Will hybrid wall insulation reduce room space?

Only on the internally insulated walls, typically 60 to 100mm. On a terrace the street-facing front usually has only one or two rooms, so the loss is small.

Does rear external wall insulation need planning permission?

Usually not on a rear elevation outside a conservation area, but the position is confirmed with the council for every property before quoting.

Hybrid wall insulation for landlords in Greater Manchester

What it is

A single designed scheme that uses external wall insulation on the elevations where it is permitted and practical — usually the rear and any gable — and internal wall insulation on the elevations where it is not, typically a street-facing front in a conservation area, a brick façade the planners want kept, or a wall hard up against a neighbour's boundary. The junctions between the two systems are detailed so there are no cold bridges or trapped moisture.

Why it matters for 2030

Solid-wall homes lose around a third of their heat through the walls, and the EPC gives no credit for insulating only some of them. If one elevation is left untreated the rating may still fall short of C, so a hybrid scheme is often the only way a pre-1930 terrace reaches the standard without a heat pump and solar on top. It also keeps the full insulated area within the grant rules, which fund by measure rather than by elevation.

Which homes suit it

Solid-brick terraces and semis where planning, access or party-wall constraints rule out external insulation on at least one elevation. Conservation-area and Article 4 streets across Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Trafford and Bury are the typical case. We check the planning position and the party-wall implications before recommending which elevation gets which system.

Grants that apply

Both the external and the internal elements are eligible solid-wall measures under the Warm Homes: Local Grant for qualifying Greater Manchester tenants and under ECO4 while it runs (to 31 December 2026). Solid-wall insulation attracts the highest grant values, and the work is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027. The grants page sets out the eligibility rules.

How we do it

A PAS 2035 retrofit coordinator designs the whole scheme, including the moisture strategy and the junction details, before anything is fixed to the wall. Our accredited partner LAMTANS Engineering installs both systems to PAS 2030 standards with a system-holder guarantee, and the job is lodged with TrustMark. You receive one fixed price from our own price book covering both systems, the planning check and the post-works EPC.

Common questions

Will I lose room space inside?

Only on the internally insulated walls, and typically 60 to 100mm. Because the front of a terrace usually has only one or two rooms against the street, the loss is small.

Does the rear external insulation need planning permission?

Usually not on a rear elevation outside a conservation area, but we confirm the position with the council for every property before quoting.

Front in a conservation area? The free 2030 Compliance Assessment checks the planning position and prices the right mix of external and internal insulation for your house.