Competition details

Competition - Win FREE* external wall insulation

Would you like to make your home warmer to live in and cheaper to heat? Are you interested in having external wall insulation installed? And have you received a letter inviting you to participate in this competition?

Bristol City Council is pleased to announce a Demonstrator Home competition for you to win free* installation of external wall insulation on your home up to the value of ￡6,000.

To support the launch of our new, Warm Up Bristol initiative, Bristol City Council is offering three lucky householders from both Totterdown and Horfield the chance to win free installation of external wall insulation on their home.

The winners will also receive a free Green Deal Assessment worth £49.

External wall insulation

What is external wall insulation?
External wall insulation is a layer of insulation that is applied to the external face of the building and generally has a render finish^{^}.

How do I know if my house is suitable for external wall insulation?
Houses built before the 1920s are likely to have solid wall which means they do not have a cavity between two layers of brick/block construction which is more commonly found in homes built after the 1920s.

Why would I install external wall insulation?
External wall insulation is generally installed to make your home warmer and reduce the cost of your bills. Find out more about the advantages and constraints of external wall insulation on our solid wall insulation measures page.

*Subject to terms and conditions

^{^}Other finishes are available

Enabling works

Enabling works are sometimes required in order for external wall insulation to be carried out. This might involve resolving a damp issue before the insulation is installed or it could include complex scaffolding arrangements over conservatories to access all the walls that need insulating. It is not always possible to tell if enabling works are required until an Assessor or Installer visits your property.

It is acknowledged that you will not necessarily know in advance of entering this competition whether enabling works will be required in relation to your property and it is therefore accepted that, in the event that you are a winner, you have the right to decline to proceed should enabling works be required that you are unable to pay the cost of to collect the free external wall insulation prize.

What is a Green Deal Assessment?

A Green Deal Assessment is an evaluation of how energy efficient your property is now and will suggest what energy efficiency measures you can install to make your home warmer and cheaper to heat. As well as measuring the energy efficiency of the house, an occupancy assessment is also undertaken to help understand how you use your house and to ensure that the right measures are recommended for you.

How do I enter the competition?

Check whether you qualify for the competition, read and confirm your agreement with the terms and conditions and complete the application form.

 It is easy to enter, just follow these simple steps:
1.    Read the qualifying criteria
2.    Read the terms and conditions
3.    Fill in your details in the application form
4.    Tell us, in less than 500 words, how as an ambassador you will support Bristol City Council's 'Warm Up Bristol' energy efficiency initiative.

Qualifying criteria

If you can answer ‘yes’ to all the questions below, you are able enter the competition

• Have you received a letter inviting you to enter this competition?
• Are you the owner of the property (including being the landlord of the property) or a private tenant with your landlord’s permission to enter the competition?
• Do you live in a solid wall property?
• Can you confirm that your property does not have exposed stone or brick on the front of the property?*
• Can you confirm that your property has a minimum of 270mm loft insulation, or do you consent to install loft insulation to this depth if you win the competition? (free of charge∞)
• Do you agree to have a Green Deal Assessment undertaken on your home? (free of charge)
• If successful, can you commit to being available to enable the installation of your free* external wall insulation to commence within two weeks of the announcement of the competition winners using the installer appointed by Bristol City Council?
• Do you agree to become an Ambassador for the scheme (see below)?

* Properties with stone and brick elevations easily viewable from the street may not be suitable to receive external wall insulation and at the very least would be subject to the process of applying for planning consent and therefore regrettably are outside the scope of this competition. Other measures may be suitable including internal wall insulation or any from the Green Deal approved measures list, all of which are available under the Warm Up Bristol Scheme.

What does the Ambassador role entail?

As we are giving you free external wall insulation, we would like you to do something for us in return and that is being an Ambassador for the scheme. As an Ambassador, we would like you to:

• Promote the scheme to friends and neighbours, encouraging them to see if we can help them make their home warmer and cheaper to heat by installing one or more energy efficiency measures.
• Allow people to observe the work that has been carried out on your home from the pavement outside your property (interested parties may be sign-posted to your property).
• Share your experience of the installation at local events, highlighting the changes you have noticed as a result of the installation.
• Participate in a short video about your installation and your experiences.
• Consider opening your home for a Bristol Green Doors event in 2015.

Timescales for application

The competition is open for applications from Monday 22nd September for 1 month until midnight Sunday 19th October.
Competition winners will be announced within two weeks of the closing date.
Green Deal Assessments will take place throughout October following the closing date for the competition.
Applicants will need to be available in October to have a Green Deal Assessment on their home, otherwise Bristol City Council reserves the right to award the prize to an alternative competition entrant.
Applicants will also need to be available to enable the installation of their free external wall insulation during November.  
Installation of your free external wall insulation will take approximately two to three weeks, subject to suitable weather conditions.

Judging

Applicants will be judged by a panel, including: Assistant Mayor Gus Hoyt, Housing Programme Manager for BCC Energy Service and a local community representative.

Terms & conditions

In addition to being either an owner occupier, landlord or private tenant (with your landlord’s permission to enter the competition), living in a solid wall property, agreeing to have the work completed within the identified timeframe, and agreeing to act as an Ambassador for the scheme, we would like you to confirm that you have read, understood and agree to the following terms and conditions.

The first 50 competition entrants will win a free* Green Deal Assessment. This will require the winners to enter into a contract with BCC’s approved providers for this service.

Winners of the free* external wall insulation will be required to enter into an Energy Plan agreement with Climate Energy, BCC’s approved providers.

I am a Council or Social housing tenant am I able to enter the competition?
If you rent your property from Bristol City Council you are unable to enter this competition. Bristol City Council housing team is currently developing an energy efficiency programme – Warmer Homes - to improve Council properties.

If you rent your property from another social housing provider you will not be able to participate in this competition. However, with your housing provider's consent you may be able to improve the energy efficiency of your home under our Warm Up Bristol initative. To register your interest please complete the registration form.

How do I find out more about this?
If you want to find out more about the scheme and how to enter the competitions we are holding two consultation events, one each at the following venues:

Monday 13th October at the Civil Service Club, Filton Avenue, Horfield, BS7 0AT between 7.00 - 9.00pm and;

Thursday 2nd October at the Star and Dove, family room, 75-78 St Luke's Road, Totterdown, Bristol BS3 4RY between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

where you can ask representatives from the Council about energy efficiency and get advice about how to get involved.   
Or call this number 0117 922 4076, leaving your contact details and someone will return your call.

How is Bristol City Council funding this?

Bristol City Council has secured ￡7.3m from the Department of Energy & Climate Change’s Green Deal Communities fund to support the local delivery of the Green Deal.  This new funding will enable the Council to offer extra support to private householders, landlords and private tenants in the Private Rental Sector in installing insulation and other energy efficiency measures in their homes, helping reduce energy costs over time.
 

Important information for participants

Subject to survey and subsequent approval by BCC, the offer of free installation of external wall insulation includes

• Standard preparatory and remedial works associated with the installation of external wall insulation, including:
  • Removal and, where applicable, replacement of existing waste and rainwater goods, external water taps, external lights,  intruder alarm, satellite dish, other wall fixings (e.g. hanging plant baskets etc.);
  • Installation of verge trims where insufficient soffit overhang is present;
  • Installation of window sills extensions.
• Free insulation is based on using an EPS (expanded polystyrene foam) system.

The following non-standard works are not covered by this free offer and any costs associated with installation of external wall insulation will have to met by the householder where required:

• Removal and, where applicable, replacement of entrance porches, lean-tos and pergolas
• Roof extensions;
• Window replacements;
• Complex scaffolding arrangements (e.g. to provide access above conservatories);
• Remedial works to damp issues;
• Remedial work to drains, drain connections etc.
• Alternative insulation products (as long as approved products) above the per/m2 cost of EPS must be paid by the householder;
• Removal of items from loft to accommodate installation/ top up of insulation to minimum of 270mm;
• Any other energy efficiency installations on the property requested by the householder.

 
∞ Installation of loft top up or full loft insulation to 270mm is free. However lofts are required to be free of all stored items before installation can proceed. It is possible to provide a loft clearance service but this will be at a charge to the householder based on per tonne of waste removed and disposed of.