Failed Ezy-fit Internal Wall Insulation by Octopus Energy

The Ezy-fit M IWI system was supplied. The system uses 4 inch thick mineral wool slabs (a slimmer insulation board is used around window reveals), which are applied directly to the interior lining of an external wall and secured with mechanical fixings. Then it is plasterboarded finished with a plaster skim. No battening, studs, or frame is used (ie; no wood) enabling the system to acheive the highest rating possible for fire safety (a selling point post Grenfell, i imagine, and cheaper). It is essential to seal all edges and joins and cover mechanical fixings with a special blue sealant. The system claims to be airtight, thus eliminating the risk of thermal bridging and condensation. In order to work effectively, air gaps must be elimated; on the surface of the original wall, between insulation slabs, around electrical outlets and in the joins and fixings on the plasterboard. That requires a lot of care to be taken during installation, and is much more difficult to acheive, in say an old house with uneven cracked walls. Unrealistic, perhaps..

From the start, the workmanship was subpar. Tradespeople, despite being employed directly by Octopus Energy and arriving in shiny branded vans, were poorly equipped. They often stated they lacked necessary tools or materials, resulting in rough-sawn, crooked cuts to joinery. I overheard one lad (halfway through bonding sections of wall) say that he hadn’t got a level. I also dealt with a high turnover of staff, speaking with three different supervisors while many of the original tradespeople left the company.

After the installation was complete, the newly plastered walls were wavy and out of plumb to an unnaceptable degree. The problem was particularly noticeable around window recesses. Almost everything was far from square and visibly off. I complained and Octopus agreed to come back and redo my bay window area and level out the walls.

A superviser gave instructions to keep removing insulation to check for mould. Suffice to say, there was nowhere left unaffected, and everything had to be ripped out. New insulation, plaster and new joinery all destroyed. And a very disruptive, dusty and noisy process for me and my neighbours. An inspection by an Insulation Manager revealed black mould and moisture behind the insulation was caused, they admitted, by “incorrectly installed insulation and inadequate preparation”. Specifically, the team failed to remove wallpaper or scratch painted surfaces as required by the manufacturer’s own design guide. They even put insulation over pictures hooks left in the walls. Furthermore, the plaster skim was below the required 5mm thickness, leaving screw heads and sealant visible through the plaster.

Despite being offered a refit, I lost all confidence in Octopus and the Ezy-fit system. The system’s design, which follows the contours of the original walls, was inappropriate for an old property and only served to “exacerbate imperfections” rather than provide a professional finish. I have since been informed this system is no longer used by the provider. I ultimately chose to have my house reinstated to its original condition in July 2025, however further visits have only resulted in more poor workmanship; horrendous joinery, nails sticking out of woodwork, split windowboards, huge gaps between skirting and the wall. My gas meter was boxed in, literally. There was no door for access and no ventilation. When i raised this, i was told i could just unscrew the board if i wanted access. On a final visit to rectify these issues, it was pointed out to me by a tradesman that the recently re-re-plastered wall sounded hollow. We both went round the room together discovering more and more areas where it seemed the plaster had not adhered to the wall properly. They said they’d re-do it. They made a half hearted attempt to address the remaining issues including some new plastering. However a lot of this was done next to new woodwork and new pine skirting and picture rail was installed over plaster which had not dried. As soon as they left, new mould appeared…

I will likely need to have the walls taken back to original plaster or brick, and everything re-done yet again. I have made my complaints clear to Octopus and they have asked me what my resolution would look like. While i work on a resolution to put to them, I remain in a cold, uninsulated home.

Mental health | Increased energy costs | More than 40 hrs to resolve complaint | Physical health | Damage to your home | Impact on social / family life

No

The impact on my life has been massive. For nearly a year, I have been unable to live normally in my own home. To prepare for the insulation work, I had to move and dismantle almost all my furniture, packing it tightly into the center of rooms where it remains today. My radiators are blocked, and my internal doors and floor coverings were removed in anticipation of a redecoration that I have never been able to start. Because all the windows are on affected walls, I have had no window coverings for months, leading to a total loss of privacy. I spent Christmas without decorations in a house that felt like a building site. I currently sleep on a single camp bed in a spare room. The house is impossible to heat adequately, and the cold has made it feel truly uninhabitable. This ongoing nightmare has not helped my diagnosed depression, anxiety, and OCD. The time and effort required to manage this—repeatedly moving heavy furniture and drafting endless correspondence—has been exhausting. I cannot have visitors and feel trapped in a stripped-back house of plaster and floorboards, with no warm home measures to show for the immense stress I have endured.