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

johan46

GilioGeordieo said:

I get the impression that the companies on trustpilot for the ECO -GREEN grants,that the government are recommending are waiting for final details from the government on the scheme, before they will quote. i phoned two companies and they both said they can come out and survey for cavity wall insulation. but they cannot give me a price under the scheme. so i have asked a 3rd company to come out and survey and see what the quote would be without the grant, as if i would pay for it all myself. i suspect they are going to inflate the price knowing that we will be getting grants. has anybody else got that feeling from their enquiries ? 

Yes, companies that are part of the scheme have already inflated prices, especially for insulation. This is because they are so very few companies that are PAS2030 certified - the market is not open to every company in order to drive prices down. The only companies that do have this certification right now tend to be 'environmental consultants'. These guys need £ to first come out to do a 'comprehensive environmental survey', then need more ££ to prepare an 'energy report' that specifies what you should get, and then get you in contact with their subcontractors to actually do the work (through them, with overhead of course). You end up paying 1-2k without the actual cost of the insulation work, which will be inflated.

Because only such companies are involved in this scheme due to the certification requirement, it is currently extremely difficult to find someone to do a single small job like insulate one suspended floor or a single external wall.

Also, the 'secondary measures' situation is even more laughable. The way these big energy-efficiency consultancies work, you'll end up spending the whole of the grant on primary measures (since you can't find a way to do a small primary job), so there'll be no voucher money left for the secondary measures. And of course, finding people with certifications to do secondary measures is even more complex.

Ken68

GilioGeordieo said:

I get the impression that the companies on trustpilot for the ECO -GREEN grants,that the government are recommending are waiting for final details from the government on the scheme, before they will quote. i phoned two companies and they both said they can come out and survey for cavity wall insulation. but they cannot give me a price under the scheme. so i have asked a 3rd company to come out and survey and see what the quote would be without the grant, as if i would pay for it all myself. i suspect they are going to inflate the price knowing that we will be getting grants. has anybody else got that feeling from their enquiries ? 

Yes Gillo...usual as with insurance claims.

johan46

It looks like the gov realised they have royally messed this up and there are not enough tradesmen available who are able to do work under the scheme.

So now they are introducing a separate parallel scheme to make some funding available to training providers in order for them to develop new trainings. These new trainings will be specifically targeted to tradesmen who want to do work under the Green Homes Grant, possibly offered for free or at low cost, in order to get more tradesmen properly certified to PAS2030 etc. Then these 'upskilled' and certified tradesmen will be able to do work within the scheme.

No way enough people will get trained up in time and still get all work done by end of March. I bet the scheme will be extended.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-homes-grant-skills-training-competition

LadyInLavender

Hi everyone. I especially want to thank Jonah46 for sharing his thoughts and knowledge of this scheme. I am one of the few people left who actually still only have single glazed windows and was hopeful this scheme would help me. However my experience has been frustrating and fruitless. No small companies in the North  are taking part and Fensa's website advises it's members not enough people still have single glazing to be profitable for them. The first Trustmark company recommended on my plan have debts of 28 million and went bust in 2018. The others are as Jonah46 says 'energy consultants' not individual trades people. I've registered my interest with several of them and left enquiries with other installers with little hope of a reply.  The new schemes to upgrade installers to the required PAS2030 should have been actioned months before opening grant applications. It has been a relief to read similar stories and realise im not alone in  my quest.  Also a lot of the Green Homes Grant stuff online is not the legitimate official gov info but random unconnected sites after your money so please be wary. 
Time will tell how this all pans out. 

Yahoo_Mail

Just got my first quote today from someone listed on the SEA website.  £900 to install loft insulation in a 2-bed terrace!

It might not be that bad, as I'd end up paying about market rate to have the insulation installed after the grant and end up with a £600 voucher for secondary measures, but it's not like I can find anyone who looks remotely trustworthy to install those either and if they're all going to quote 3x normal price then it'd be a complete waste of money anyway.

Fletchasketch

I've just requested three quotes for loft insulation from my nearest TrustMark providers. Will report back, but what's the betting literally nothing comes of this?!

Yahoo_Mail

Fletchasketch said:

I've just requested three quotes for loft insulation from my nearest TrustMark providers. Will report back, but what's the betting literally nothing comes of this?!

Quite high.

Given the scheme is largely a lemon compared to how it was initially touted, I wasn't expecting to bother anyway. I've already got appointments for quotes from a couple of other non-GHG installers in the next week or so, who'll probably end up charging me the same or less, I just won't get a voucher for secondary measures that I can't find anyone qualified to install anyway.

funkygal

It's now live, you can now apply for the voucher through the GOV site! Good luck all! 
https://greenhomesgrant.campaign.gov.uk/

Neil_Maclennan

I’ve applied, got my reference number but no confirmation email even though the website states “ We have sent you a confirmation email.”.

Anybody else had the same?

funkygal

Neil_Maclennan said:

I’ve applied, got my reference number but no confirmation email even though the website states “ We have sent you a confirmation email.”.

Anybody else had the same?

Yes, the same for me, no confirmation email.