The ‘Cash for U’ scheme offers contractors cash back when buying insulation to encourage them to refurbish flat roofs.
By Selina Ditta, Adam Knight, Anna Tabrah & Will Turvill
South West Londoners could save money on their energy bills with a pioneering scheme giving roofers cash back for fitting insulation from next month.
The ‘Cash for U’ scheme is pioneered by Roofshop, one of London’s largest roofing suppliers.
It offers contractors cash back of up to £100 on an average home when buying insulation to encourage them to refurbish flat roofs.
John Liversidge, of Twickenham company Reliable Roofers Ltd, said: “The Cash for U scheme sounds like a great idea and something we would love to participate in.
“The need for insulation in South West London is expanding with the growing number of flat roof extensions we are seeing at the moment.
“Insulation is an important way of saving money and cutting down CO2 emissions.”
The scheme will run alongside a government initiative to put more insulation in homes across the country – due to launch in October.
The government’s Green Deal scheme aims to cut 80 percent of CO2 emissions by 2050 by making insulation more affordable.
Tom Walsh, Community Engagement Officer at Sustainable Merton, said: “More and more people in the area seem to be interested in roofing insulation because of rising energy prices.
“It’s a shock to a lot of people so they’re looking for more long-term, sustainable solutions.”
The government is backing further energy-saving initiatives through its Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) scheme.
CERT encourages gas and electricity suppliers to deliver a reduction in household carbon emissions across England.
A spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: “Insulation is a no-brainer really – it saves money and the environment.”
A spokesman from Wimbledon roofing company Morgan Asphalt said prices for top-end insulation were rising to £18 per square metre in some instances.
He added: “Insulation is expensive and any initiative to ease costs has got to be a good thing.”
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