Gloria Hunniford said- "In an ongoing 'drive' to reduce energy bills and at the same time 'save the planet', there have been lots of initiatives designed to persuade us all to make our homes more efficient and very often, one particular solution to that has been offered with what seems to be an 'unbeatable incentive'".
She continued "You can have it installed in your homes for 'free', the trouble is, years later, that irresistible offer has come back to haunt some of the people who took it up. Whilst it may have cost nothing to put it in, if it somehow ends up causing a problem, or perhaps, should never have been installed in the first place, it could cost you an awful lot of money and indeed frustration to get it taken out".
-BBC1 Rip Off Britain
Pauline Saunders, Co Founder CIVALLI
Pauline, CIVALLI was interviewed on BBC1, Rip Off Britain, she said, "It's very easy to have insulation installed, but it's very difficult to have it removed and its far more expensive to remove than it is to install".
Pauline met with two homeowners blighted by this issue, Paul from Lancashire and Karen from Preston.
Paul, was one example of someone who had opted in for an installation of cavity wall insulation. After experiencing problems, CIGA the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency were contacted and after their investigations, they concluded that "although Paul was right to suspect that the damp problems were due to the cavity wall insulation, the issues were not down to 'how it had been fitted'"- instead it pointed the finger at Paul and his family stating that they had failed to ventilate the house properly and sufficiently failed to maintain the outside walls.
Damp and mold problems affecting Paul's home
Paul has a very young child who will have been negatively impacted by this problem
Karen from Preston was another example represented on the show. Karen and her boyfriend bought their home in 2012, it had already been fitted with cavity wall insulation but the damp and mold only started to appear later after a prolonged wet spell. Although Karen did have a guarantee from the company that had installed the insulation, it was no longer in business. Similarly to Paul's case, Karen too approached CIGA and was met with a response that deflected any responsibility.
Karen's home affected by damp and mold
Wallpaper coming away from the damp interior of Karen's home
Pauline, CIVALLI said, "Properties that were having the installations done more than around five or six years ago, CIGA are tending to blame maintenance. The thing is, there's nowhere on a guarantee that mentions after you have had insulation you need to keep your property in tip top condition".