MSE News: New Green Deal Home Improvement Fund begins today – is it worth it for you?

Smiley_Dan

I'm finding it difficult to decide whether to go forward with this.

I know I have to install two measures. I only need a replacement door, however I also need my CWI doing. I was going to get that done for free under CSCO but it might make sense to pay a little toward it if I also get money back for replacing the door. I need to wait for quotes I think.

Also there's the advantage of choosing the CWI material if I go this way.

I phoned the GDHIF phone line and they did relay some more complex info about the cash back. Doors and CWI only attract cash back up to £100 and £200 ish maximum respectively. However you can then add on the £500 new home owner bonus to take it up to £800.

So basically I need to work out if (CWI cost + door cost) - £800 is worth it for the new door.

Otherwise, if you aren't a new home owner, I don't think £100 will buy much of a door.

Rachylou1981

I wonder if anyone can help me. I have read all the info on the MSE page and also the Gov website but nothing is making a lot of sense to me.

From the beginning...

My street and the neighbouring streets have been recommended outside wall insulation (cladding). A nearby town got theirs done and the plan was for us to have the same. The council did two houses in my street for knockdown price as a 'test' but then the funding ran out and they were looking at funding from elsewhere to continue.

They have received funding from British Gas and a company ran by them (Warm Up North) came out to see anyone that wanted them to free of charge and gathered information for an EPC. I had my appointment last week and have heard nothing since. However, I have been informed both from the council and Warm Up North I would need to pay towards this insulation but can use a payment plan and it would be a % of the total cost, not full price but no figures were divulged.

My friend's father lives in the next street and both him and another elderly gentleman have had a company out (I am assuming they canvassed door to door) and offered the insulation for FREE through this Green Deal Scheme. I went along to see what it was all about today.

In a nutshell, they are saying that we sign up with them for a free EPC, register for a voucher with the Green Deal Scheme, get them to do the work and then they sign the voucher, the government will give us a free grant of up to £6000 which will go in our bank account and then we pay them - so no cost at all to us. They said they would need our bank details so alarm bells totally ringing for me here. They are also not on the Green Deal approved companies list, which has totally thrown me as well. None of us have given them any details or agreed to any work etc. I am trying to find out what the deal is and feed back to them.

The website and MSE seem to be unclear and confusing - is there a possibility that I as a homeowner with an OK income, will be eligible for a grant that would pay for this work so I don't have to get a loan? If so, why is a loan even mentioned? Wouldn't everyone just sign up for the grant?

Sorry if that's a bit garbled. As it stands, I am waiting to ring up some of the numbers on the websites tomorrow to get some more info (and for them to explain to me like I am a 5 year old)

captainhindsight_2

Smiley_Dan wrote: »

I'm finding it difficult to decide whether to go forward with this.

I know I have to install two measures. I only need a replacement door, however I also need my CWI doing. I was going to get that done for free under CSCO but it might make sense to pay a little toward it if I also get money back for replacing the door. I need to wait for quotes I think.

Also there's the advantage of choosing the CWI material if I go this way.

I phoned the GDHIF phone line and they did relay some more complex info about the cash back. Doors and CWI only attract cash back up to £100 and £200 ish maximum respectively. However you can then add on the £500 new home owner bonus to take it up to £800.

So basically I need to work out if (CWI cost + door cost) - £800 is worth it for the new door.

Otherwise, if you aren't a new home owner, I don't think £100 will buy much of a door.

This is confusing the Green Deal Cashback and the home improvement fund. The home improvement fund pays a flat £1000 for two eligible measures

Smiley_Dan

I was discussing the wrong scheme with the person on the phone? I definitely started the call saying "I'm ringing to ask questions about the new Green Deal Home Improvement Fund".

Maybe I should ring several times and take the mode average as to how the scheme actually works.

captainhindsight_2

Smiley_Dan wrote: »

I was discussing the wrong scheme with the person on the phone? I definitely started the call saying "I'm ringing to ask questions about the new Green Deal Home Improvement Fund".

Maybe I should ring several times and take the mode average as to how the scheme actually works.

The people on the other end of the phone know jack it's just a call center where they have all just been given a copy of what everyone has access to on the DECC website

It's pretty straightforward, you install a min of two measures off the list of 12 (but they also have to be recommended on a gdar or epc) and get £1000 cashback.

500 bonus if you bought your house in the last 12 months, 100 refund for the gdar.

In addition to this if the gdar or epc recommends solid wall insulation get 75% cashback upto 6000 for the solid wall insulation.

Jilly17

I finally understand why a local GD cash back provider is insisting I get a full assessment and not just rely on my EPC. My EPC does not include a flue recovery system but the provider insists I can get one. This has been a complete headache as there is so much conflicting advice... even to the point where the Energy Saving Advice told me today that it was not on my EPC as the flue recovery systems are only put on old boilers and not needed on new ones??? I have had a couple of good quotes from local GD installers if I was going down the combi boiler and cavity wall route but as there is some funding in the area for free cavity wall I cannot find anyone to actually quote me! Maybe I should get the flue recovery unit but there is an issue with the size of the units and I have quite low ceilings. Such a minefield!

Smiley_Dan

Oh crap, so I chanced across this overview on YouGen today:

http://www.yougen.co.uk/green-deal/

It details yet more intricacies to this deal. A few highlights:

• secondary glazing (to at last 50% of the property)
• replacement doors (at least two external doors)
• cavity wall insulation (at least 50% of external walls)

Why these ridiculous rules? This stops me doing both of my intended measures.

(To those interested, I also understand another arbitrary rule is that secondary glazing is not allowed for existing double glazing, no matter what the U values of your existing glazing is).