EPCs, ECO4 and cold calling ...

atw_uss

An elderly relative has been contacted out of the blue by a company offering a free energy survey that might mean she is entitled to free upgrades (e.g., heat pump, solar panels, loft insulation, etc.).

The energy company left no details, and when the surveyor arrived, he was an independent but able to let us know which company had been in touch. When I spoke to the company, they said they had got the contact details from an EPC register/database.

This concerns me, as my relative is registered with the TPS, and I would be surprised if name and contact details were freely available (GDPR, etc.). The company and the surveyor are legit, but I am concerned about the apparent cold-calling.

Does anyone have any further information about this, its legality and whether there is anything we should do to stop it happening again? Many thanks in advance.

Flugelhorn

I have had endless calls from similar business - for a property I sold 4 years ago - very annoying, they keep promising to "remove my name from the database" but of course  they don't .... 

Netexporter

Anyone can look up an EPC, there is no personal data included, so GDPR doesn't apply.

After I moved to my present address I received letters from various companies to inform me that my EPC rating might qualify me for ECO4. Having read them, I assumed I did not qualify because although my income was below the threshold, I don't qualify for any of the listed benefits, so I didn't pursue it.

However, a few months ago a cold-caller knocked and, in my locality at least, it transpired that I probably did qualify, as the local authority, who do the initial financial vetting, have relaxed the qualification to increase take-up of the scheme. The outcome is that I'll be getting a free heat-pump and solar panels very soon.

One important thing, regarding legality, is that the the financial interview has to be a booked appointment, separate from the initial contact, so it is not construed as doorstep selling. 

FreeBear

atw_uss said: An elderly relative has been contacted out of the blue by a company offering a free energy survey that might mean she is entitled to free upgrades (e.g., heat pump, solar panels, loft insulation, etc.).

I got cold called by an outfit calling themselves Your Home UK with a claim that fibreglass loft insulation causes asthma, but they would do a free thermographic survey and make recommendations based on the findings. The "surveyor" will be from another outfit called Evergreen Power UK - A quick google search shows that the latter company sells spray foam insulation and magical "insulating" cream for exposed brickwork. The claims all couched in woo-woo speak without any hard evidence.

Going ahead with this "survey", and if it does turn out to be a sales pitch for these dodgy & damaging "treatments", I'll have a few choice words to say - I'm in the mood to dish out some stiffly worded lectures And when done, both companies will be reported to the ICO and Trading Standards.

dunstonh

This concerns me, as my relative is registered with the TPS, and I would be surprised if name and contact details were freely available (GDPR, etc.). 

TPS is telephone only.  It doesnt stop mailings or door knocking.

FreeBear

dunstonh said:

This concerns me, as my relative is registered with the TPS, and I would be surprised if name and contact details were freely available (GDPR, etc.). 

TPS is telephone only.  It doesnt stop mailings or door knocking.

And TPS doesn't stop "surveys" or informational calls - Only when you can pin the burgers down with a sales pitch does it become a breach of the TPS regulations.

atw_uss

Thanks all, I should have made it clearer that my relative was phoned out of the blue and no contact details were left, but an appointment was made. We are concerned that this personal information is clearly available but should it be?

On another note, we're looking at getting a 'private' EPC done to see if there is any point in allowing a reputable, local firm to come and take a look.

Seems a real minefield!

FreeBear

FreeBear said:

atw_uss said: An elderly relative has been contacted out of the blue by a company offering a free energy survey that might mean she is entitled to free upgrades (e.g., heat pump, solar panels, loft insulation, etc.).

I got cold called by an outfit calling themselves Your Home UK with a claim that fibreglass loft insulation causes asthma, but they would do a free thermographic survey and make recommendations based on the findings. The "surveyor" will be from another outfit called Evergreen Power UK - A quick google search shows that the latter company sells spray foam insulation and magical "insulating" cream for exposed brickwork. The claims all couched in woo-woo speak without any hard evidence.

Going ahead with this "survey", and if it does turn out to be a sales pitch for these dodgy & damaging "treatments", I'll have a few choice words to say - I'm in the mood to dish out some stiffly worded lectures And when done, both companies will be reported to the ICO and Trading Standards.

Well, the thermographic survey was just a case of waving a FLIR camera around in a couple of bedrooms followed by sucking of teeth. 'erbert then went in to the loft, poked around a bit and said "your insulation is damp, and I can put my hand in to the cavity... We can strip out the old fibreglass insulation and spray foam on to the underside of the roof".

The "surveyor" is an absolute genius (read pillock) - Solid wall construction, so no cavity, and got a little upset when I told him exactly what I thought of spray foam. Didn't bother calling him out on the rest of the BS he was spouting.

Bottom line, Your Home UK is just a shill trying to drum up business for the spray foam installers. Do not fall for their bogus claims ! And as for the thermographic survey, it isn't, and you get zero useful information from it.