Warm Front Grant

matphil

Is the warm front grant only available for heating and insulation. Would they help to install a shower if the disabled person needed one.
If not are there any organisations that would help with this.

amibovered?

Hi
For disabled facilities you would need to get in touch with your local Social Services department.
They will arrange for an Occupational Therapy assessment to look at ways of helping the disabled person have a bath or shower. They then provide and fit the aids or do adaptations.
It is usually a lengthy process though.

The alternative is one of the private companies that are frequently advertised during Countdown etc!

Hope that helps.

sloppychops

matphil wrote:

Is the warm front grant only available for heating and insulation. Would they help to install a shower if the disabled person needed one.
If not are there any organisations that would help with this.

As Amibovered has said you will ned to contact your local social services.My hubbys grandmother is 86 and partially sighted and with the help of an occupational therapist and her local council she is having a walk in shower fitted in a couple of weeks at the cost of £5600.The cost includes all decorating/tiling,new non slip flooring,new toilet and sink and all adaptations she needs.
This has taken from start to finish around about a year to get sorted and she cant wait to be able to have a shower herself without needing help.

researcher

Our experience with warm front with my 90 year MIL has been superb. She gets attendance allowance and they came in the summer and fitter a new heating system, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and a new smaller boiler. This was all carried out within 3 months of contact. Don't be put off if you think you might qualify.

prettypennies

My central heating was installed last week by East Coast Gas with the assistance of a warmfront grant.

I have to say that I was really pleased with the work. The guys that came to do it were really great.

We asked for our boiler to be put in the kitchen so that we could rip out the airing cupboard along with the original immersion heater in the bathroom (To make space for a shower cubicle). They did their best to accomodate our requests. They ran the pipes under the kickboards in the kitchen and through the wall in the lounge so that the pipes wouldn't be visable.

My OH helped with the preparation work and I kept them supplied with bacon butties coffee and biccies.

Because our boiler was going in a different place to the original boiler there was quite a bit of pipework to do. So it took them a day and a half to complete.

I questioned the fitting cost prior to them coming as the breakdown was quite vague. The guy at warmfront explained that the cost was generally higher than getting the work done privately as they often sent several plumbers to ensure the work is completed quickly. Also, as with my installation the guys were travelling quite a distance to get to the job.

My installers said they were beng paid £450 for the job and the electrician was paid £225. The boiler cost around £800 and then there's the pipework and rads.

On top of that will be the fee taken by the company who the installers are contracted to.

margaretclare

downshifter98 wrote:

well after my last post on this thread in feb I finally had a visit from the 'engineer' to check whether my old boiler is fixable or due for replacement - he took my word that the boiler was extremely unreliable (true) and said it was too old to bothering to repair (well he does represent the company who will supply and fit the new one) - as the boiler is around 25 years old I'm obviously pleased with this outcome - really dont know what I would have done if he had said otherwise - once again its a big thanks to all on these forums who pointed out this grant in the first place - I wish I could hug you all! Apparently the work will be done in about 2 months time; roughly 9 months after my initial enquiry so patience is a virtue in this particular process.

I posted yesterday on Silver Savers about this. Patience - but we weren't freezing anyway, the young guys who came yesterday asked if the heating is working and were told 'yes'. You waited 9 months - I applied in late June and was told yesterday it will certainly be done before Christmas, so 6 months seems not too bad. There has been a delay because the original appointment for a heating engineer to come from the installers was on 20th September, the day my DH went into hospital, so we had to negotiate another date.

We are getting everything we'd decided on, everything we wanted, condensing combi boiler sited where we want, in the loft on the gable wall. The gas supply comes in on that wall and there's enough distance between us and the next-door semi, so it's an ideal situation. Wireless controls on the wall in the hall, you just programme it, no problem. The existing boiler and gas-fire left where they are, in the fireplace, I didn't want the mess of having it all ripped out. I'm not too sure yet whether the gas-fire will be made inoperable as well, or just the boiler. But in any case, we only ever need to use the gas-fire on the very coldest of days, maybe 2 days out of 365!

Heating water just as it's required means that obviously we don't have to pay for having 40 gallons of water kept hot all the time, which was the main reason we wanted a combi boiler. The new boilers are so much more efficient, our gas bills should come down. That will be a bonus in itself - at the start of this year we were paying £28 a month for gas, since May we've been paying £58.

All this is saving us £2,700 which will go towards our holiday next July at Niagara Falls, can't be bad! We've also decided that once this heating job is completed we will get new carpet for the hall because this is absolutely the last indoor job that needs doing - no more technicians and craftsmen coming in to do jobs, it's all done. The end of a long upgrading and modernising process for this 1930s bungalow, which actually started when my late husband and I moved here in 1990.

I'm really pleased!

Margaret

Lady_K

downshifter98 wrote:

well after my last post on this thread in feb I finally had a visit from the 'engineer' to check whether my old boiler is fixable or due for replacement - he took my word that the boiler was extremely unreliable (true) and said it was too old to bothering to repair (well he does represent the company who will supply and fit the new one) - as the boiler is around 25 years old I'm obviously pleased with this outcome - really dont know what I would have done if he had said otherwise - once again its a big thanks to all on these forums who pointed out this grant in the first place - I wish I could hug you all! Apparently the work will be done in about 2 months time; roughly 9 months after my initial enquiry so patience is a virtue in this particular process.

On my letter it says it will be up to 6 months from when the assessor came to look at the property and that was just over a month ago so long time yet. I thought they didnt let it go over 6 months. Did you ring at all while you were waiting those 9 months? Just hoping I wont have to wait that long its going to be very hard to get through winter without heating, I have an electric fire in the living room but nothing anywhere else

downshifter98

Hi Lady_k

Well I'm still waiting - patience is definately required with this process - I originally applied in January - the assessor visited in february and confirmed my eligibility - in Late July I was visited by the engineer who confirmed a boiler replacement (he predicted about 2 months time) - I then received letters from warmfront and the fitters with a detailed quote (£2800) and a request for the £100 excess - this was 2 or 3 weeks ago and the cheque has just cleared from my account so hopefully I will hear soon re the actual fitting. With winter approaching I'm hoping my current unreliable boiler will be changed soon and can only wish you good luck with your situation - perhaps you could tell them the severity of your circumstances?

Lady_K

Well as its only been just over a month since asessor so I wont do anything but wait at the moment. I have read others on here saying it makes no difference anyway no matter wat your circumstances but I wondered as yours had gone so long over the 6 max months they state if you had tried to contact them as you would be more justified

downshifter98

Hi lady_k

Your post appears to have bought me a bit of good luck - the fitters finally rang today to say they will be fitting the boiler on 1st November - we've not had to use the central heating yet so hopefully a winter of reliable warmth is on the near horizon - I will keep fingers crossed that your process will speed up a little.

downshifter98.