Cavity Wall Grants - am i too suspicious?!

chompers

Hi i hope this is the right place as i've been trying to search the internet/Direct Gov/Energy Savings trust website but to no avail.

I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by a Cavity Wall insulation firm and on the phone they said i qualified for a grant after asking me a few questions over the phone.

We own out home, have 2 children and both work full time so only receive Child Benefit - they said they would send a surveyor out between 7-8 one evening - i asked to be shown it in writing that i qualified for a full grant because i had looked into this in the past.

The day came and when i came in from work at 5.30 there was a sheet( stating contract number at the top) behind the door from this company with a sketch of the house and a few details and in the total it states " No Charge"

I rang them immediately because hadn't fully decided and i was worried they might start the work!

When i questioned the man who asked the phone again about the grant he said" Well do you want to pay?" i said obviously not if i don't need to but i don't understand how i can qualify for a grant - he said anyone with children does? He also said they would need my National Insurance Number to check i was a british citizen - I said i needed to run it past my dad.

They keep ringing several times a night and i just don't answer because I just feel it seems too good to be true, and all the research i have done seems to suggest we dont qualify for a full grant, just a reduction.

Could anybody shed any light on this?
Thanks

macman

Have they actually done a survey? If not they can't possibly confirm even if your house is suitable. Sounds like a bunch of cowboys.
Suggest you get a subsidised quote via your utility supplier.

sooty&sweep

Hi

We've just had a survey by a company and he was pressuring us to go ahead with cavity wall insulation.

We've been told it will cost £179 (3 bedroom detached dormer bungalow) as the rest will be met by a grant. We don't qualify for it free as we both work etc. Although to be honest I'm not sure if the £179 is a good price or not as I've not shopped around.

I'm currently debating whether we want to go ahead with it but to be honest I don't doubt that there are grants around as the government is very keen to reduce energy usage and reduce CO 2 emissions.

If you think about it they were contributing £3000 under the scrappage scheme to get old cars off the road.

Jen

macman

That's a very reasonable price.

PeggyAnn_2

You can quickly and easily see if you qualify for a grant on the Energy Saving Trust's website at http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Easy-ways-to-stop-wasting-energy/Energy-saving-grants-and-offers/Grants-and-Discounts-Database.

This page asks you all the relevant questions, tells you if you qualify for a grant, plus gives details and prices of the offers you qualify for.

sooty&sweep

Hi

Thanks for the link through to the Energy Saving Trust. I've just put our details in and got a price range of £89 - £199 from different installers. Is there anywhere you can compare the installers to compare quality of work etc ?

The guy that came round last night was from a company called venti energy solutions and they were using the Mark group to install. He quoted us £179 last night but when I plugged are details into the Energy Saving Trust they came up at £149 so I presume Venti are a middle man and the extra £30 is their intro fee ?

Jen

Rhino666

I have just had my large four bed detached house(280m2) cavity wall insulated by the Mark Group. The cost was £149, as a large area needed doing. Most often the charge would be around £99 but free under certain circumstances - pensioners, on benefits, etc. The service from Mark Group was excellent and believe me, I take some impressing and was worried about what I had let myself in for.

There are also some incredible deals on loft insulation around at the moment. Wickes and Jewson do well over 90 square metres of 100mm roll insulation for around £60. Thats my next job :-(

nickj_2

see if your energy supplier has any deals , british gas have just done my house for £50- it would have cost nothing as they have an allowance for detached- semi's and terrace , but as my house is a staggered terrace it has more wall area than their allowance