Solar water heater / boiler grants problem

mooncat74

Hi

I'm in a really stuck situation so any advice welcome.

I have a solar water heater panel on my house, which was installed by previous owners, but I have no paperwork (SunUser - have asked for copies but none supplied!)

My boiler is 17 years old and breaking down. 2 local gas boiler engineers refused to touch it when I tried to book a boiler service as they didn't understand the system when they looked at it. The boiler itself will no longer heat water, so we are limited to only having warm water from the panel on very sunny days. An engineer who repaired my boiler earlier this year said "don't touch anything" as he was here for 5 hours repairing one job and 3 other things broke during that time!

I am a single parent with a 3 year old and currently on income support. On that basis I qualify for a boiler grant.

However, on application I was told that because I already have a solar panel and the boilers available on the grant scheme are not compatible with solar panels, they would have to disconnent my solar panel, making the house less green, which would disqualify me as it's a grant to make people's houses more eco-friendly!

The solar system recently leaked, bringing the ceiling down in a bedroom (luckily I have home insurance!). The engineer who fixed it (for hundreds of pounds) said I would need to have the system serviced every year (I believe this costs £160+vat) or it would be likely to happen again.

Given that savings from a solar water heater are estimated at £50-60 a year, that means my "free" hot water is actually costing me more than if I just had a regular boiler, once you offset the maintenance charge. Surely this means I am paying around £100 extra for my water per year, due to the maintenance charge?

Much as I would love to be greener, I cannot afford extra expenditure and do not have the money to buy a new boiler myself.

So it seems I am stuck with a failing boiler and no hot water on cloudy days/during winter.

What can I do? Can anyone help?

Thanks.

mooncat74

Well, looks like nobody had any ideas!

I contacted the Energy Saving Trust and they gave me this reply, so I'll post it up in case anyone else in the same situation reads this thread.....

[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial][FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial][FONT=&quot] [FONT=&quot]Thank you for your enquiry regarding the availability of help to assist your with replacing your boiler.

[FONT=&quot]There is a scheme called the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Help to Heat, which is an obligation on some energy suppliers to assist customers with improving the heating and insulation of their home. You need to be in receipt of specific benefits to be eligible. For more information and to apply please call us on 0300 123 1234.

[FONT=&quot]We do not believe that having solar panels connected to your water supply would affect your eligibility, but if you are on the correct benefits, the energy supplier will be able to answer this question when carrying out a free no obligation survey. [/FONT]

Some local authorities help with heating and insulation improvements for home owners and private tenants, which may include assistance with installing a new boiler. For information on what may be currently available, please make an enquiry with your Council's Private Sector Housing team.
If it turns out that you cannot get any financial support, then we recommend that you shop around with different installers, and get at least three quotes. Some installers may offer a financial plan to spread the cost of a new boiler over a period of time. This may help, but we advise your to explore all other options for finance first before signing up to any deal. You can search for Green Deal installers by going to [sorry, it wouldn't let me post the link! ]

[FONT=&quot]I hope that you find this information useful. The Energy Saving Advice Service provides impartial advice on how to save energy and reduce your fuel bills. Should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us again. [/FONT]


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