ECO4 - It is great but beware!!

AverageConsumer23

ECO 4 is great, but beware! Anyone else is this same position? Anyone resolved the issues?
Last April (2023) I did some research on the ECO4 scheme, via my Local Council website. I selected a company, based on the location and also the relevant certifications required (MCS, TrustMark) and started the process. I was delighted to discover I was eligible, they carried out a survey of the house, including room measurements, and let me know that they would install -

• Air Source Heat Pump 
• External and Internal Wall Insulation, Loft Insulation and 
• Solar PV. 

I went through all the checks, and we agreed to commence the work in May. I was informed it would take 4-6 weeks. Slowly the problems began. All work was sub-contracted out, there was no project management or communication, tradesmen were coming and going. by the end of June I was pressured into signing off the work, so that the grant was then fully paid out.

Fast forward to November 2023. After a summer of hell, I decided to formally complain. This has been really difficult, as there is no one body to go to, each element has a different complaint process. So you have to navigate OfGem, MCS, NCIECC, Trustmark, and British Gas (the ultimate funder). I have started with MCS/NCIECC. The first step being to write a formal complaint. Which I did in November and have forwarded that to the NCIECC.

So, what are the issues?

• Heating does not work, and barely gets up to 15 degrees and that is with the ASHP on for hours, and only 10 degrees in some rooms.
• Leak in my roof and water trailing down the front of the house as the tiles installed to accommodate the EWI were attached without any felt underneath and the gutters placed too high, they made a hole in roof when pushing the tiles under the existing tiles, with damage to my ceiling.
• The solar panels are not attached correctly to the roof and the cables are loose
• Render to the back of the house (which I have to pay for as not eligible through the grant) has been applied right down to ground level. 

These are the major issues, alongside many others, over the last 9 and including trashing my garden, and stone driveway, causing electrical faults due to cutting connections, the list goes on, poor behaviour and attitude of contractors.  

What have I learnt that I can pass on?

• Make sure the contractor has all the right quality standards, that doesn't mean they are good, but it does mean that you have access to a complaints process when it doesn't go well
  
• The main contractor should follow the Trustmark etc code, so you should receive a contract (even if a grant), heat loss survey, consumption comparisons and a bunch of other stuff that I did not receive.  

I also wish I had know about The Heating Hub, a great place to find resources for understanding what is required and how to manage this type of contract and when things go wrong. 

Where am I now? Still in dispute, sitting in a cold house, with a leaking roof. Communication and any action from the regulatory bodies is slow, and the contractor has gone quiet. I know they will be in the area this week as someone else is using them and has the same issues, but I know their style, they will just turn up, because I am sole occupant, so they try to intimidate and catch you unawares and ill prepared. 

Any advice or stories of success in navigating the process? Would be interested to hear them. In the meantime, if my post has helped one person avoid the problems I have had, then I feel something good has come out of something bad. Reciprocity! 

Lomast

Do you mean NICEIC? If so they will only cover Electrical installation work covered by one of their members.

MCS is the primary scheme regulator for PV solar but i think you should be aiming your complaint at British Gas or whomever holds the contract you signed as that is where the contractural obligation lies.

Reed_Richards

I am quite sceptical about the ECO4 scheme.  It seems that all too often you get what you are given and what this is may suit the convenience of the installer but may not be the best that could be done for the householder.

I have a heat pump and it works well for me, keeping the house perfectly warm but still off overnight.  But you have to ensure the radiator sizes are right and the operating temperature is set right and it is controlled in the right way.  

Njb1974

Hi I am about to go through the eco4 scheme www.eco4energysaving.co.uk I have had the survey done and I qualify what information do I need to be asking for? It all seems to be happening very quickly and they are looking to book the engineer to start the work, what should I be asking for I really need this done as it will save me a lot of money having a new boiler fitted but im worried about the process.
Any advice welcome 

Reed_Richards

For a start, don't necessarily believe that getting a new boiler fitted will save you a lot of money!  This work generates revenue for the installer; they may oversell the benefits in order to persuade you to go ahead.

wrf12345

The only reason a new boiler won't save you lots of money is if they are fitting one-size-fits-all and it does not operate in its most efficient manner but yes the pricing is angled to steal as much money as possible out of the system

Reed_Richards

wrf12345 said:

The only reason a new boiler won't save you lots of money is if they are fitting one-size-fits-all and it does not operate in its most efficient manner but yes the pricing is angled to steal as much money as possible out of the system

If your old boiler was functioning efficiently then a new one won't save you lots of money.  Probably a little money, but not lots.  

Vikingbysea

Oh no!  Anyone had anyone positive outcomes?! - I am about to finish being on benefits as my daughters have almost finished school, so I wanted to get a new boiler as my old 16 year old one works OK now, but I wont be able to afford the £7K needed in the future! - So I thought this would be a good bet!! - It sounds like a lot of extras - you mentioned rendering - which I spent a fortune getting redone a couple of years back!!

FreeBear

Vikingbysea said: I am about to finish being on benefits as my daughters have almost finished school, so I wanted to get a new boiler as my old 16 year old one works OK now, but I wont be able to afford the £7K needed in the future!

Just a new boiler shouldn't cost anywhere near £7K - Shop around, and you should be able to get a straight boiler swap done for around £2K (depending on make/model). If you are wanting bigger radiators and/or need additional plumbing, this will bump the price up.

MissStormChaser

I'm so glad I came across this thread, the exact same thing has happened to me. Had all of the above installed and the pipework sprung a leak flooding my livingroom. Prior to the work commencing we decided we didn't want to go ahead with the work but the workmen showed up anyway and forced their way into the house saying they had driven 4 hours to get here and wouldn't be leaving. Since we started with the issues nobody wants to help so I wrote to the government seeing as the government is the one funding this or so I thought, they got back to me with a great list of advice and who to contact so my fight starts now. We had an issue with the boiler and the plumber refused to come out saying it would cost him too much fuel money! Perhaps they should've thought about this before taking jobs on 4 hours away!

Anyway, I was wondering how you had gotten on since posting this comment? If you've gotten anywhere I would love to hear how you managed to get your results. The same thing happened to my neighbour and the company was made to redo all the plumbing and heating works again as the first install wasn't fit for purpose so people are winning albeit few and far between 

Lou

funkifee

I got a new boiler fitted under the Eco4 scheme by a company called Mearns Energy Solutions Ltd, run by Muhammed Zubair. The company ended up flooding my flat and the neighbour below because they failed to secure a pipe from the new boiler to the sink outlet. The damage has cost me £800 and I asked the company for their Public Liability Insurance provider but got no reply, I don't know if this means they don't have this insurance, which under the Eco4 rules they should have in order to get paid the grant or if they just don't want to give me it.

Does anybody know what other steps I can take to get this company to pay up?
             TIA