to provide this service directly to the home owner and local builder.

As external insulation is a specialist job we will firstly discuss with the client the type of property and what their objective is before recommending a suitable system that will successfully work.

We will then supply a full quote including all necessary materials as well as a full set of application instructions and offer a telephone back up service if required.

We intend to cover the most popular insulation render systems including EPS, Phenolic and Mineral Wool with a full range of resin, acrylic or silcate render systems.

For more advice on external wall insulation or to obtain a detailed quote please CALL US NOW on 08456 345866

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External solid wall cladding for insulation purposes is rapidly gaining in popularity as a viable alternative to internal wall insulation.

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It is less intrusive and prevents any possible cold-bridging by enveloping the entire wall surface in a substantial layer of insulation. This not only stops the wall from getting as cold but also greatly reduces the rate at which heat escapes through the walls.

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As we lose more heat – 35% – through the walls than anywhere else the resultant savings in fuel bills and carbon emissions make external wall insulation an affordable option for thousands of homeowners.

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However, unlike internal lining paper it takes an expert professional to properly install solid wall insulation to ensure the property has the correct system applied and the walls are allowed to breathe sufficiently to prevent any damp issues from arising.

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Multiguard Solutions is an experienced installation company that offer a full range of different insulation materials and finishes to ensure we only do what is right for each individual property.

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For genuinely impartial advice on the most suitable system for your home please give us a call on 01908 516366 or email us if you prefer not to speak with one of our advisors at this point.

External Wall Insulation for solid wall properties is becoming increasingly commonplace in the UK but has been successfully used in mainland Europe for almost 3 decades. The majority of UK housing stock is solid wall properties and the growing awareness of CO2 emissions coupled with our ever-increasing energy bills has led to a massive increase in demand for insulation systems. By insulating externally using a range of insulation boards and finishing coats we can greatly cut our carbon footprint whilst saving money on heating costs and increasing our property value.

For more information on these and the many other benefits of External Wall Insulation CLICK HERE

Alternatively please use either the contact page or phone number if you wish to speak to someone in person. We will do our best to answer any questions or arrange a survey if you wish.

External Wall Insulation is a fast growing sector in the UK but has been successfully used in mainland Europe for almost 3 decades. The large number of UK solid wall properties and the growing awareness of CO2 emissions coupled with ever-increasing energy bills has led to a massive increase in demand for insulation systems. By insulating externally using a range of insulation boards and finishing coats we can greatly cut our carbon footprint whilst saving money on heating costs.

For more information on these and the many other benefits of External Wall Insulation CLICK HERE

Alternatively please use either the contact page or phone number if you wish to speak to someone in person. We will do our best to answer your questions or arrange a survey for you if requested.