MSE News: Don't miss out on Warm Front heating grants

Former_MSE_Guy · 15 June 2012 at 9:04AM

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"With fears from charities that thousands of vulnerable households could miss out on Government handouts to help cut energy use, Gareth Baynham-Hughes (right), deputy director of fuel poverty at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, explains the benefits of the Warm Front grant in England. ..."

Read the full story:
Don't miss out on Warm Front heating grants

Misstress · 15 June 2012 at 9:05AM

link doesnt work

mcculloch29 · 16 June 2012 at 3:00PM

This one should work: Warm Front Heating Grants.

mcculloch29 · 16 June 2012 at 3:08PM

Just to add, as someone who had her entire heating system replaced under Warm Front in April 11, - they were wonderful and it's great - under eligibility via Disabled Persons' Working Tax Credit, the criteria are now much, much stricter.
I would not have qualified under the new system, my old system was only partially broken and my income is too high.

I am also slightly concerned that a landlord who doesn't care about tenants having a working CH system may be unscrupulous enough to put the rent up once the improvements have been made. Life's like that, sadly.
I wonder what the take up has been? Not very high, I would guess. Usually the fund runs out of money before Christmas with applications having been made from April. I wonder if they will use lack of take up as an excuse to cut the funds available, even though it's the last year of the scheme? Nothing would surprise me.

single_lonely · 16 June 2012 at 8:19PM

I organised CH through WARM FRONT last year (installed by PREMIER HEATING http://www.premierenergysolutions.co.uk/).

damage they have caused included:
a) wallpaper damage on ceiling
b) plaster work damage in cellar in 8 different places (30 cm radius plaster damaged not replaced).
c) floorboard in hallway not aligned so visitors trip up
d) squeaky floorboards in entrance to 2 main bedrooms
e) on application advised extra rads would be £200 extra, on fitting told its £260 ( we needed 6 extra). which meant that holes were already drilled and not repaired when we couldnt afford the extra £360
f) in 2 main rooms the rads are taller than the sofa's so look very unprofessional (35cm above sofa's).
g) [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]Fernox cleaner used but not the protector, which means more repair costs in few year [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
h) heating sytem swtiched off after few days. 5 litres of liquid removed through spirotrap which was BROWN SLUDGE and had metal shving in it, so not even cleaned properly.

Also how not to be professional:
a) turning up at doorstep 7.30 in morning of installation and expecting all furnishur to be moved in 10 mins ( they wrote to us before saying the initial visit would involved describion of plans, what needed moving and how they would proceed)
b) no access to toilets for 5 hours as they refused entry to upstairs.
c) advised on phone would provide heaters and hot stove when gas needed to be off, none provided. (4 very young children in house)
d) insulation on pipes in cellar not provided.
e) told to sign worksheets even though 15metres of copper pipes were not put in by company as they were already in place - work they didn't carry out so why are they claiming for it?
f) cheap plastic pipes used for CH water not copper as agreed , again forced to sign for.
g) asked for boiler they were removing as paid £250 last year, when wasn't watching tried loading it in van and had to ask for it back (still missing a vital piece, as they said we lost it)

It would have cost £1400 for the work privately with local company BETTER MATERIALS being used and better workmanship.

Anyone from Premier Heating, Ive already complained but no-one wants to repair damage. PM to discuss if your ready to rectify YOUR MISTAKES. Bunch of idiots running after grant work. I would even say get a bank loan to pay for work rather than go through these cowboys.

mcculloch29 · 16 June 2012 at 10:27PM

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. I was inspected after my installation and when a minor fault was found, the inspector arranged for the company to correct it. I believe the inspection is a legal requirement, I'm surprised these points weren't picked up. How unfortunate for you.
Needless to say, my installation was with a different company.
Please don't be put off by single_lonely's experience if you are eligible to have work done..

[Deleted User] · 16 June 2012 at 11:23PM

single_lonely warm front will send someone round to inspect the finished job and you can point out any problems then,if they didnt then contact wf and complain they WILL arrange for any problems to be rectified

lemontree · 16 June 2012 at 11:28PM

Agree with Single!
Look online and you will find many complaints!!!!!!!!

MCLF · 17 June 2012 at 12:24AM

We have had cavity wall insulation, a new boiler and a new radiator.

The boiler / radiator took 3 days. We explained to the workmen about my husband's disabilities (he can easily fall) and they were very considerate as they worked.

A year later a fault was found during the annual service. They repaired it quickly.

The new boiler is efficient and very cheap to run.

twiglet98 · 17 June 2012 at 12:42AM

I qualified for a grant to increase the loft insulation, as mine is much less than the recommended depth. This was in 2009, when my youngest was still in full time education and I was receiving Child Tax Credits.

The surveyor, a scatty young woman, was made aware that the ceilings and some walls in this house are sheet asbestos. This is not a risky material, but she was ticking boxes about 'standard construction' and I thought I should mention it. She made a note on her form.

I booked the morning off work. The installers arrived three hours late, saying it had been too windy to go any faster. Before unloading their van they wanted to look upstairs. Two minutes later they said they were not prepared to work in a loft above an asbestos ceiling due to the unacceptable risk to their health, they didn't get issued with the right safety equipment, and having the door open to bring the rolls in would create a draught that was sure to blow asbestos dust around the loft. They were incredibly rude, crass, revolting men, with Newcastle accents though apparently travelled to me from Norwich. Of course I should have demanded that they left the rolls of insulation for me to fit myself - they will surely have made a bit on the side selling it on - but I was recovering from chemotherapy and just too exhausted and upset to think. Horrible, horrible people, and I did not pursue a complaint because I did not want the same vile men to come back.

Now the family are all grown up and working, and I work on a low wage but do over 50 hours a week, so no longer qualify anyway, but I would never deal with this firm again.

lemontree · 17 June 2012 at 9:03AM

My Partner owns a house which is tenanted by a single Mother.
When visited she was advised to have a new boiler(the one that was fitted is only 3 years old)
It was suggested that some of the radiators needed replacing.
We had the whole house checked before she moved in 10 months previously and 3 years later there has never been any problem.
We did not take up the offers!!!

MSE News: Don't miss out on Warm Front heating grants

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