Grants available for homes improvements & energy efficiency

csgohan4

Just called to cancel my parent's Boiler home care scheme and British gas wrongly informed me that the boiler grant scheme had ended a year ago and wanted to know if I wanted a new boiler from them.


Be careful when speaking to British Gas, clearly if I was a naïve senior citizen, I would have been light a few thousand

clairemp

Apologies if this isn't news to everyone else but it's been rather a surprise to me.

As I'm a disabled single mum on a low income, we had a boiler installed over 10 years ago on the boiler grant scheme. They picked the boiler and supposedly got it working although in fact it never has worked properly and has leaked since the first annual inspection. We were told at the time that the scheme would replace the boiler after 7 years but that we - despite being on a low income, hence eligibility in the first place - would have to pay for annual servicing which we duly did although it's always been a struggle to find that money. This was, as far as I knew, a scheme designed to help low-income and vulnerable people to be able to heat their homes.

The scheme has been changed several times over, meaning that I had to wait until it was over 10 years old to apply for a new one. In the last 2 years it's had repeated lengthy periods where it has not worked - even those paid to service it every year say it's packing up and looks as if it's never been serviced at all; it's no longer efficient, it repeatedly doesn't work.

I therefore made an application to get a new boiler as soon as it was over 10 years old. However, they've changed the guidelines again apparently: if the boiler, no matter its age, that they installed was classed as over 85% efficient (despite deterioration over 10 years), the scheme will not replace it. It does not matter that it has lengthy periods when it doesn't work nor that it has never worked properly since they installed it on the scheme; it doesn't matter that boilers over 10 years old are by no means efficient or that they need replacing.

It seems a ridiculous measure that a boiler should be efficient when new, not efficient now, 10 years later when they become less and less efficient. Quite aside to the cost to us for energy (and at the moment all of my Disability Living Allowances goes on gas and electricity), these boilers they installed don't work and start pumping out higher emissions the older they get.

So, no new boiler. No heating going into another cold winter. High bills for very limited warmth.

It does rather seem as if the grant scheme is simply cosmetic with the usual shenanigans underneath to avoid spending the money, no matter the circumstances it puts low income, vulnerable people in.

Furts

I feel for your situation, and get a little frustrated when hearing about such matters. Cavity wall insulation was another scheme where something was offered "free" and ended up flawed. This was inevitable and it became a huge scam with dishonesty and greed. The Green Deal was another scheme which was a disaster ... and you are unhappy with your scheme.

How much do you pay for the annual servicing and are you tied into the original installers and scheme here?

Jake_Fitzgerald

Employed Home Owner - Grants to replace windows in home

I wonder if anyone can help, I am a homeowner living with my partner and we both work, I keep getting adverts on facebook stating that there are grants available to replace windows over 5 years old in my home. I am careful with whom I share my personal information especially on facebook and when I click on the link it takes me to a site called 'help to buy windows' which asks for more information to be filled in to access the information, I am sceptical that this is just a misleading marketing ploy to get my information so that my info can be shared with window and doors companies who will advise that I do not qualify but will want to hassle me to quote for work.

Can someone tell me if grants are available for homeowners who are employed for energy efficient windows please?

pineapple

I'm just having a little moan here. I keep hearing about grants for replacement this and that but it seems nothing is available for those of us who don't even have this and that - ie I don't have a boiler or even a cold water tank. An unvented cylinder has been suggested but the total installation would cost around £4,000.
My local council used to give home improvement assistance repayable through a charge on the house - a sort of benign equity release - but even that is no longer available. Sigh....

Furts

pineapple wrote: »

I'm just having a little moan here. I keep hearing about grants for replacement this and that but it seems nothing is available for those of us who don't even have this and that - ie I don't have a boiler or even a cold water tank. An unvented cylinder has been suggested but the total installation would cost around £4,000.
My local council used to give home improvement assistance repayable through a charge on the house - a sort of benign equity release - but even that is no longer available. Sigh....

Two heads, or all forum heads are better than one. What is the quote for? What does it comprise? Perhaps the cost can be designed down?

Then if, or when, work goes ahead there are still helpful organisations out there. No idea in your area but I have come across Care and Repair and Warm and Well - two that spring to mind.

pineapple

Cheers Furts. I posted this in the 'Is this quote fair thread but no response as yet'
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5841067/quote-for-installation-of-unvented-cylinder-and-associated-works

My cottage has no cold water tank or boiler. I'm on E7 so my only means of heating water while on cheap rate is to fill up several 5 litre flasks every morning!
I have received a quote for installation of a 90 litre mains pressured unvented hot water cylinder.
It will be sited in the understairs cupboard on the ground floor - which is a central point in my tiny cottage.
The quote includes installation of a Horstman Economy 7 programmer, pipework to the bathroom (ground floor) and to the kitchen (ground floor), installation of a new mixer shower in the bathroom (to replace current electric shower), hot and cold pipework to the kitchen sink and new taps to the bathroom washbasin (which currently just has a cold tap). Plus electrics of course.
I've no idea why they quoted for a 90 litre cylinder - we discussed 60/70litre though I don't suppose it will make a huge difference to the quote which is around £3,250 plus vat. :eek:
Anyone have a clue if this is reasonable?

I have other jobs that need doing but having ready access to hot water would be life changing for me

Furts

pineapple wrote: »

Cheers Furts. I posted this in the 'Is this quote fair thread but no response as yet'
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5841067/quote-for-installation-of-unvented-cylinder-and-associated-works

My cottage has no cold water tank or boiler. I'm on E7 so my only means of heating water while on cheap rate is to fill up several 5 litre flasks every morning!
I have received a quote for installation of a 90 litre mains pressured unvented hot water cylinder.
It will be sited in the understairs cupboard on the ground floor - which is a central point in my tiny cottage.
The quote includes installation of a Horstman Economy 7 programmer, pipework to the bathroom (ground floor) and to the kitchen (ground floor), installation of a new mixer shower in the bathroom (to replace current electric shower), hot and cold pipework to the kitchen sink and new taps to the bathroom washbasin (which currently just has a cold tap). Plus electrics of course.
I've no idea why they quoted for a 90 litre cylinder - we discussed 60/70litre though I don't suppose it will make a huge difference to the quote which is around £3,250 plus vat. :eek:
Anyone have a clue if this is reasonable?

I have other jobs that need doing but having ready access to hot water would be life changing for me

The big bill item here is the water tank - which a quick google shows £260 - 500 on price. Which in itself is concerning because of the variation Why not aim to get the cheaper ones? Gledhill ticks this box, and nothing wrong with the brand that I know of. However I stick with building so bounce across those with daily experience. But here is an immediate saving, or quote discrepancy. Then consider the overall figure. If the big bill item is circa £260 why accept a quote for £4000? It cannot stack up. Plus then go for local organisations and ideas if budgets are tight, or you tick the age box or whatever.

Space may be tight but the idea of a 90 litre tank is absurd. You want to heat the water on E7 so you want to maximise that heating and have the water stored during the day. I can do the same - my Gledhill was used on E7 and it would last for a couple of days with minimal energy top up - perhaps 45 minutes per night. But it has a capacity of 250 litres. I suggest you rethink your tank size. 90 litres with E7 input is not what I would be keen on.

pineapple

Thanks I will look at tank size again and the space available. I suppose I was thinking single person use and the size of the cottage - only likely to attract single people or couples on resale.
Plus I really don't go through that much hot water (guess I have learnt to be careful) - no CH and just a shower, no bath.
But I hadn't realised the water would keep warm that long.

You are right about the labour component. However the problem in this part of Cumbria is actually finding traders. One can only dream of getting a range of quotes to compare. This is the first place I have lived where they say 'Can't you find anyone else to do it? :rotfl:
But will try to find a couple more quotes.
They are an established firm who did my neighbour's solar heating etc but they still might be chancing their arm. Female and all that....

Furts

pineapple wrote: »

Cheers Furts. I posted this in the 'Is this quote fair thread but no response as yet'
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5841067/quote-for-installation-of-unvented-cylinder-and-associated-works

My cottage has no cold water tank or boiler. I'm on E7 so my only means of heating water while on cheap rate is to fill up several 5 litre flasks every morning!
I have received a quote for installation of a 90 litre mains pressured unvented hot water cylinder.
It will be sited in the understairs cupboard on the ground floor - which is a central point in my tiny cottage.
The quote includes installation of a Horstman Economy 7 programmer, pipework to the bathroom (ground floor) and to the kitchen (ground floor), installation of a new mixer shower in the bathroom (to replace current electric shower), hot and cold pipework to the kitchen sink and new taps to the bathroom washbasin (which currently just has a cold tap). Plus electrics of course.
I've no idea why they quoted for a 90 litre cylinder - we discussed 60/70litre though I don't suppose it will make a huge difference to the quote which is around £3,250 plus vat. :eek:
Anyone have a clue if this is reasonable?

I have other jobs that need doing but having ready access to hot water would be life changing for me

I have mentioned your 90 litre tank and add another snippet. Say your washing bowl takes 10 litres (a guess - could be more) then during a day 30 litres goes. This could be 50(?). Regardless a shower can be 15 litres per minute so there is little left for more than 1-3 minutes shower. This matters because you have a mains fed pressure which eats up water! Factor in hand washing and I really think you should review your tank size. Even if you do not be careful with your shower specification. Only those guaranteed to meet 2015+ Regs for New Houses will give water saving at 10 litres per minute. Every drop of hot water you save will matter with a 90 litre tank.