There's only the new scheme around here that we , as people not on benefit, can get. It is the new one Boris put in place. If you put a load of money towards one or two impractical or already in place energy efficiency equipment or improvements they'll pay a fraction of it and then that will unlock the improvement you actually want. Basically set up so a lot of people can't get money towards the improvement they need and want.
I can't afford several thousand pounds after a house move. I'd have to spend that to get a few hundred back I think it worked out. Then second level improvements I'd get a pittance off after the first expense.
The fabled free loft and cavity insulation schemes have not run anywhere I've lived for the likes of us. It's benefits claimants only. Not even all benefits. We can't afford to insulate to the required standard. Since then we've moved into a house with pv solar panels. After 7 months of communication with the FiT scheme with BG we've still not had our first FiT payment from them. However we felt it a good house because the previous owner put in the solar panels, paying fully for them, and I later heard put in a new roof at the same time. He had it lined out under the roof and between loft and house. The house is basically well insulated.
So we don't need help now. Better to move into a house with it done already if possible. Still, it's not a great energy rating. 70s housing often needs a lot to catch up with good modern builds. One new build we looked at was b rated.. looking in before fully finished you could see why. It's the finishing touches like cabling and pipes passing through little rubber flapped holes in the wall. That's to stop airflow and draughts. I think the house was aiming for high B possibly A rating. Depended on quality of the work which. Designed for was capable of A rating. Average rating in the UK is 62 or a D iirc. We're pretty poor with housing stock.
'... Average rating in the UK is 62 or a D iirc. We're pretty poor with housing stock. ...'
Isn't that the problem with heatpumps? I thought the whole heatpump thing was based on lower heat input, bigger heat distribution panels (rads), better insulation to retain the heat.
You can understand why people get pee'd off with this and protest. I do not see a plan. What I see is again '...the market will sort it out...'. We're three years plus away from not installing gas in new builds - which is fine for well insulated, green built new homes. But that doesn't cater for the UK housing stock in general from what I can gather. So where does the average UK house go when their boiler gets to end-of-life - buy another? I asked that of my MP when my boiler gave up a year back and got this reply and link from Kwasi back:
'....For existing properties, there is no requirement at the moment for Mr Blah to move
away from his current gas boiler. However, should this be something he wishes to do, Government are backing schemes which he may find helpful to consider, these schemes include financial support for low carbon heating systems through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The scheme is designed to bridge the gap between the cost of fossil fuel heat sources and renewable heat alternatives through financial support for owners of participating installations. The Domestic RHI opened in April 2014 and is available to homeowners, private and social landlords and people who build their own homes. Tenants can also apply but will need permission from their landlord. The technologies supported are biomass boilers and pellet stoves, air source heat pumps (ASHPs), ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) and flat plate and evacuated tube solar thermal panels. You can find guidance on the RHI through Ofgem, at: www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/domestic-rhi ...'
Maybe it's me, but that link didn't fill me with confidence that there was a gov plan. I think I expected a web site maybe that assessed my property type, the property's location, aspect and efficiency (that I don't know), and then gave me my property's best solution.
Does every household have to work out what is the best (affordable!) solution? Maybe I'm lazy, but at the moment don't circa 85% of households simply use gas, not because of investigation into the heating market, but because it's there, available and efficient (and relatively cheap). How would I know if ASHP, GSHP, biomass, flat plate (and is that all there is and will be in future? - hydrogen is discounted?)...is right here? Do all of them work well with hot water supply as well? How would my 80 year old neighbour assess their property?
This isn't a case of VHS or Betamax - it's more horse to car - and we got that wrong when the car choice was fossil fuel over electric then because the market lead. I'm not saying either that gov may also come to a wrong decision, but I would expect the science behind any solution to be investigated, assessed for the long term and pitfalls identified up front - or at least to have some idea of those in a long term strategy.
Nowadays we’re continually hassled with phone calls saying they’re from some insulation scheme or other (using out of date contact details).
There must be some sort of insulation scheme out there … or are these phone calls from scammers?
Yes and Yes. There are schemes out there but I wouldn't trust the cold callers to be genuine. In fact I would never trust and cold caller to be genuine. I had one about the insulation a couple of weeks ago who started on about the survey report they had done on our property. Unless the invisible man came round no survey had been done. I did, possibly not very politely, suggest they go away.
I did a carbon footprint questionnaire the other day, said mine was 20t,showed a graph with a green foot which was me,half the UK average. Just done a different one,which I could put I do no flights ever,and and grow a lot of my own produce,it came up at 7.5t and said that the average in this country is 5t,I'm meant to reduce it to 0.5. we had our last house which was a 1930s semi, insulated under a SEEB scheme,they paid most of the cost
We had to use the company they stipulated. Hubby went up in the loft for something,they hadn't done either tank although we'd been charged for them. Complained to SEEB who said it was nothing to do with them. Then to the company,who swore blind the had done the water tanks, eventually someone came out and looked,then admitted they don't have the lagging for a round tank like ours. They also messed up wood work on the landing, damaged the loft hatch. We got no-where. Frankly every time we've had someone to do work, they've come highly recommended,and have been shocking. Neighbours swear by "check a trade". Companies pay an annual fee. If you write a negative review,it isn't printed on the website. If you complain to Check a Trade,which we did, they aren't interested. Told me they don't mediate with complaints.Told me to go to Trading Standards,who told me to take the company to court. They weren't helpful either.We looked at new builds just for fun,they were thrown up.
Don’t worry @KT53 😊 … cold callers get short shrift here … especially if they’re addressing me by a name I’ve not used in over 15 years when I lived elsewhere … a bit of a clue that they’re using an outdated and irrelevant database. 🙄
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Similar thing here Dove, when I divorced hubby no: one,only my bank had a particular name for me, I didn't realize at the time,banks sell your information. Had a letter recently regarding solar panels,in conjunction with our local authority,I rang the council offices and checked, it was genuine, but she laughed! Told her that was hardly appropriate, several of my neighbours got scammed a few years back. We had the invisible Man also, claimed he was working with the council, cavity wall insulation, we've already got it!
Posts
There must be some sort of insulation scheme out there … or are these phone calls from scammers?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I can't afford several thousand pounds after a house move. I'd have to spend that to get a few hundred back I think it worked out. Then second level improvements I'd get a pittance off after the first expense.
The fabled free loft and cavity insulation schemes have not run anywhere I've lived for the likes of us. It's benefits claimants only. Not even all benefits. We can't afford to insulate to the required standard. Since then we've moved into a house with pv solar panels. After 7 months of communication with the FiT scheme with BG we've still not had our first FiT payment from them. However we felt it a good house because the previous owner put in the solar panels, paying fully for them, and I later heard put in a new roof at the same time. He had it lined out under the roof and between loft and house. The house is basically well insulated.
So we don't need help now. Better to move into a house with it done already if possible. Still, it's not a great energy rating. 70s housing often needs a lot to catch up with good modern builds. One new build we looked at was b rated.. looking in before fully finished you could see why. It's the finishing touches like cabling and pipes passing through little rubber flapped holes in the wall. That's to stop airflow and draughts. I think the house was aiming for high B possibly A rating. Depended on quality of the work which. Designed for was capable of A rating. Average rating in the UK is 62 or a D iirc. We're pretty poor with housing stock.
away from his current gas boiler. However, should this be something he wishes to do,
Government are backing schemes which he may find helpful to consider, these schemes
include financial support for low carbon heating systems through the Renewable Heat
Incentive (RHI). The scheme is designed to bridge the gap between the cost of fossil fuel
heat sources and renewable heat alternatives through financial support for owners of
participating installations.
The Domestic RHI opened in April 2014 and is available to homeowners, private and social landlords and people who build their own homes. Tenants can also apply but will need permission from their landlord. The technologies supported are biomass boilers and pellet stoves, air source heat pumps (ASHPs), ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) and flat plate and evacuated tube solar thermal panels. You can find guidance on the RHI through Ofgem, at: www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/domestic-rhi ...'
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.