Attic Insulation

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1hibernia

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I am looking for some advice on using SEAI and getting grant for insulating my attic. Is it better to just buy the insulation and get somebody to insulate for me or is it better to go down the road of applying to SEAI and having registered builder to do job and then get grant. I am just asking as I was told the registered insulation company might charge multiples of what I would normally be charged as they know I am getting grant. I would really appreciate any advice on this matter as we are living in an old house that badly needs insulation.

Kind Regards
Mary
 
For what it's worth, I applied through An Post back at the beginning of February for a top up of attic insulation and some raised flooring of same. They came and measured, etc, got an unofficial quote a few weeks later, paid my deposit. Contacted them many times after that and eventually got an official quote at the beginning of September. There was a mistake in their quote because I had given them €750 deposit but their quotation showed my deposit of only €500. Despite 3 emails and a phone call I have heard nothing since. I would do the insulation part myself but cannot get the discount off the insulation if I do it myself. The total job of 105 sq mtrs of 200 mm fibreglass and 35 sq mtrs of raised attic flooring is costing aprox €4,500.00 inclusive of grants, etc. At this stage I think I'd do just as well pricewise by simply getting someone to do it for me and forgetting about the grant entirely. Very frustrating indeed. Make what you want of all that.
 
It would be worth trying to get some quotes from providers not participating in the SEAI scheme to compare. The maximum grant available for attic insulation alone is €1,500 for a detached house, are the registered providers bumping costs by more than that?
 
Leo said:
It would be worth trying to get some quotes from providers not participating in the SEAI scheme to compare. The maximum grant available for attic insulation alone is €1,500 for a detached house, are the registered providers bumping costs by more than that?
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Hate to say it, but the contractors on the list are certainly creaming it. Everyone's entitled to good pay and all that but it's absolutely ridiculous that householders aren't allowed to buy the attic insulation themselves and be given the money off it if they fit it themselves. Exterior insulation and plumbing is a different job entirely and expertise is required.
 
noproblem said:
Everyone's entitled to good pay and all that but it's absolutely ridiculous that householders aren't allowed to buy the attic insulation themselves and be given the money off it if they fit it themselves.
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The grants are aimed at people who can't DIY, to reduce the payback period to something that makes financial sense to them. Labour accounts for the bulk of the cost. If you're capable of DIYing it, why sit around throwing money away while hoping for a grant?

I'd love grants for DIY jobs, but who's signing off on the quality of those though? Or whether the work was done in the first place?
 
As stated above the grant process and associated elevated prices from the approved Vendors are not worth the hassle IMO.
I fitted a new hetaing system, some new windows, all internals walls insulated, Attic spray foamed out of my own pocket in the space of a couple of months. In & out.
I'd do the same way again.
 
Horatio said:
As stated above the grant process and associated elevated prices from the approved Vendors are not worth the hassle IMO.
I fitted a new hetaing system, some new windows, all internals walls insulated, Attic spray foamed out of my own pocket in the space of a couple of months. In & out.
I'd do the same way again.
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Can you compare the cost of doing it as you did against getting it done through the One Stop Shop system? I'm in the earliest stage of the process and the unofficial estimate for full retrofit is huge, between 75k and 100k. It's a frightening cost. Waiting for written estimate before I decide whether or not to pay for HEA.
 
Sorry no I can't but if you go to the open market and get open market quotes you'll see pretty quick what the delta is.

Also take into account the time and head melt you'll need to endure as well as the widely reported waiting times when dealing with the one stop shops. That's a cost too. Your time is valuable, your peace of mind is valuable.
 
If people are just looking for attic insulation, just go for the attic insulation grant with a larger pool of approved providers. The one stop shops are intended for deep retrofits, they may take on one off jobs, but they will prioritise the retrofits.
 
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