Green Deal MSE Guide Discussion

[Deleted User]

No point in paying £399+vat for assessment if you still can't actually get the work done yet.

It's just a money maker for these assessment companies.

nazjon

Yes I thought so...assessments cost around £100 so they are making £300 profit on every one. I have emailed them this morning saying I am not proceeding. It is refundable if work is not carried out but still a lot of money to outlay at the start. I feel this company have shot themselves in the foot as it just seems greedy and will put a lot off including myself.

jaspig

Had an assessment done by British Gas (only company I could find who could do it), told I can go to any company to get the works done but more importantly get competitive quotations (as recommended by the Green Deal and MSE). Wouldn't that be nice only one company in my area (British Gas) can provide a quotation for a new boiler. In fact the only company already connected to the Green Deal Finance company. I have just wasted £99 and 3 hours of my life talking to all the different depts and organisations involved and not one of them can provide any helpful advice. So I am stuck buying a new boiler from British Gas on a green deal or buying elsewhere without the green deal. This is a monopoly created by the government for good old British Gas at the moment.

This "product" has been launched to consumers way to early without anything ready and in place and because of this it is starting to fail already. If it were a car it would have no wheels. I wish I could provide more feedback on value but for the foreseeable future I doubt this will be possible as I cannot obtain enough competitive quotations. I now know why only 4 people have signed up. It is impossible for someone who does not want to get ripped off to sign up. And what do I get for my £99? a pointless piece of paper that tells me a new Boiler will save me money if I replace the 22 year old one I already have. Thanks but I knew that already.

Best of luck anyone taking this up but next i am going to pen a letter to my MP demanding a refund of my £99. Wish me luck, i think i may need it.

jaspig

spacemanc wrote: »

"Aint working" ? - It hasn't even started! Look up the figures for work completed under Green Deal. There isn't any because the finance isn't in place yet.

I partly agree with some of your other points, but I think you misunderstand some things as well. You say there's no competition - well right now there isn't much because it's new, but as a whole the scheme probably has too much competition which makes it confusing! You can go anywhere for the assessment - you can then take that to any installer, who can finance it with any provider. They do all have to be green deal qualified, but if that wasn't the case then no doubt you would cry about it being open to cowboys - which would be true!

Independence of the assessor is a problem as really the whole scheme is based on the impartiality of the initial assessment, but the assessors are audited quite often by the certification bodies, so the auditing is the part which the government needs to keep an eye on to make sure standards are kept up and regulations are followed. Based on what happens with the EPC's currently, there's no reason to think that that won't be the case.

Would agree but you cannot even get a quote from anyone apart from British Gas at the moment to swap a boiler. Trust me i have tried. Only 7 companies can provide finance at the moment. One is just solar and the remainder are regional companies only (not in my region) and another who cannot quote unless they did the survey. All in all a right mess. This was launched at least a year to early nothing is in place and ready to support the consumer including me. Feel like i have been mis sold. I cannot wait six months for this to all be sorted I need a new boiler before winter otherwise i will have no heating. Waste of £99 and all the time spent on this. They should have been upfront. So many lies and misrepresentation that if this was a company and not the government they would have been dragged through the courts. I think i have just scrapped the surface but predict this is going to end horribly.

loopyloouk

hi, wondered if someone could advise:-

we were contacted by a company called yor green deal for my elderly uncle who advised they could install him a complete new system for free etc. They came out and carried out an assessment took pictures of the deeds to his property, his pension credits, his ni number.

no correspondence or info since, i have chased them up and have now been told he is not eligible for this.

does this sound a bit dodgy? and what happens to his personal info, i have asked if they are data protection registered but have received no response

thanks

[Deleted User]

I want to replace my solid fuel CH with gas CH on Green Deal. I bet no one can do this though.

John_Pierpoint

The most useful thing you can do is improve your insulation and reduce the rate of air changes.

If you already have a gas supply then installing a condensing boiler that is room sealed (balanced flue) then it will almost certainly meet "the golden rule" over a 75% efficient coal burner sucking cold air into the house.

Would you qualify for "ECO" assistance ?

Do you have solid walls ?

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Take-action/Find-a-grant/Green-Deal-and-ECO

[Deleted User]

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

The most useful thing you can do is improve your insulation and reduce the rate of air changes.

If you already have a gas supply then installing a condensing boiler that is room sealed (balanced flue) then it will almost certainly meet "the golden rule" over a 75% efficient coal burner sucking cold air into the house.

Would you qualify for "ECO" assistance ?

Do you have solid walls ?

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Take-action/Find-a-grant/Green-Deal-and-ECO

I don't qualify for ECO as I'm not on any benefits.

My walls have a cavity but house is rendered on one side so it will damage it when they drill the holes.

I've got Dyson coming next week to do a survey for free loft insulation under the Carbon Saving Community Obligation which apparently applies to my post code. I bet there is a catch to that too e.g must be on benefits.

Richie-from-the-Boro

CSCo is by IMD / postcode, and is for low income households area's, not specifically low income households. If your property is in the datazone you are entitled.

- no clam-like high interest loan attached to the leccy bill
- does not require dwellings to be on a low income
- the ONS lookup tool is here

[Deleted User]

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

CSCo is by IMD / postcode, and is for low income households area's, not specifically low income households. If your property is in the datazone you are entitled.

- no clam-like high interest loan attached to the leccy bill
- does not require dwellings to be on a low income
- the ONS lookup tool is here

I am low income just not entitled to benefits due to living on own and owning own home.