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General: Free EWI - what questions to ask?

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthorjimofwales
    • CommentTimeSep 10th 2012
     
    I have been offered completely free EWI by a local installer. The work is being fully funded under a combination of CERT and CESP (the latter because I live in a LSOA – lower super output area). I work in the energy efficiency/Microgeneration industry so I am fairly familiar with the products available, but not so much on the technical details of installation.

    I really really want EWI as my house is a Victorian end terrace and a nightmare to heat in the winter. I looked at getting it done privately recently and the quote came in around £14,000, even with CERT funding I was only able to get it down to 10k. Even assuming £500/yr fuel savings (generous), it would be a 20 year payback, and I would find it very difficult to raise that cash anyway.

    So I’m having a survey on Thursday and I’m still fairly unsure what kind of quality of work I will get, whether the installer has any experience with EWI, what products they are using etc..

    So I thought I would ask you clever people for help. I'm just looking for any essential things to ask the surveyor (or anyone higher up the company) when they come round. So far I have..

    1. What product/system will they be using?
    2. Is it BBA approved?
    3. What warranties come with the product, who do I contact if something goes wrong?
    4. What thickness is the product, and does it achieve 0.3?
    5. Have you completed any jobs locally that I can look at?

    Anything else to look out for? Any red flags that mean I shouldn’t proceed? Bearing in mind the funding stream (I’m unlikely to have to pay a penny) what’s the worst that could happen with an EWI system?

    Thanks for your help!
  2.  
    Oh, you don't want to know what the worst is, but it can be good. Watch out for installers who don't think gaps matter too much, 'cause the thing that matters to them and the customer (they think) is the finish. Wobbly walls can lead to gaps which are invisible on the outside, but widen to 6-15mm against the wall. If your roof doesn't have an oversail and is not to be extended, you will require a capping piece which could rely on nothing more than a clodge of silicone to prevent ingress at the top of the wall for the next 25+ years.

    If they cannot show 3rd party certification, ask your local authority's Bldg Control dept if they will accept what the firm is offering.

    Re another thread, confirm to them at the outset that you will be using an IR camera.

    And watch for reveals not being taken seriously in terms of insulation, and even some firms telling you it's OK to stop the EWI on each side of a soil pipe (it really happened!).
    • CommentAuthorjms452
    • CommentTimeSep 10th 2012 edited
     
    You may find that you get a considerably better job done if you make the wall simpler first.

    arrange for removal/rerouting of gas pipes,
    move soil pipes out by insulation thickness,
    toilet overflows can be converted to internal,
    windows can be moved out to be flush with the wall.

    If you ask your surveyor how he will deal with each detail it will become obvious which details will bring the whole job down.
  4.  
    I have heard about British Gas funding EWI projects in Shropshire. They told people they'd pay 100% of the cost, but enquiries revealed that they wont pay for scaffolding, planning or any overruns budget-wise.
    Definitely ask for previous jobs in your area done by the installer, how are they going to seal EWI to windows and soffit. Have you got sufficient soffit overhang to be able to fit the EWI without problem?
    And prepare as much for installers as possible. If they are using Kingspan type boards, fit wooden blocks, where you need fixings afterwards for downpipes, gates, etc. Blocks can be covered by 20mm of insulation to give you good enough fixings.
    • CommentAuthorjms452
    • CommentTimeSep 11th 2012
     
    Posted By: chippyclausfit wooden blocks, where you need fixings afterwards for downpipes, gates, etc.


    Agree

    Posted By: chippyclaus Blocks can be covered by 20mm of insulation to give you good enough fixings.


    This is dependent upon the exact fixing and installer/system. None of the installers/system makers I spoke to were happy with this. At the end of the day a 50x50mm bit of wood ~100mm thick is a very minor thermal bridge ~(50mW at dT=20C) compared to the risk of water ingress/cracking.
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeSep 11th 2012
     
    Posted By: chippyclausfit wooden blocks, where you need fixings afterwards for downpipes, gates, etc.
    Fit lengths of plastic waste pipe thro the EPS, fill with squirty foam. Then a screw/plug can be pushed down its centre and the tube takes the compression when tightened.
  7.  
    FT, I like that!
    • CommentAuthorjimofwales
    • CommentTimeSep 11th 2012
     
    All sounds good, except for the fact that I have absolutely no DIY skills, or a ladder.
    • CommentAuthorjms452
    • CommentTimeSep 11th 2012
     
    you can a get a builder/handyman to do it.

    The key point is that the installer wont!
    • CommentAuthorjamesw
    • CommentTimeSep 13th 2012 edited
     
    Posted By: jms452You may find that you get a considerably better job done if you make the wall simpler first.
    ...
    windows can be moved out to be flush with the wall.


    May I ask what the advantage is of making the windows flush with wall? I'm about to get some EWI with some new windows on that wall. I must be missing something, because the only difference I can see of window positioning is how deep the external coverings to the reveal need to be.

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