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

johan46

empeters said:

straalende said:

alansugar said:

Government handing out free money.  Lets all pile in.............
Wait up, and if one person takes my advice, my work is done.

Be very very careful about jumping into what appears to be a no-brainer.  The BIG downside to these grants etc, are the cowboys who are the so-called expert installers etc.  Even the well established companies have pitfalls as you will see below.

The small companies with little on no trading history will give you the BS about being insured, qualified and so forth.  The same BS that spouted from the mouths of hundreds of the Cavity Wall insulation 'Experts' that has left 10's of thousands of people with damaged homes as a result of rogue traders that preyed on people.  Naturally.. a very high percentage of these companies shut up shop after making a killing and physically destroying homes with negligent workmanship.

You think the company is insured no matter how small or big?  Hell yes, they must be if the government has approved them.  Think again.  Google the phrase 'WORK AWAY CLAUSE'.  It is without a doubt one of the sneakiest insurance clauses you can imagine.  In a nutshell.... the clause will NOT insure the company who undertake work BEYOND THE INSURED's OWN BUSINESS PREMISES !!!!!!!!  Where on earth do you think Cavity Wall Experts, Solar Panel Experts, or whatever Green Deal Experts undertake work???  You got it - they have to work BEYOND their own business premises.  In other words - a useless insurance policy that will not cover damage......  AND THERE IS MORE !!!!  What about claims occurring or claims made?  Your brain still with me at the moment?  Another sneaky way to avoid paying.  I am not allowed to post links, but Google the term and look for AON Insurance who are one of the big players in the commercial insurance market.

Steps to take to avoid misery if you absolutely must have to take advantage of the deal
1      Check every credential against the accredited organisations they claim to be part of.  For example BBA, Green Deal etc.
2      Request a copy of the traders insurance policy.  This is a MUST.
3      Check for a work away clause.  If it exists - send them away no matter if they 'claim' to have a warranty.  All you need to 
        regarding 'Warranties', is to check the ones that CIGA offered on those wanting to make a Cavity Wall Claim.
                                i)     Max limit of claim between £10k-£15k
                               ii)     No legal costs permitted (for those who are thinking small claim/fast track/multi-track - think again.                                                 those who have tried have had their proceedings stayed and referred back to arbitration because that
                                       is what the warranty says.
                             iii)       Any remedial work (ANY WHATSOEVER NO MATTER HOW SMALL) invalidates the warranty

4     Check whether the insurance clause is claims occurring and claims made.
5     KEEP EVERY E-MAIL, LETTER, ADVERTISEMENT FOR A LATER DAY IF NEEDED.
6     Reminder - any work away clause - show them the door and never let them in your house.

What you will find with companies jumping on the bandwagon, is that they have just sprung up to make a quick £££ and then liquidate the company and set up as something else.  

Just take my word from someone who has dealt with MANY of these types of claims.  Everyone passes the book and eventually you are left (not in all cases) with suing the trader who has - oh yes, gone out of business and were a limited company.  Good look in trying to pierce the veil of Limited Company protection.

In closing - be very careful with these schemes.

Thank you, 'Lord Sugar'. Your work is done!
That's really useful advice and I for one, will be following up on it. (If I can ever find contractors...)
Yesterday I found that one company suggested by the TrustMark site  - Green Grants 4 U Ltd, has only been trading for a month, according to Companies House. As you say, "little or no trading history". And only a hundred quid in capital, according to the documents filed. So that together with loophole-ridden insurance ain't much comfort if something goes wrong.

What I don't understand is how on earth have they managed to get the Trustmark if they have only just began trading?? I'm baffled by it all. When I phoned Trustmark they told me that they were only a directory of companies and didn't know how companies were endorsed! Complete nonsense.

Trustmark doesn't fully control who registers themselves. They auto-accept people that are registering via authorized industry schemes like FENSA for glaziers or others for other trades - or via professional accreditation providers (think of these like training providers). All you need to do is pay a fee (annual too) and accept their 'code of practice'.

Also, not everyone in Trustmark has certifications or has the same certifications.

In this case, for the green homes grant (and earlier the Green Deal scheme), all tradesment need to hold PAS2030 certifications as well.

There are certification providers licensed by UKAS to provide certifications like PAS2030 - and then register you in Trustmark too.

"Green Grants 4 U Ltd" got registered in Trustmark via these guys: https://www.blueflamecertification.com/about/PAS-2030-Green-Deal/

Basically Trustmark and the certifications try to ensure that the installer has knowledge on the thing they install up to a required level, and that they have accepted a code of practice (e.g. like offering guarantee etc). There are no guarantees that they are reliable and won't go bust in 2 years.

imiy40

A1ps said:

imiy40 said:

vbnmu said:

imiy40 said:

nhussa22 said:

imiy40 said:

nhussa22 said:

empeters said:

AN64 said:

empeters said:

AN64 said:

Despite trying numerous companies since the scheme was announced weeks ago I still cannot get a quote for external wall insulation. Would anyone who has managed to get quotes & have applied for the grant be willing to share the names of the companies they have been successful with please. Also which primary measures they are having done. Many thanks in advance 

What area are you in ?

We are in Yorkshire. Having absolutely no luck whatsoever 

Have you tried All Seasons Interiors Limited. They are in Sheffield. They quoted me without coming out or even speaking to me. The quote however, was £11,550 which was £2,000 more than my other highest quote. I think this price is quite inflated if i'm honest but the suppliers know we are struggling to get quotes. 

Is this for one side of your house? Is it a terraced house or something else? Just trying to compare the price to what I have been quoted.

do you need prices for External Wall Insulation?
I have several quotes relating to this.

Yes please. Front side of a terraced house, pretty standard.

My house is End of terrace house covering 3 walls of space of approx 160m2.
I had 4 quotes, 2 companies from East London, 1 in Enfield and 1 in North London. 
2 quotes came in for about 20k, 1 for 16k and last one for £12k.
Early this year I had a private company not part of this scheme quoted me about £8K.
If you like the companies names please message me privately, that's if its doable. 

A company in Enfield (let's call them EE like the mobile network operator) has quoted me £5500 for 46m2. Seems inflated to me.

They were the most expensive one, I would recommend trying workworkltd.com based in North London. 
They gave me a more sensible quote. 

Was this for external wall insulation? If so, I'll give these guys a try. 

East London 
FMTL Force Maintenance Team Ltd 

Pyramid Solution South East Limited 

Enfield 
Ecologic Energy 

North London 
Workworkltd 

ulltiger

Hi all, not sure if this will be of any use to people but gives guideline costs based on size of house for various retrofits, most of which are not on this scheme to be fair. Granted it's 3 years out of date but hopefully gives an idea.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656866/BEIS_Update_of_Domestic_Cost_Assumptions_031017.pdf

BiggaThanBen

Trying to find a double glazing installer in South East and the search gives me two options - in Cardiff and Manchester. TrustMark website shows no results. Is it it like bike repair scheme, good on paper non-existent in reality?

imiy40

ulltiger said:

Hi all, not sure if this will be of any use to people but gives guideline costs based on size of house for various retrofits, most of which are not on this scheme to be fair. Granted it's 3 years out of date but hopefully gives an idea.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656866/BEIS_Update_of_Domestic_Cost_Assumptions_031017.pdf

Thanks, that's good bit of information. 

Majestic1919

BiggaThanBen said:

Trying to find a double glazing installer in South East and the search gives me two options - in Cardiff and Manchester. TrustMark website shows no results. Is it it like bike repair scheme, good on paper non-existent in realit

Can I ask the name of the double glazing installer that you found in Manchester?  The list I was looking at seems to have changed and the one that I researched is no longer on the list.   Most don't meet the accreditation required and am finding this so frustrating.

tek-monkey

ulltiger said:

Hi all, not sure if this will be of any use to people but gives guideline costs based on size of house for various retrofits, most of which are not on this scheme to be fair. Granted it's 3 years out of date but hopefully gives an idea.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656866/BEIS_Update_of_Domestic_Cost_Assumptions_031017.pdf

That says a high cost for a flat roof is £100/m2, my only quote is putting my share at £85!  I think they're just charging me and taking the government side as free cash.

ulltiger

tek-monkey said:

ulltiger said:

Hi all, not sure if this will be of any use to people but gives guideline costs based on size of house for various retrofits, most of which are not on this scheme to be fair. Granted it's 3 years out of date but hopefully gives an idea.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656866/BEIS_Update_of_Domestic_Cost_Assumptions_031017.pdf

That says a high cost for a flat roof is £100/m2, my only quote is putting my share at £85!  I think they're just charging me and taking the government side as free cash.

Quite possible/likely! Previous schemes of a similar ilk suggest anecdotely that happens. Also do bear in mind the sample sizes in this document are hardly massive so it's unclear how representative of the wider industry they are. It may be worth getting a quote outside of the scheme from someone else based on recommendations etc perhaps? It was also suggested to me during a quote that to be part of the Trustmark scheme is expensive, that expense only ends up with the consumer!

tek-monkey

ulltiger said:

tek-monkey said:

ulltiger said:

Hi all, not sure if this will be of any use to people but gives guideline costs based on size of house for various retrofits, most of which are not on this scheme to be fair. Granted it's 3 years out of date but hopefully gives an idea.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656866/BEIS_Update_of_Domestic_Cost_Assumptions_031017.pdf

That says a high cost for a flat roof is £100/m2, my only quote is putting my share at £85!  I think they're just charging me and taking the government side as free cash.

Quite possible/likely! Previous schemes of a similar ilk suggest anecdotely that happens. Also do bear in mind the sample sizes in this document are hardly massive so it's unclear how representative of the wider industry they are. It may be worth getting a quote outside of the scheme from someone else based on recommendations etc perhaps? It was also suggested to me during a quote that to be part of the Trustmark scheme is expensive, that expense only ends up with the consumer!

The ballpark figure from a local firm I have reason to trust is half what they want, but the local firm aren't involved in the scheme and say they don't want to be associated with it.  I'm actually tempted to use them instead, it will be slightly more than the scheme but I have more faith in them.

ulltiger

tek-monkey said:

ulltiger said:

tek-monkey said:

ulltiger said:

Hi all, not sure if this will be of any use to people but gives guideline costs based on size of house for various retrofits, most of which are not on this scheme to be fair. Granted it's 3 years out of date but hopefully gives an idea.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656866/BEIS_Update_of_Domestic_Cost_Assumptions_031017.pdf

That says a high cost for a flat roof is £100/m2, my only quote is putting my share at £85!  I think they're just charging me and taking the government side as free cash.

Quite possible/likely! Previous schemes of a similar ilk suggest anecdotely that happens. Also do bear in mind the sample sizes in this document are hardly massive so it's unclear how representative of the wider industry they are. It may be worth getting a quote outside of the scheme from someone else based on recommendations etc perhaps? It was also suggested to me during a quote that to be part of the Trustmark scheme is expensive, that expense only ends up with the consumer!

The ballpark figure from a local firm I have reason to trust is half what they want, but the local firm aren't involved in the scheme and say they don't want to be associated with it.  I'm actually tempted to use them instead, it will be slightly more than the scheme but I have more faith in them.

I'm intrigued did they elaborate on why they didn't want to be associated with it?
I'm hoping to have external wall insulation done on the scheme but the only company in my area that can quote me do appear to be ballpark with cost and seem to be reputable from what I can ascertain. They've been around a fair while, good reviews etc. and I'd have absolutely no chance of being able to afford to get the work done outside of the scheme. So I'm left with little option as I wouldn't want to go for a national company anyway as you just have no idea what you'd get.