Premium on inefficient homes?

Offred

Hi

This is my first post - hope im doing it right!?

A sales person has just knocked at my door trying to get me to have insulation. Their sales patter said that inefficient homes who have not had insulation will next year have to "pay an additional percentage". I asked if she meant that because gas and electric prices are likely to go up those who are inefficient will pay more? No - I was told that "there is a database" which seems to hold info about how energy efficient a property is and that will be used to calculate a percentage (who would be levying this perentage was particularly vague).

Im aware of the HEED (?) database but that is not supposed to be available to commercial companies - has anyone else heard of any proposals to penalise inefficient properties? The lady disappeared under my questioning saying it was only her first week and didnt really know. Im thinking it was a scam.

ceridwen

Actually - I dont think it IS a scam.

I suspect what she is referring to is the - rather strong - recommendation of recent history that peeps should be charged higher Council Tax if they havent done everything "environmentally necessary" to save on fuel bills. I specifically recall noticing that and thinking "But - how on earth am I supposed to find that money to get my house up to scratch as being as fuel-efficient as possible on the one hand AND bearing in mind that its not my forever home and I still hope that maybe one day I will be able to move to a good enough home for myself (ie I'm not willing to spend any money I can possibly spend on a house I am hoping to get shot of for a better one at some point....)."

The Government has now announced they will give "up to £10,000" to a home-owner to help them make their homes more energy-efficient BUT the "small print" says that peeps will have to pay this back (ie it will be a loan - not a grant). Bang goes my instant thought that "I'll take that then..." - not if its only a loan I won't be doing so....

So - I think this is probably true - but a garbled version of the truth.

Personally - I think few people will take any money available from the Government to make their homes more energy-efficient if they find they will have to pay it back at some point (even if bankers hadnt just been handed loadsamoney as a pure gift...:mad::eek:).

So - my own view is I really really DO want to make my home as environmentally-efficient as possible - but I simply cant afford for it to be at my own expense (even if I planned on staying here...) and I certainly DO NOT expect to be penalised in any way for not being able to afford to make it environmentally-efficient...so "Dear Government ...think on...and make this a suitably attractive proposition to peeps like myself..." (by helping us for doing right - and not threatening us for "doing wrong"..:mad:).

Offred

Thanks ceridwen.

Makes sense to me - and agree wholeheartedly. I cant afford to make any more improvements to my efficiency -And there is no way I would be able to take out a "loan" from the government. Its a catch 22. Hope there is some serious thought before such a plan is implemented.

brewerdave

How would your local government know if you had done everything?? Loft insulation is "invisible" as is cavity wall insulation - the only thing clearly identifiable from outside a house is the presence of double glazing - and if thats old then its nowhere near as efficient as modern sealed units. So how would they penalise energy inefficient homes????
Absolute nonsense ...a sales scam!

ashleypride

ceridwen wrote: »

Actually - I dont think it IS a scam.

Of course it's a scam, they are lying through their teeth. Of course councils may decide to offer discounts to well insulated homes - not the other way around.

ceridwen

ashleypride wrote: »

Of course it's a scam, they are lying through their teeth. Of course councils may decide to offer discounts to well insulated homes - not the other way around.

Discounts to well-insulated homes would still mean those with poorly insulated homes paying extra Council Tax (even if it was exactly the same as it had been before those discounts came along iyswim). Therefore - still penalising those with poorly-insulated homes. All well and good and agreeable - BUT BUT BUT there are many people who really DO intend to insulate their homes well but simply cant afford to do so. Its the "wont pays" - rather than the "cant pays" that should be penalised - and how would a council tell the difference between the two???

Re how would they tell? - How about one of those thermal photos of homes we have all seen - with different coloured areas on the photos of just how much heat is leaking from the home. That would certainly show who had insulated well and who hadnt.

Also - they could just use the evidence of their eyes - ie send a Council official out to study roofs when there had been a snowfall. They would soon spot whose roof had a thick covering of snow still (ie well-insulated) and whose didnt (ie heat was leaking up through the roof).

daveyjp

How do you know if a door to door sales person is talking rubbish? Their lips move.

ashleypride

ceridwen wrote: »

Re how would they tell? - How about one of those thermal photos of homes we have all seen - with different coloured areas on the photos of just how much heat is leaking from the home. That would certainly show who had insulated well and who hadnt.

Also - they could just use the evidence of their eyes - ie send a Council official out to study roofs when there had been a snowfall. They would soon spot whose roof had a thick covering of snow still (ie well-insulated) and whose didnt (ie heat was leaking up through the roof).

These suggestions clearly don't show how well insulated a house is.

If a council were to offer a discount it would be most likely be based on more reliable information such a energy-efficiency rating. But this is all moot, the cold caller is lying, using a small grain truth (some councils offering one off payments for installing insulation).

diable

So if I insulate my loft with tin foil and cannabis plants then I will get a discount on my CT?

t0rt0ise

Lots of us in London live in listed buildings so we can't have decent double glazing and have no cavity wall to fill, and even no loft to insulate. So I hope they are going to miss me out in their calculations.. LOL.

penrhyn

Don't put anything past ecomentalists, there was a thread yesterday where someone had moved into a house with three pin bayonet light fittings.
These are designed to prevent you from using regular, or come to that ordinary CFL bulbs.

You are being tricked. Greenwash is an abomination. It is slavery.