Green Deal MSE Guide Discussion

Ecodave

west_wales_idiot wrote: »

I had my green deal assessment done nearly 3 months ago, have struggled to find anyone to quote for external wall insulation and now I am being told by green deal providers that my green deal assessment, occupational assessment and EPC an are no good unless I have the XML data files ?
If I want them to quote they advise me to get hold of the files or pay for a new green deal assessment, my assessor will not release the data to me stating the "RRN" number is all he has to provide to other green deal providers.

Can anyone explain to me what the XML data files are, and suggest any way forward in this situation.

The XML file is the core data collected and input by the assessor that generates the EPC. This data file is used to transfer the outputs of the EPC into the occupancy assessment software. GD providers appear to be getting concerned about whether this process has been conducted in a 'compliant' fashion. I understand that some are refusing to work up a GD plan if they haven't had control of the assessment process.

I would have thought that your assessor would have been able to supply your XML file, did you pay for the assessment? If not, I can understand some reluctance to comply with a request to hand over the XML files, as the assessor may have been relying on a commission to get his fee. If you paid for the assessment then I can't see the problem, its your data not his.

John_Pierpoint

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XML

parahandy

Had a visit (and follow-up phone call) today from HELMS aka Green Deal Installations, they have arranged to come out for an assessment next week.

We actually had Scottish Hydro out for an assessment earlier this week - although I don't think this was under the Green Deal banner.

I hadn't heard of Green Deal before this, and read the review on the main MSE pages - something I did not know is that there is an upfront cost for the assessment. This was certainly not mentioned to us when the assessment was booked.

I will phone them back tomorrow and establish whether such a charge does exist and if so, why I wasn't told.

We are sure we will benefit from cavity wall insulation (we already have the loft done), but I'm not sure I want to have to pay for an assessment, having already had something similar - unless this is the only method to get the Green Deal.

peat

There is a Green Homes Cashback scheme which will pay up to £150 towards the cost of an assessment but I'm not sure, could be Scotland only see:
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Take-action/Find-a-grant/Green-Homes-Cashback-Scheme

Ecobod

If Green Deal simply allowed fast energy improvements to take place at 0% or even 3% over 10 or 20 years it would be a winner.

How we might work
The concept that anybody with an old fossil fuel boiler might one day expect it will breakdown and on that day we all go online looking for a replacement.

If we could get a loan for being Green at no extra cost we will and we might make hot water & heat from solar or heat pumps.

The challenge
If we have some type of domestic emergency with our fossil fuel based heat & hot water we are in a state of domestic emergency as hot water is critical and in the winter so is heat

Green Deal is not practical
If we have some type of urgent need to replace our old heating system it requires an assessor to be booked & paid, they come, they take a look, they register the findings and then it is decided what needs doing. I cannot just use a local qualified installer but have to use a Green Deal installer

Loan on Green Deal
Frankly any creditworthy subscriber can borrow money at a lower rate than Green Deal. With Green Deal the rates are high as it is a bit like sub-prime so we get to subsidise those who have a change in circumstance or are habitual non-payers. If I borrow this Green Deal style I have attached it to my home energy bill for 20 years

Increased costs
My costs will be increased if I want to settle early and the repayments go up by a rate of 2% every year if I don't

Government says
The greatest home improvement scheme for 20 years

I say
The concept was brilliant but leaving Civil Servants to administer it leads to confusion, added expenditure, uncertain house price adjustments and many layers to breakthrough in order to get a timely job dome

Conclusion
Great but too slow, to costly and nobody is taking seriously. Watch Out! Green Deal controls the fund for ECO which is currently being jumped onto like a gold rush and we are soon going to learn about a huge mis-selling or is it boiler giving scandal as all are door knocking to fit boilers.... no system check or radiator flush... just boiler and gone!!

Phillipa_Blogs

We were a little cautious about this deal and we had good reason to be. In a nutshell. British Gas send out someone to tell you what you already know about your house, in our case that the boiler has 'had it' - and that is all you get for you £125. You can add a proportion of the cost of the boiler replacement to your energy bill, but it is only a proportion and the maximum the Government will allow you to off-set is £1500. British Gas don't tell you this when you make the apt and pay your cash. The British Gas advisor that came to see me today said, and I quote "You do know that the debt stays with the house, would you want to buy a house with a debt like that attached to it" - his exact words. As British Gas are far more expensive than any other private heating engineer the £1500 (maximum) doesn't really cover it, our quotation, and we live in a small 3 bed terraced house, from BG was £5200 !!
My advice, use the £125 towards getting a local decent heating engineer to do it for you at his best price.

Ecodave

Phillipa_Blogs wrote: »

We were a little cautious about this deal and we had good reason to be. In a nutshell. British Gas send out someone to tell you what you already know about your house, in our case that the boiler has 'had it' - and that is all you get for you £125. You can add a proportion of the cost of the boiler replacement to your energy bill, but it is only a proportion and the maximum the Government will allow you to off-set is £1500. British Gas don't tell you this when you make the apt and pay your cash. The British Gas advisor that came to see me today said, and I quote "You do know that the debt stays with the house, would you want to buy a house with a debt like that attached to it" - his exact words. As British Gas are far more expensive than any other private heating engineer the £1500 (maximum) doesn't really cover it, our quotation, and we live in a small 3 bed terraced house, from BG was £5200 !!
My advice, use the £125 towards getting a local decent heating engineer to do it for you at his best price.

There is no mandated upper limit for Green Deal finance for replacing a boiler. The limits placed on your quotation will relate to the amount of finance that could be serviced by the savings calculated in relation to installing a new boiler at your home, so is a personal quotation.

thenudeone

Part of the conditions for green deal or RHHP funding is that cavity wall insulation is installed and loft insulation to current standards is installed "where practical". The only exceptions I can see are for grants to low income households for new boiler or insulation measures.

What does "where practical" mean in practice?

I have open fireplaces (rarely used) in the majority of ground floor rooms. Cavity Wall insulation can't be installed without also installing a vent (= a huge draught-inviting hole in the wall) in each of these rooms to prevent carbon monoxide problems.

Does this mean that a green deal assessment would agree that cavity wall insulation is impracticable?

My Loft is full boarded and used for storage. There is insulation to the height of the rafters (probably 3"). In order to install the required minimum insulation (10") would require all the boarding to be removed and the storage capacity effectively eliminated.

Does this mean that a green deal assessment would agree that extra loft insulation insulation is impracticable?

Any comments / experiences appreciated.

Richie-from-the-Boro

thenudeone wrote: »

I have open fireplaces (rarely used) in the majority of ground floor rooms. Cavity Wall insulation can't be installed without also installing a vent (= a huge draught-inviting hole in the wall) in each of these rooms to prevent carbon monoxide problems.

- one single open fireplace is an even bigger [than a vent] heat extraction unit per room
- a restrictor fitted to each fireplece will very considerably reduce heat loss

My Loft is full boarded and used for storage

- you would have to empty & remove all boarding, fit loft stilts before the insulation
- then re-board after the new-height insulation was laid

John_Pierpoint

When I had my home insulated, the cavity filler and I agreed that the one living room fire place was out of action and were I to reuse it, I would install a wood burner of less than 5kW.
[ In reality I will probably fit a "sealed" log burner, that gets its air via a pipe directly from outside ].

So he wrote "out of use and sealed", against my form and we both stopped worrying about the big hole to be hacked in the exterior wall.

There are alternatives to what I know as "loft legs" for example:

http://www.loftzone.co.uk/environment.html