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

Mintyrbc

I managed to get 3 quotes to replace my combi boiler with an air source heat pump and submitted my application on the first day the scheme went live. I received a mail yesterday advising that the administrator would like to send an inspector to look at my property to ensure that it was suitable for an ASHP. This morning I received a call to confirm they would be visiting me tomorrow morning. If you have managed to go though all the hoops to this point it appears the ball is rolling towards issuing vouchers. 
On a side note the email I received yesterday contained some rather long winded t&c's, they are worth a read if you haven't seen them as they outline exactly what action you need to take to redeem the voucher. They are very specific and there is a fair amount that both the client and the contractor have to get right in order to redeem the voucher. This is my first post to MSE so I am unable to post the exact link but below is where you need to look.
green-homes-grant.service.gov.uk/customer-terms-and-conditions

empeters

Mintyrbc said:

I managed to get 3 quotes to replace my combi boiler with an air source heat pump and submitted my application on the first day the scheme went live. I received a mail yesterday advising that the administrator would like to send an inspector to look at my property to ensure that it was suitable for an ASHP. This morning I received a call to confirm they would be visiting me tomorrow morning. If you have managed to go though all the hoops to this point it appears the ball is rolling towards issuing vouchers. 
On a side note the email I received yesterday contained some rather long winded t&c's, they are worth a read if you haven't seen them as they outline exactly what action you need to take to redeem the voucher. They are very specific and there is a fair amount that both the client and the contractor have to get right in order to redeem the voucher. This is my first post to MSE so I am unable to post the exact link but below is where you need to look.
green-homes-grant.service.gov.uk/customer-terms-and-conditions

Thanks for sharing this positive news! I applied at 7am on the day the grant scheme opened and still haven’t heard anything. Good to know things are starting to happen. Keep us informed of your progress. 

Cpt_Kenrow

I have more than enough work for both primary and secondary grants but there is absolutely no way it is ever going to happen.

I started trying to get this sorted as soon as it was announced and soon realised it wasn't going to work. The idea of getting quotes from 3 suppliers is laughable - even one would be a push where I live (Cornwall). The nearest is 40 miles away and there company description barely matches the work covered by the Green Homes scheme. Another website I found listed for my area on the official website looked like a scam template site which just asked all the same questions (and never replied when I contacted them).

Given that virtually every trades person I know already has a 6 month waiting list (9 months with some I've asked) then any trustmark approved company is going to be booked up forever. I can't even get a decorator around until Spring, one even said June... 

And of course, having a trustmark will be like a license to print money. I'd guess at least half the savings from the grant will be clawed back via inflated prices.

Having given this government the benefit of the doubt for the best part of a year I am beginning to see their incompetence seep into every aspect of our lives... They really must live on a different planet.

SJB66

Trying to find local accredited tradesman for external insulation who are not already booked up seems to be the issue for me. Either the scheme needs to be extended or more people accredited to carry out the work.

Mintyrbc

Mintyrbc said:

I managed to get 3 quotes to replace my combi boiler with an air source heat pump and submitted my application on the first day the scheme went live. I received a mail yesterday advising that the administrator would like to send an inspector to look at my property to ensure that it was suitable for an ASHP. This morning I received a call to confirm they would be visiting me tomorrow morning. If you have managed to go though all the hoops to this point it appears the ball is rolling towards issuing vouchers. 
On a side note the email I received yesterday contained some rather long winded t&c's, they are worth a read if you haven't seen them as they outline exactly what action you need to take to redeem the voucher. They are very specific and there is a fair amount that both the client and the contractor have to get right in order to redeem the voucher. This is my first post to MSE so I am unable to post the exact link but below is where you need to look.
green-homes-grant.service.gov.uk/customer-terms-and-conditions

Following on from my previous post. The green home grant inspector visited this morning to confirm our eligibility for the air source heat pump that we applied for.  Subsequently I have been issued a voucher this afternoon valid for 3 months from today. 

monkeytennissumo

After discovering my local installer All Green has only been 'trading' for 6 weeks and didn't know what PIR insulation was!I contacted Broad Oak properties in stoke (40miles away) they are refusing to quote for my application unless I provide benefit entitlement and date of birth details for their benefit check? Sounds both disabled discriminatory and in breach of date protection GDPR to me. As they are just a builder. Everything they say is as if they manage the scheme through their 'vouchers?'. And I quote when I questioned proving my benefits this...
"Before we are able to come out and survey your property, we have to send off for a benefit check which requires your date of birth however if you feel uncomfortable providing us with this information, this is fine although we will not be able to come and out and survey or provide you with a quote."

So the best of trustmark and this scheme within 40 miles are cowboys or filtering quotes based on benefits proof. Great scheme

Adamhoward20

It’s taken many weeks but I’ve received a quote for solar thermal and a quote for a composite door and sidelight. Prices seem reasonably competitive to me. Intending to proceed regardless (voucher dependant) but interested in your thoughts?

Solar thermal (2.0m2, with water tank, high temperature expansion tank etc) £5050.
Composite door with side light £2200.

Submitted form and awaiting reply.

Sarn_B_T

USE INSTAGROUP IF YOU CAN  -  read my story..........

So I have been looking into this grant opportunity on behalf of my mum and have struggled like so many people in finding installers in the area, people willing to come to the house and then being given reasonable prices. Why the government didn't set price brackets for the traders who sign up is beyond me. You google cavity wall insulation uk average cost and it suggests £450-£750 yet the quotes coming in are triple that!!

Anyway I am going off topic and ranting! The primary measures my mum would qualify for are cavity wall insulation and loft insulation. There is already some floor insulation in the loft and boarding but I am sure it can be improved. I don't believe there is any cavity wall insulation but my mum thinks there might be.

I tried about 8 companies in reasonable distance of the Hertfordshire area, most asked for email details so they could send a quote, when I suggested it might be better if they came to view first they said they were too busy to do this and all prices would be standard anyway.

When I said I wasn't certain about cavity wall and as there was no EPC on the house they said they would just quote for it but really I wanted to understand if this was needed. Some companies told me I must have it as the neighbours did!! Other companies asked me to take multiple photos of the outside of the house and the loft space to send to them first, so to basically do their job for them!

In the end I managed to get 3 quotes back and after that pretty much gave up persisting with the others. None of these companies came to the house and the total price for the loft and wall insulation ranged from £2,800-£3,900 so I chose the company with the best reviews I could find online and submitted an application using their trademark reference.

However I was curious then and during this time I also looked at Icynene spray foam insulation, I know this isn't included n the grant, but at the crazy prices I was getting for normal loft insulation I wondered if this may be a better option. So I contacted a few more companies, had two people come out and give quotes. I then spent some more time researching this option and decided it wasn't for us.

Yesterday then was the final company I had booked and to be honest I had forgotten if it was for the non green home grant foam spray or a company about cavity and normal loft insulation but as I had only made the decision about not using spray foam on Thursday evening I thought it was too late to cancel so I would just let them come out.

Thank goodness I did!! So I am not even sure how or when I contacted Instagroup as I feel like I have been at this task all month but it turns out they were here for the cavity and normal loft insulation. So they were the only company I have contacted who bothered to come out. They were here for two hours (that seems excessive but it was because one was a week into the job and being trained by a very thorough supervisor), they drilled small holes into each side of the house and looked in with a camera before filling the holes back up.

They took multiple photos, measurements, spent time explaining what they were doing, why, talked through the results (no cavity wall insulation basically), how the job would be carried out, why a vent would be needed due to the open fire, no corner was cut.

Then they went up into the loft, assessed the current insulation, explained the options. Even gave a non-biased opinion on spray foam and concurred with my conclusion that although effective for the reasons my mum uses the loft it was probably not necessary.

So while all this was going on I was thinking, this is great, they are so professional, I really trust this company but what price am I going to put on that as based on the other quotes I was expecting a quote of £4,500-£6.000.

So at 7pm on a Friday evening, 2 hours after they arrived we got to the pricing. So bear in mind that the other three quotes were between £2,800-£3,900 and Instagroup were the only company to come out, do a true survey and spend time assessing the property and they came in at ............£1500!!!!!!!

So a totally professional company compared to anyone else I have encountered in this journey and who I hope I will be able to get to carry out the work. Now I have submitted a query to cancel or amend my initial application so just have to see how that goes but I will not be proceeding with any of the other cowboys.

Has anyone had experience/success at amending your application?

tek-monkey

monkeytennissumo said:

After discovering my local installer All Green has only been 'trading' for 6 weeks and didn't know what PIR insulation was!I contacted Broad Oak properties in stoke (40miles away) they are refusing to quote for my application unless I provide benefit entitlement and date of birth details for their benefit check? Sounds both disabled discriminatory and in breach of date protection GDPR to me. As they are just a builder. Everything they say is as if they manage the scheme through their 'vouchers?'. And I quote when I questioned proving my benefits this...
"Before we are able to come out and survey your property, we have to send off for a benefit check which requires your date of birth however if you feel uncomfortable providing us with this information, this is fine although we will not be able to come and out and survey or provide you with a quote."

So the best of trustmark and this scheme within 40 miles are cowboys or filtering quotes based on benefits proof. Great scheme

Broad oak said they'd get back to me in November, I don't qualify for benefits.

EDIT:
I've contacted every company on the site that says they cover my area, only had one quote and two say they'll call back next month if not too busy.

delmonta

Has anyone who applied received a confirmation email or anything yet? I've got nothing apart from my reference number from the application