Green Deal MSE Guide Discussion

Ecodave

The HTT section of ECO is (in English) the Hard-to-Treat section of the Energy Company Obligation. This scheme is a replacement to previous schemes, CERT and CESP (don't ask me what they stood for!) which finished at the end of last year. The new scheme, ECO, is more specifically targeted than the previous schemes, which addressed, in general, the lower hanging fruit.

So now they are targeting the "hard to treat" properties. These might have cavity walls that were deemed too narrow (quite often found in 1930's properties) under the previous schemes, but can now be tackled using specific materials and techniques. Or the property might be between 3 and 5 storeys tall. The cavity wall, once inspected, may have "mortar ingress" which may have previously prohibited installation of insulation, but now can be addressed. You may have dodgy guttering, which may have prevented responsible installers from installing insulation previously, now funds can be provided under the scheme to sort the guttering out, then fill the cavity.

So there are multiple ways a property might qualify for installation under the scheme, many of which could be identified by an 'assessor' or 'salesman' (they need to be both as the public are a sceptical bunch) just by walking past your property and observing certain characteristics.

John_Pierpoint

Is there a SIMPLE one step of identifying properties that qualify as being in a (rural?) deprived area qualifying for free assistance.
ie an interactive map or simply enter your post code?

If the Land Registry can do it, with their hovering spyglass system, surely it cannot be that difficult?

Richie-from-the-Boro

Use this site and drill down to the individual sub areas in any available region .........

What is available is here
Overview map here
NE region here
Tyne & Wear as part of the NE [se below] here

rabialiones

surveyor came round, said we could get help with guttering, pointing, replace worn bricks, double glazing
oh! and of course loft insulation and cavity wall

sounds too good to be true

will have to wait and see,inspector/ assessor is coming next week

lstar337

rabialiones wrote: »

surveyor came round, said we could get help with guttering, pointing, replace worn bricks, double glazing
oh! and of course loft insulation and cavity wall

sounds too good to be true

will have to wait and see,inspector/ assessor is coming next week

Prepare to be dissapointed!;)

They like to claim you will get everything you ever dreamed of, then when you get your EPC and GD paperwork, you find its a different story.:(

pugilist

My initial understanding was the following:

• An assessor comes round and makes lots of measurements and observations (more than are required for an Energy Performance Certificate alone).
• A report is produced, which includes an EPC and makes some recommendations on ways that energy performance could be improved.
• If the property owner then decides to install a qualifying renewable heating source (GSHP, biomass boiler etc.) they will be able to claim payments under the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.
• Additionally, lump-sum payments are available under the Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme to help with the capital cost of these renewable sources.
• There are also 40+ energy efficiency improvements covered by the Green Deal (insulation, more efficient boiler etc.).
• These efficiency improvements can be funded by Green Deal Finance.
• Additionally there are lump-sum payments available to help subsidise the cost of these Green Deal improvements through a "Cashback" scheme.

As I've read more, however, it has begun to look more involved and/or poorly explained.

• One or two pieces I've seen seem to indicate that any lump-sum payments under the RHPP will reduce the RHI payments. Most others make no such mention.
• The wording of the Green Deal process says that improvements will only be eligible if recommended in the assessment. If all of the 40+ measures are listed by default (unless excluded by the assessor) then that's fine. However I'm getting the impression that there may not be a default list, with measures having to be explicitly identified by the assessor. That could make the assessment vulnerable to the assessor's "pet likes". For example, if an assessor was so intent on banging on about biomass boilers that he failed to mention underfloor insulation then that measure wouldn't be eligible.
• It seems that each measure taken up requires /another/ EPC to be carried out after the work is done. In theory that could mean (just as an example) that you get funding for a dozen low-energy bulbs, but have to pay sixty quid for another EPC to show that you now have them.

Can anyone who knows how the scheme actually works clarify any of this?

susie5000

I had a cold call this morning asking if i'd like to save money etc etc after a LONG call taking details I was asked for £470 for the assessment to take place! They started off making out like it was a government grant and I'd get free windows. Alarm bells rang and I asked them to post out the information so I could consider taking out a green deal. So glad now I have read up on it, what a con. I will be contacting the ombudsman when I get their contact details!!!

Richie-from-the-Boro

susie5000 wrote: »

I had a cold call this morning asking if i'd like to save money etc etc after a LONG call taking details I was asked for £470 for the assessment to take place! They started off making out like it was a government grant and I'd get free windows. Alarm bells rang and I asked them to post out the information so I could consider taking out a green deal. So glad now I have read up on it, what a con. I will be contacting the ombudsman when I get their contact details!!!

- welcome to the forum
- thanks for the input Susie, the experience of people like yourself helps the unwary avoid the pitfalls

John_Pierpoint

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

Use this site and drill down to the individual sub areas in any available region .........

What is available is here
Overview map here
NE region here
Tyne & Wear as part of the NE [se below] here

This is useful for a government department trying to map the areas of "deprivation" - It is probably useful for companies planning marketing campaigns linked to grants and Green Deal loans, but I am really looking for something that maps to a definition from the local authority of a "deprived" area qualifying for grants.
Ideally this would be by post code, but as post code does not always map to local authority, let alone some sub area within that local authority, perhaps "parish" would be reasonably accurate. I suppose where a post code or a parish covered more than one sub area the map could be interactive and ask the householder to choose (click) their property on an overlaid map.

When the householder gets a pitch from a salesman, there should be an easy to use system where a few clicks can proven or disprove the spiel

Richie-from-the-Boro

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

This is useful for a government department trying to map the areas of "deprivation" - It is probably useful for companies planning marketing campaigns linked to grants and Green Deal loans, but I am really looking for something that maps to a definition from the local authority of a "deprived" area qualifying for grants.
Ideally this would be by post code, but as post code does not always map to local authority, let alone some sub area within that local authority, perhaps "parish" would be reasonably accurate. I suppose where a post code or a parish covered more than one sub area the map could be interactive and ask the householder to choose (click) their property on an overlaid map.

When the householder gets a pitch from a salesman, there should be an easy to use system where a few clicks can proven or disprove the spiel

- HiYa .. .. agreed John ....................
- and I'm sure they exist in great detail in each LA
- whether the LA ever releases such political info into the public domain is another question
- I'm sure they will all offer to sell it to anyone for money

Putting the phrase "deprivation by ward Middlesbrough" into google finds a wealth of info - try it with your own area. Middlesbrough was ranked 8 out of 13 nationally and had [2010 figures] 13 individual wards in the town in the top 10% most deprived wards in England.