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MSE News: Warm Front energy grant scheme open for applications

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

"The scheme that provides grants up to £6,000 to insulate homes has reopened but fewer households will qualify ..."
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Comments

  • Crabman
    Crabman Posts: 9,943 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    What a shame that the private and profit-making company EAGA are still managing the taxpayer-funded Warm Front scheme.

    This is the company that said before Winter that it could not repair vulnerable people's heating systems until the following summer.

    Of course this bears no connection whatsoever with the fact EAGA insisted on doing all the heating work themselves (or via subsidiary companies).

    They claimed that local Gas Safe engineers/firms couldn't do the work as they had to have a special accreditation. Apparently a Gas Safe registered engineer just isn't good enough.

    Or perhaps this is just an excuse for EAGA to do all the work themselves and make as much money as possible?

    MSE's forums have seen a significant number of complaints and concerns from those who have suffered at the hands of EAGA's incompetence and their shocking attitude to the vulnerable in society. It is a shame that the DECC did not appear to consider these cases when they withdrew the scheme so that they could 'revise' it.

    The great scandal is that where problems arise, applicants are expected to complain about EAGA to EAGA. At no stage is there an independent body involved. Just the biassed and callous imbeciles who staff the complaints department who don't seem to care if old/poor people die in the bitter cold.
  • zzzLazyDaisy
    zzzLazyDaisy Posts: 12,497 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    I had a new boiler installed by warm front. They left a radiator valve open upstairs which flooded an unused upstairs room and came through the ceiling of my newly decorated downstairs bedroom causing £100s of damage. Both the contractor and the EAGA inspector admitted fault in front of a witness, but then backtracked and claimed that in thetwo days before the work and the flood, I must have had a plumber in who had left the valve open (!!)

    Despite complaints to EAGA, my MP, and DEFRA nothing was done. Trading Standards tried to help and said they were 'aware' of the problems with Warm Front, but hit a blank wall because EAGA refused to respond to their letters.

    I was too ill to keep up the fight and gave up.

    The boiler is now in its third year, has broken down three times and this winter I had to have the condensate pipe removed and refitted because it had a 5 ft horizontal run along the ground which got covered in snow and ice....

    I was forced to take their monthly maintenance scheme because the boiler is so unreliable that I daren't not do it. But, surprise surprise - a frozen condensate pipe caused by their incompetent installation which left me with no heating or water in the middle of the worst winter on record, was not covered by the scheme.

    If the government wishes to help people in poverty to insulate and heat their homes, it would be far better to give grants to enable them to have the work done, even it the contractors were restricted to those recommended by Trading Standards or a list of approved contractors vetted by the local authority. At least people would have a choice of contractors and boilers and there would be some accountability and competition, which would keep prices competitive.
    I'm a retired employment solicitor. Hopefully some of my comments might be useful, but they are only my opinion and not intended as legal advice.
  • zzzLazyDaisy
    zzzLazyDaisy Posts: 12,497 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Disabled people now only qualify if they are on means tested benefits AND meet certain additional criteria (just being on HRC DLA is not sufficient).

    This means that someone on contribution based ESA will not qualify, even if they are among the most severely affected in the support group.

    As I read it, even very ill and disabled people on income based ESA, and in the support group, will only get it if they also get severe disability premium, which in essence means they will only qualify if they live alone and no-one is getting carer's allowance for them (I am more than happy for someone to contradict me on this.)
    I'm a retired employment solicitor. Hopefully some of my comments might be useful, but they are only my opinion and not intended as legal advice.
  • dmg24
    dmg24 Posts: 33,925 Forumite
    Disabled people now only qualify if they are on means tested benefits AND meet certain additional criteria (just being on HRC DLA is not sufficient).

    This means that someone on contribution based ESA will not qualify, even if they are among the most severely affected in the support group.

    As I read it, even very ill and disabled people on income based ESA, and in the support group, will only get it if they also get severe disability premium, which in essence means they will only qualify if they live alone and no-one is getting carer's allowance for them (I am more than happy for someone to contradict me on this.)

    The last paragraph is incorrect. With regard to ESA, the following is taken from the Direct website:
    income-related Employment and Support Allowance that includes a work-related activity or support component (this includes contribution based ESA customers in the support group who get an income related top up because they automatically qualify for the enhanced disability premium payable with income related ESA)

    Is your faulty boiler an Ideal? There is one commonly fitted on the Warmfront scheme that is plagued with problems, but no one will admit that the fault is inherent.
    Gone ... or have I?
  • zzzLazyDaisy
    zzzLazyDaisy Posts: 12,497 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    dmg24 wrote: »
    Is your faulty boiler an Ideal? There is one commonly fitted on the Warmfront scheme that is plagued with problems, but no one will admit that the fault is inherent.

    Yes, it is an Ideal boiler. I understand that Ideal is manufacture by a company which is jointly owned by a company which shares Directors with EAGA......

    Re ESA - they seem to make a distinction between 'enhanced disability premium' and 'severe disability premium'. The Warm Front criteria refers to 'severe disability premium' which seems to be now only applicable if you are in the Support Group, living on your own, and no-one is claiming carer's for you. It also seems to be saying that you must meet both criteria (1 means tested ESA which automatically includes enhanced disability premium AND 2 severe disability premium).

    I am most certainly not a benefits expert, so I accept that I may well be seeing complications where none exist, but at the very least the terminology is confusing.
    I'm a retired employment solicitor. Hopefully some of my comments might be useful, but they are only my opinion and not intended as legal advice.
  • dmg24
    dmg24 Posts: 33,925 Forumite
    Yes, it is an Ideal boiler. I understand that Ideal is manufacture by a company which is jointly owned by a company which shares Directors with EAGA......

    Re ESA - they seem to make a distinction between 'enhanced disability premium' and 'severe disability premium'. The Warm Front criteria refers to 'severe disability premium' which seems to be now only applicable if you are in the Support Group, living on your own, and no-one is claiming carer's for you. It also seems to be saying that you must meet both criteria (1 means tested ESA which automatically includes enhanced disability premium AND 2 severe disability premium).

    I am most certainly not a benefits expert, so I accept that I may well be seeing complications where none exist, but at the very least the terminology is confusing.

    You don't have to meet both criteria. I think the criteria is broadly the same as those that qualify for CWPs. I'll have a look and try to clarify!

    I didn't realise there was a link between Ideal and EAGA, but it doesn't surprise me. I had one of the Ideal directors out to my house because of problems with their boiler (they seem to be fitted in many new builds too!). He tried to build bridges by telling me his daughter had the same name as me. My reply was, would you find that boiler acceptable in your daughter's house? I got a new boiler. ;)
    Gone ... or have I?
  • dmg24
    dmg24 Posts: 33,925 Forumite
    I've had another look at the Direct page and it makes a bit more sense now ...

    Eligible customers are all those awarded:
    • Pension Credit or;
    • income-related Employment and Support Allowance that includes a work-related activity or support component (this includes contribution based ESA customers in the support group who get an income related top up because they automatically qualify for the enhanced disability premium payable with income related ESA)
    And those awarded:
    • Income Support or;
    • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or;
    • income-related Employment and Support Allowance in the assessment phase (first 13 weeks of the claim)
    Who must also have one of the following:
    • a pensioner premium. or;
    • a disability or severe disability premium, or;
    • an award of child tax credit that also includes an element for a disabled, or severely disabled child or young person, or;
    • a child under the age of five living with you
    So those in the first category qualify without need to meet any other (benefits related) criteria. Those in the second category also have to meet one of the criteria in the third category also, which is where the SDP may be applicable (although it is a bit of a misnomer, as I can't think of a scenario where someone would qualify for the SDP without also getting the DP?).
    Gone ... or have I?
  • zzzLazyDaisy
    zzzLazyDaisy Posts: 12,497 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Hi DMG

    Thanks a lot for clearing that up - I had overlooked the first category and just gone straight to the second!

    It is also interesting that people in the CB ESA support group will automatically qualify for the EDP normally payable with means tested benefits.

    I'd like to think that people on HRC/HRM will fall into the support group, on the basis that they are by definition in the most affected group of disabled people. But I'm not holding my breath!
    I'm a retired employment solicitor. Hopefully some of my comments might be useful, but they are only my opinion and not intended as legal advice.
  • zzzLazyDaisy
    zzzLazyDaisy Posts: 12,497 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    dmg24 wrote: »
    my reply was, would you find that boiler acceptable in your daughter's house? I got a new boiler. ;)

    :d :d :d :d :d
    I'm a retired employment solicitor. Hopefully some of my comments might be useful, but they are only my opinion and not intended as legal advice.
  • screamer
    screamer Posts: 1,104 Forumite
    No mention of whether people who have already applied and are waiting for the work to be done will still get it. I was granted it 16 months ago, still no work done, but now am worried that they won't do it at all.
    Yaaay, I finally conned a man into making a honest woman of me. Even more shocking is that I can put the words "Happily" and "Married" into the same sentence and not have life insurance on my mind when I say it ;-)
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