Hi,

I've started a project to get maybe as many as 100 local houses' lofts topped up to building regs L levels of insulation for free, before the winter and before CERT expires.

We're starting a pilot run on Saturday with the support of a local councillor amongst others (working with Transition Town Kingston and "One Norbiton" http://www.onenorbiton.org.uk/) with the aim of knocking on enough doors to get 10 lofts insulated in August-ish.

If that all goes well then our aim is to do maybe 100 over the next month with any lessons needed from the pilot.

Though I really like PV (and TTK is also working on a community PV scheme) I think that the carbon/comfort/money bang-for-the-buck of using some of this CERT funding will win hands down.

I expect one of the primary problems to be getting people to clear their lofts, but we'll see.

Rgds

Damon

PS. I'll be doing the write-up here: http://www.earth.org.uk/mass-loft-insulation.html

Not me: I'm neither appropriately insured nor very handy. That's what gets called a "risk assessment" these days I think... B^>

No, under CERT trained grown-ups will come and do it all for free so I don't have the pleasure of falling through someone's ceiling...

Rgds

Damon

Well, I'm still waiting to find the fatal flaw in my reasoning, so here's hoping it all goes to plan! B^>

I do urge everyone (covered by CERT) on GBF to help neighbours and friends take advantage of these offers: energy companies are in some cases offering cash on top of doing the work they are so desperate to meet targets, and getting lofts done is unglamorous but in general cheap and easy and pretty "green" I'd say.

See this for example: http://www.which.co.uk/energy/creating-an-energy-saving-home/guides/energy-grants/free-insulation-deals/

Rgds

Damon

Yes, well, I do expect that factor to be a significant hurdle for our efforts, really I do! B^>

Luckily we've found Freecycle/Freegle and the temptation to hoard is reduced since something of value can be given a good home rather than thrown away, just not in *my* home! But I doubt that we have time to convert people to that while on their doorstep on Saturday somehow.

Good on your parents!

Rgds

Damon

Put an add in Freecycle, bet there are loads of shed full of it.

Well, we did our pilot run today and got 9 addresses to go to survey and possible install against a target of 10.

My VERY rough estimate is that for each loft that goes to survey we need:

* 1 hour of someone's time knocking on doors
* 5 survey forms
* 10 doors knocked on

That should inform our planning if we want to get 100 lofts done on the next round! But it still looks doable.

I haven't fully analysed the form responses yet, though I've done some of it. At this stage, even though (a) it's a small sample and (b) not administered scientifically, and though there were more 'done' lofts than I expected, it still looks to be < 50% treatable lofts definitely done, contrary to DECC's figures as I understand them and more in line with some independent estimates that I've seen. BUT small sample. A full run will give us better numbers that we can pass on to DECC.

Rgds

Damon

The aim of this is to have it all done on CERT money, by the NIA-registered installers, without us ever having to worry about or even see the money. (Though loft clearing, etc, may incur some real-money costs.)

Rgds

Damon