Grants available for homes improvements & energy efficiency

knmoloney

I work for a company who arange these grants for home insulation so thought I'd give a few tips on this. (Yes I am on of those who a lot of people get annoyed with calling about your grant!)

I've heard so many horror stories about British Gas doing this home insulation grant from people who have had to pay a deposit then wait about 8 months for the work to actually be done to Brtish Gas uping their prices to that house to make the money back. You can only get a grant with them if you've got 3" or less in the loft (below the level of the joists) and will fob off work saying it can't be done when I actually can be. They'd rather you need the heating on as much as possible as this is how they make their money! Also BG will only do the loft OR the walls, not both.

I know I'll probably sound like I'm bias and touting for business, alothough it doesn't make any differnce to me if people take up on these grants but I'd rather the energy suppliers stop making so much money! The company I work for is Nationwide Energy Services, they've got a website (can't post it as a new user but you'll find it if you google them!). With NES everyone, no matter how much you earn everyone can get 80% costs which usually works out at about £149 for loft or walls (£298 for both). You can get 100% of costs if over 70 or receiving:
Income-related employment and support allowance.
Council tax benefit.
Housing Benefit.
Income Support.
Income-based job seekers allowance.
Attendance allowance.
Disability Living Allowance.
War disablement pension which includes either a mobility supplement or constant attendance allowance.
Disablement pension which includes constant attendance allowance.
State pension credit.
Child tax credit where the relevant income is £16,040 or less.
Working tax credit where the relevant income is £16,040 or less.

Concidering the average household would save £300-£400 a year now since latest energy increases I though it was definitely worth £149 for mine to be done!

knmoloney

Ab77 wrote: »

Hi,
I currently have a problem in my flat. My bedroom has black mould in it, due to a humidity problem and lack of ventilation in the room. I kept cleaning the mould, but it would return. I finally had professionals come in and have a look and they all said I needed a ventilation system. The cheapest estimate I got was £700. Normally, I would just pay this amount, but I'm on a contract and I will be loosing my job at the end of the month!!!
I have asthma and exzema so I'm being affected pretty badly. I have contacted my local authority and a few other agencies, but they've all said I have to be unemployed before they can help.
Does anyone have any suggestions about who else can help me?

Thanks,

Usually I'd say cavity wall insulation will stop a condensation problem, all to do with sudden changes in tempertaure on either side of the walls. You'd have to get the permission of the residents above/below but it's definitely cheaper than £700! Especially whilst the grant is still running!

knmoloney

Hi lr1277, only just now seen your comment. Just to let you know it's now both types of JSA that get 100% of costs covered for them. Oh and to answer some of those questions....
I know it seems to good to be true but Nationwide Energy Services just get paid but the insulators, the government pays them then they give some of it to NES.
It's all properties that are entitiled to the grant. You can have one for every property you live in until the grant closes, it just depends on who is living there that determines how much of a grant you'll get.
The landlord does have to give full permission, but the surveyors usually get that for you.
Hope that helps!

Ian1money

Hi,

I've just spoken to Nationwide Energy Services and they have told me that JSA has to be income-based rather than contribution-based to qualify for totally free provision.

harryhound

I had a chat with a representative of "The Mark Group" touting for business in B&Q today.
He told me that it is not possible to get a subsidy for installing cavity insulation by using polystyrene beads.
Anyone know why?

(I have cavities with rough mortar between the bricks - the fibre snags and won't squirt in properly.

Nettie66

Can anyone help me find a grant to get my aged heating system replaced. We were going to do it last year but hubby had a bad accident at work and has been unable to work since. We seem to be on a fine line....because I work (although not on a great wage) we do not seem to get the 'right' benefits. Hubby gets DLA as does one of my young sons. We dont qualify for warmfront and I dont seem to find anywhere else that does not use the same criteria. Hubby no longer qualifies for ESA under the new rules...although this is going to tribunal...I am exhausted from searching the web. We cannot have the water on without the radiators or the pipes bang and it blows out the boiler. We had a new diverter and timer/thermostat fitted but it has not made any difference...in fact it is now worse....we have one temperature...blasting! The radiators are starting to rust due to their age with no individual controls...I would appreciate any advice. oh...and we own our own home.

apparently it looks like I should stop work so that we fall into the 'correct' type of benefits...but that would then defeat the object as I wouldn't be able to pay the mortgage and therefore wouldn't need the grant if we lost our home!! Strange world we live in!!!

zeetha

Hi knmoloney,

Thanks for your detailed post. My mother had a phone call from your company today but is a bit worried about having someone round to do the survey as shes worried that she'll either have to pay something, or they'll want to go through her financials before agreeing work. She is over 70 and is in a government pension so doesn't have much money. From what I can find out online she doesn't have to pay anything, but can you tell me what the agent would need to know in order for her to qualify for the free insulation?

Thanks,

Z

t40

Having just recently moved from one housing association property to another at totally the other end of the country primarily due to disabled hate and anti-social behavior issues where we used to live (I may add in an already adapted bungalow suited to my disablement need) we have been effectively forced out by yet another Housing Association failing in their duty of care to their tenants which has left us in a predicament on several matters.

Our new house was gained via a mutual exchange meaning the new HA will not carryout any repair works over and above keeping it both wind and watertight end of, now we all know that a fully furnished house is in many ways hard to fully assess until empty, upon moving in we have found it rather hard to heat (having the dreaded storage heaters that in any case are no use for my health conditions as we are in most everyday when the house is frozen let alone the cost of running them?) on top of which it's an early 19th century semi cottage an old road/railway mans cottage as it goes that is badly insulated and very draughty (where our previous home was all via government grants already done with both insulation and cavity wall insulation) I have on this and other sites found out that all the free grant works for such tasks does not apply to housing association properties so what do we do now, not one internal door shuts, the house is generally cold, draughty and it's coating a fortune to heat any advice, help or guidance appreciated..

Secondly again due to the house being furnished when viewed the state of the decoration wasn't fully appreciated with every roof BADLY artexed not withstanding it could have asbestos in it? and many walls are very very rough, every door and all whitework requires painting the list is endless the driveway that I have to use for two reasons firstly due to my disablements I require level ground to get in and out of the vehicle this will require the driveway being widened and the fact that due to the road layout it wouldn't be safe to park roadside, we have a small family pet dog that can and will escape via a dividing fence that the posts are rotten on and most of it is not standing last but not least we had saved enough to get the walk-in shower removed and replaced with a bath as due to my conditions a bath although difficult is far better for my conditions than standing in a shower when I'm prone to falling which has left us in a quandary over what we do, in that we cannot afford to do it all ourselves and even I'd we could we can't find anyone willing to take on any of the works locally so advice again please on who if anyone would supply trades to carryout some or all of the more urgent tasks if there are any grants, charities or such available to assist us as so far we have drawn a blank any we have found do not or cannot help us !


We are based in Highland Scotland in Lochaber for general interest how ever small your snippet of information or help may be please add it as so far we have gotten knowhere there seems to be few trades listed locally those that are don't want the work or we can't afford their costs so what is our best course of action as I fear a massive downwards spiral again this winter (like last due to the extreme cold conditions) and I really can't face that again ...

Thanks in advance for any help, or advice offered

Richie-from-the-Boro

""Housing Association failing in their duty of care""

- what specific duty of care

- going from adapted to non-adapted was your choice, you did a mutual swap
- adapted properties are like gold, only about 15% of the disabled ever get one, giving one up means you may never get a~n~other
- going from the south to Fort William will certainly be a considerably colder average throughout the whole year
- speak to your 'named' housing officer and ask for help / assistance / advice
- or log a complaint
- what sort of swap ? tenant / HFTE / shared ownership ?
- much of the work [ tenant ] you want done you would not be allowed to do if you were a millionaire

I've never known a HA do 'furnished' ever ! - maybe in Scotland its different !

Start your own new thread instead of hijacking this one, and ask again .. .. see if someone can / will help.

t40

Start your own new thread instead of hijacking this one, and ask again .. .. see if someone can / will help.

Isn't this thread entitled grants available for home improvements and energy efficiency? And isn't that what I was asking I believe you will find it is/was, the lack of care/duty was leveled at our previous HA not our current as I clearly stated at the onset of my post we moved primarily due to disabled hate and anti social behavior issues where we moved from, making that particular tenancy untenable the lack of care/duty arose out of the previous HA's 3 yr dragging of their heels and inability to move us not withstanding the fact they had many neighbours other than our own evidence to add more the particular person/s causing the issues have now started on the persons we exchanged with ? not that I need clarify my statement but we certainly did NOT move 150 miles away from our family, friends etc for no reason that said we are not all that concerned all we wanted to know was if any grants are available to do some procedures that should really of been carried out irrespective of who lives in this house..

Your wholly wrong I have to add with your assumption that even if I were a millionaire I wouldn't get to do what I'm trying to so you believe that trying to source help with getting our home better insulated is not feasible, likewise neither is attempting to seek funding to ensure I can safely get in and out of my vehicle (ever heard of the disabled access laws) obviously not many years ago when I was first I'll I got permission to carryout similar works to widen the driveway ! this home is semi adapted in that it has a double walk in shower unit sadly which is really not much good for my conditions again I have had work carried out on previous bathrooms you also seem to of missed the point it was an exchange thus it was a disabled person that is in the previous property so the HA's really are no better no worse off, and lastly my posts come out of the frustration of a not being able to fully financially nor at all physically being able to change any of this myself..

As for the internal decoration most councils etc have schemes to help those that are unable to physically carry out such jobs themselves which is ideally what we are seeking as we have already got the vast majority of the items required to carryout this work, it's really that up here we can't source any handymen or diyers willing to take it on a reasonable cost the biggest part is re-artexing every ceiling due to it all cracking of the two professional decorators whose quotes we simply could not afford have told us there is asbestos in artex meaning it should never of passed the pre exchange inspection until this was rectified.

At the end of the day we are not scroungers we are simply in a situation that we had no real choice over (try living with what we did for years always hoping we would get a semi local move after waiting three years it clearly was not going to happen) if the HA had of done their job and protected their tenants I.e. Us we wouldn't be in this position we are perfectly willing to spend what we have to get these tasks carried out but may need help, and further advice to so.

I believe your comments were badly worded and unfounded not a great welcome really to this community is it not overly helpful nothing I have asked about here is undoable or unusual in adapting/caring for disabled tenants most of these tasks DO NOT REQUIRE any special permission nor planning permissions and all would upgrade and better the HA's property if carried out when working I have spent thousands on previous council homes adapting, bettering and updating at our expense and are still willing to spend what we have to try and make the most of what we have...

I trust my further comments possibly clear up some of your apparent misunderstanding over our current situation