New Green Homes Grant to give up to £5,000 in vouchers for insulation and double-glazing

brewerdave

tek-monkey said:

Finally got a date!  The insulation was dropped off by an unmarked van yesterday, today a guy called saying he's a subcontractor Also what happens if the company I'm using, who I now realise only appeared when the grant was announced, go 'bust' once the grants dry up and I have problems with the work?

Think he came to us yesterday - white scruffy van, guy said "he had been sent by the Council to check on our loft insulation " !   :

tek-monkey

So the materials were just left on my drive, they weren't covered, the roofer hasn't been and it's now rained a lot.  I'm rather wary of the quality of the work I'll be getting done now if this is how they operate.

mpet

After many months of waiting for my installer. I have now been told that due to a national shortage of insulation materials, they cannot give a date for the flat roof insulation to be completed.

my voucher expires on 18th November, so it seems unlikely I will get this work done. I did contact GHG and ask about an extension because of this issue and was told it did not meet the criteria. When I asked what the criteria were, they could not give me an explanation! 

JohnnyFish

One year to the day since I applied for a GHG. Four extensions and two price increases later and still the installer keeps lying to me that the work will be done. My voucher expires on November 1st with no extension available. 7 weeks ago my installer said they had ordered the materials but had to wait for an independent inspection before the work can start, within two weeks they said, but no sign of any inspector. 

I asked, on my last call, for the name of the company that had to do the inspection, which they gave me. All the checks I have made with Companies House show that this organisation is not registered. As my work is external there is no chance of completion before November 1st. What a waste of a year. 

A neighbour ordered the same work to be done to his property, outside of the grant and it was done 3 weeks later at 60% of the price quoted to me. Seems a strange way to run a business. I shall get the work done in the new year at my cost but I will certainly not use my current installer, they do not deserve to stay in business

tek-monkey

I finally got mine done, looks like the firm I used just sub contracted out to another lot.  Job wasn't finished and they're yet to return, it leaks.

EDIT:  To be fair, he's here fixing it now in high winds and bad rain.

Afourteen

Had the Scaffolding in place for the last week. Materials supposed to be delivered Friday 1st, waited in all day, nothing delivered, Nore on Monday 4th, asked on Tuesday 5th when it was going to be delivered - reply it is in our stores and we will be bringing out when we start.
Today Wednesday 6th a load turns up when we are not in, the installer rang me up to tell me the deliver is at the property. Told them where I want the materials putting but the driver wants to 'dump' materials on public footpath as he has a bad back so they take it away again. 

Appreciate they are busy but their communication needs to improve dramatically.

I'm interested to see the quality of the work. I didn't start this process in the first place as the 'Trustmark' requirement put me off; I worked in an industry that adopted a "Total Quality Management" scheme, lasted 2 years before the company stopped it as they found the work quality went down as the paperwork was seen to be more important the the work.
To date having started the process I'm close to wishing I hadn't!

Afourteen

So today the job is complete and I've signed off the paperwork and paid my share (by Cheque, the company preferred manner). Installer helped with signing off the paperwork - so I hope GHG doesn't question anything. This is the last week that they will be doing any work under the GHG scheme - they have been told installers cannot put in vouchers for work completed after 31st October - which is different to what the appliers have been told. Had I been in that position then I certainly wouldn't have afforded to do the work.
Work quality is good; the people doing the work have done External Wall Insulation throughout Europe - the chaps come from Moldova...!* Left me with a quantity of the finish for repairs /touching in. Was told they may have to come back and add a vent as we have gas (LPG) fires if the inspectors come for check up.
Did cause concern with some of their practises - standing on slate roofs without a means to spread the weight of them.  Their pluming man not LPG 'Gas Safe' registered.

What can I say? Thanks HMG for a grant; but following the amount of stress to get the grant, never again will I apply for any thing from HMG.

Took 'photo's all the way through the process for the EPC assessor.

* So one part of HMG's plans to train a workforce up didn't work, the English company I first went with withdrew from the scheme due to the delay's to payment from HMG.

tek-monkey

So I still have a leak, my voucher runs out this weekend, to sign off the voucher I have to say the work is complete and they won't extend my voucher so that the installer can fix it in the timeframe.  If I don't sign off the voucher I am liable for the costs.

Considering the real value of what I saved with this scheme was less than a grand (all quotes under the GHG were doubled by every installer I contacted) it really wasn't worth the hassle, and I'll not partake in a future one.

brewerdave

Afourteen said:

What can I say? Thanks HMG for a grant; but following the amount of stress to get the grant, never again will I apply for any thing from HMG.

Took 'photo's all the way through the process for the EPC assessor.

* So one part of HMG's plans to train a workforce up didn't work, the English company I first went with withdrew from the scheme due to the delay's to payment from HMG.

Can you imagine all the jolly little schemes that are being thought up to take advantage of the next HMG nonsense for heat pump installations next year !!!

crikaus

Unlike many of you who have not been able to get your work done or have been frustrated (I was in this category, I feel your pain), my story has a happy ending, I got my EWI done just before the 31st October deadline and the company was paid within a week, so even after the hassle and stress its been worth it. It helped that the installers were very good I got lucky. Good luck guys