Official Free Boilers and Insulation guide discussion

Bebopman

I recently had a household inspection from an Eon inspection official. He said they'd recommend me for a free boiler upgrade and room insulation.
But after sending my Child Tax Benefits Receipt my application was refused as my household had earned £17100. which is more than the £16010 threshold.
Is there anyone I can appeal too? I have a household of Two Adults and 3 under 5 years old and the boiler has broken!
any advice would be great!

Peridot67

I contacted British Gas first of all to see if they would repair my flue hoping I could somehoe claim for it on my NHBC policy and they refused to quote as their company policy is that they cant carry out works that require scaffolding - my boiler and flue are in the roof space, my property is 9 years old and a shared ownership property with Waterloo Housing Association. There have been a myriad of issues with the 7mtr flue starting only 3 months after I moved in, on that first occasion, the builders rectified the issue but thats the first and last time Waterloo would help, every year since, at every cold snap the boiler has failed due to issues with the flue and for years, I have been paying to have it repaired. Unfortunately, I was made redundant 18mths ago after a 22yr career and havent been able to work since due to chronic illness so I dont have the money to make repairs and in any case, now that its been disconnected and a warning notice issued, the flue needs replacing.

Following condemnation of my gas boiler flue and being on ESA I looked to the Government's ECO scheme to see if I could get a new boiler & flue. (We have been without heating and hot water since my boiler was disconnected with a warning notice for 4 weeks now - to top this off I have Fibromyalgia and Arthritis of the spine and am chronically ill - cold and stress both exacerbate my illness)

I contacted British Gas to apply for a new boiler & flue on the ECO scheme, on 23/02/16 a contractor who I only know as 'Stuart' came and carried out an assessment, collected the relevant information and told me that I qualified for a boiler replacement and that I would have to make a financial contribution of £143. A difficult sum to find on my level of income but not impossible and this provided some light at the end of the tunnel for me, at last! I would have a reliable boiler and flue that didn't fail every time the temperature dropped.

Not having heard anything I called them on 07/03/16 to find out what was happening to be told that I needed to have a 'technical survey' and this was booked for 11/03/16, I also asked, "am I definitely getting a new boiler to be told that I was getting one as I qualified and met all the criteria". I waited in and called them at around 2pm to make sure someone was coming as I thought they had said someone would call on the day to let me know what time the inspection would be, I was told, it was an all day appt and that they would come any time up until 5pm. At 2.30 pm I missed a call and responded to a message and called them back, the person I needed to speak to wasn't at her desk but a message would be left for her to call me back, waited an hour, no call so I called them back, she was still not at her desk but it was confirmed that a message had been left, I was also told that no inspection was required and that I just needed to make payment and an installation date could be set (my heart sang). I asked the operative if I could just make payment with him and he then proceeded to ask me to pay nearly £700! (I nearly fell off my chair - besides the fact this was considerably more than the £143 I had been quoted, where am I supposed to get that kind of money from?) - I disputed the amount, besides, here I was, having applied for a FREE boiler, not having received any kind of written confirmation, invoice or letter, now being asked to pay nearly £700 I don't have for said FREE? boiler ! - The nice young man said he would try to get to the bottom of this but I would have to wait until Monday as people had gone home, fair enough I thought, so waited all day Monday, and guess what? NO phone call, rang them today to ask why to be told that the person I needed to speak to wasn't at their desk and he could send me an invoice 'if I wanted'... I said no and he advised that I would need to wait a few more days for a response......

So, there's no information, an unprofessional set up, staff who spend little time at their desks (apparently) mis-quoting and requests for large amounts of money for something advertised as FREE with no justification and very little in the way of customer care but.... I am an unemployed, chronically ill woman with no heating and hot water and must endure this humiliation to take advantage of a government scheme set up to help people like me....

Still waiting and still cold.......

glynm15

Hi all,

Not sure this is in the right place - please point me if not.

Parent in laws have had Free loft insulation done on Tuesday by Eon.

Basically - completed job and then says there is a problem with the water tank - I'm sending a plumber round.

Mother in law goes upstairs and there is water dripping through the bedroom ceiling. The installer has basically cracked the water tank.

2 days no with no hot water or heating. No fix in sight. They have now asked for £250 for repairs.

I think this is outrageous and all should be being done not only to fix the tank but any damage done.

There initial argument is that it's a very old water tank (it is) but no mention of this was ever made of the initial survey.

Any advice appreciated. Anyone to speak to.

Regards
G

Harryo

How old is the tank approximately?

Do you know what material it is made of?

Is it the heating feed and expansion cistern or cold water storage?

The age of the tank should not really come into their decision to charge you. I am just asking to get an idea of the likely condition.

If the failure was due to negligence then they should pay.

If it would have been unforeseen by a competent person and they showed full diligence then I would say it would be down to you to pay for repairs. eg if it were a galvanised steel cistern and it had severely rusted internally below the water line and could not readily be seen from a visual inspection.

If you have free Legal Advice or Assistance built into an insurance policy it may be worth your while consulting that service.

For the cost involved I personally would not consider paying for advice or taking the matter to the Small Claims Court but that is up to you of course. I would say it is highly unlikely a Judge will be able to make a conclusion on responsibility without an Expert Report and overall Fees will be more than the cost of the new cistern.

If it is any consolation , the cost they are quoting of £250, if that includes everything including VAT sounds fairly reasonable. You could get alternative prices to check.

A new cistern will be manufactured from plastic or perhaps grp and should last 50 years plus if installed correctly.

They may also have really done you a favour with the leak occuring as it did, if it was a legitimate failure. The cistern could have failed when you were out or away. Also the reason for the leak could have worsened and the cistern could have failed in a catastrophic way bringing your ceiling down and causing severe damage.

If paying out £250 will be very difficult to you then it may be worth explaining and asking if they could reduce the cost or whether you could pay in installments.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

glynm15 wrote: »

Hi all,

Not sure this is in the right place - please point me if not.

Parent in laws have had Free loft insulation done on Tuesday by Eon.

Basically - completed job and then says there is a problem with the water tank - I'm sending a plumber round.

Mother in law goes upstairs and there is water dripping through the bedroom ceiling. The installer has basically cracked the water tank.

2 days no with no hot water or heating. No fix in sight. They have now asked for £250 for repairs.

I think this is outrageous and all should be being done not only to fix the tank but any damage done.

There initial argument is that it's a very old water tank (it is) but no mention of this was ever made of the initial survey.

Any advice appreciated. Anyone to speak to.

Regards
G

Morning G and I'm sorry your parents-in-law have a problem with their boiler after we fitted some loft insulation.

Sounds like this work was done under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). This is a Government led scheme that aims to cut usage by providing help with energy saving stuff like loft and cavity wall insulation.

This work is looked after by a specialist team. If you haven't already, this is the team to speak to. There's more information, including contact details, on our website under 'Saving Energy.'

Hope this helps point you in the right direction G.

Malc

APJ

My partner's house in Bristol has less than 3" of loft insulation. Whilst there used to be plenty of schemes around for free insulation, it now seems you have to be on benefits.

Are there any schemes for free loft insulation which do not require you to be on benefits? Whilst she has no income she does not claim benefits.

JSmithy

noskralc wrote: »

Hi
I qualify for free boiler but have to pay £478 installation costs before boiler is installed. Is it usual to pay this before installation?

Thanks for any help with this

It all depends on the EPC results and how much you will save by having a new boiler. Each installer has a minimum score to meet to provide a free boiler, which can vary from installer to installer. It will also depend on if the work required is straight forward (ie old combi to new combi) or an upgrade from a system and if you need work such as a new fuse spur (part-p required) or pipes changed from 15mm to 22mm.

JSmithy

APJ wrote: »

My partner's house in Bristol has less than 3" of loft insulation. Whilst there used to be plenty of schemes around for free insulation, it now seems you have to be on benefits.

Are there any schemes for free loft insulation which do not require you to be on benefits? Whilst she has no income she does not claim benefits.

You don't need to be on benefits to qualify for free insulation, but it will depend on the size of the house, the current heating type and the current insulation depth. Grants are awarded on carbon savings and a small house with good insulation/heating will benefit less than a large country house with solid fuel in terms of carbon reduction and savings. As such the grants for small houses are no longer high enough to cover the install costs in most cases. The scheme relating to benefits works on a slightly different scoring mechanism. Not all installers work on both schemes, which is why you may be turned away by one installer but not another.

JSmithy

Bebopman wrote: »

I recently had a household inspection from an Eon inspection official. He said they'd recommend me for a free boiler upgrade and room insulation.
But after sending my Child Tax Benefits Receipt my application was refused as my household had earned £17100. which is more than the £16010 threshold.
Is there anyone I can appeal too? I have a household of Two Adults and 3 under 5 years old and the boiler has broken!
any advice would be great!

There is no process to appeal. The cut of is a set figure as part of the Government scheme. It's worth double checking they have reviewed the correct figure though. On the income section of the child tax credit letter you need to look at the total household income. It has to be less than £16,010 and not a pound more. It's not the section further on that includes your tax credits, which sometimes people look at by mistake.

JSmithy

weebubs wrote: »

Hi there jenny I have had a new boiler installed as I qualified as I was on a low income. Boiler was fitted and I was left with a bill for £800 to pay. Can't quote understand why as my credit rating sucks. At no time during the survey was I told that I would be left will a bill at the end. Company have taken me to court and I now have to pay remaining balance at £100. Has this happened to anyone else ???

If you never agreed to contribute £800 then go to court and fight them. If they cant provide any evidence that you accepted a quote for that amount then they will lose in court. They will have to provide the evidence prior to reaching court. If you didn't agree as you have said, then that evidence can not exist. Not sure what you mean by having to pay £100 if they gave you a bill for £800 though, unless your saying you have already paid £700, which would suggest you agreed o the £800 bill...