Cold weather payments!

[joglynne]

You also need to :-

Get an estimate and submit it to the Energy Saving Trust.

Wait for the approval and a voucher to be issued.

Then have the work done within 12 weeks of the date of the voucher.

Pay the whole amount on completion.

Submit the paid receipt with the voucher to claim back the £400.

Simples, I think not.

With the pressure on qualified installers to do their normal work I can see a lot of people falling foul of the 12 week deadline, and having to fork out the £400 is unjustifiable when registered installers have to be used and they presumably would be able to claim the money themselves against say ... VAT returns.


add ... Sorry martyh, I seem to have spent so long typing that I have duplicated part of you post.

[Jon T]

social landlords (the council)already get the money to upgrade the g rated boilers under the decent homes scheme ,so if you live on a council estate it will be getting changed if it hasn't already

Partly true. Unfortunately, housing associations have nothing to do with the council, they are private not for profit providers of social housing, and are not included/covered by any of the decent homes funding.

We had many of the same issues when we applied for a grant under the Scottish renewables scheme, which is administered by the EST. The amount of grant was far larger - 30% of the total cost - but, as with the boiler scrappage scheme you still have to have the cash in hand before you start. Thankfully I had a very generous friend who lent me £3,000 from his savings account until I could claim it back after completion.

It's a completely cockeyed way of encouraging people to go green if you ask me. The very people who will benefit most are the ones who won't be able to participate because they're unlikely to have 100s of £s just lying around that they can spend and then claim back later.

Originally Posted by Jon T

Partly true. Unfortunately, housing associations have nothing to do with the council, they are private not for profit providers of social housing, and are not included/covered by any of the decent homes funding.

that is true ,and it's a pet hate of mine that housing associations don't get the same grants from the government as the council homes do ,especially since they took alot of the council houses and made them liveable 15-20 years ago when the councils didn't want them

[iFrankie]

Originally Posted by Nidge

It's just been on the news, Age Concern are bleating about the cold weather payments not being enough. Excuse me but I'll gladly accept £250 every November to see me through the winter, I'll gladly accept another £25 per week if the temprature drops below a certain level for 5 days, basically they are getting £250 plus another £25 per week while it's cold like it has been, they've got the potential to get over £300 in free fuel.

I know of people who are getting this while living in sheltered accomodation where their heating is free or included in their rents, I also know of people who are getting free coal but still get the winter fuel payments each year.

To Age Concern, if the payments aren't good enough tell the pensioners to hand them back or better still tell them to spend it on their heating instead of down at the Bingo.

Cast your minds back to 15 years ago before these payments came in, you can go back to them days if you want?

The more you give them the more they want.

44 years from now i would gladly accept £250, personally i think thats more than enough!

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Frankie07;34941751[COLOR="Red"

]44 years from now[/COLOR] i would gladly accept £250, personally i think thats more than enough!

you should be able to buy a newspaper with £250 by then -remember to stuff your clothing with it to keep warm

[iFrankie]

Originally Posted by papa smurf

you should be able to buy a newspaper with £250 by then -remember to stuff your clothing with it to keep warm

Oh! i thought it was just for the gas!, lets hope they still have primemark in 44 years haha

[Jules]

I think the payment should be sent either to the heating providers or given in vouchers so it cant be used for anything but heating.

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by Jules

I think the payment should be sent either to the heating providers or given in vouchers so it cant be used for anything but heating.

Good idea - see I'd have no problems with thaat.

I put my payments to one side and use them to pay the gas bill when it comes but as I say I'd have no problems with them giving it me as a voucher or indeed paying british gas direct.

Originally Posted by Thomas T

Good idea - see I'd have no problems with thaat.

I put my payments to one side and use them to pay the gas bill when it comes but as I say I'd have no problems with them giving it me as a voucher or indeed paying british gas direct.

wouldn't paying the energy companies direct be quite a simple system to set up ,i believe that option was available to people on the dole years ago

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by martyh

wouldn't paying the energy companies direct be quite a simple system to set up ,i believe that option was available to people on the dole years ago

Was it - I dunno. Only been signed off sick for four years.....

I dont think it would be that hard to do though.

Blooming heck - four years.

[punky]

£400 isn't a lot though. I had a quote of £4200 from BG for a simple boiler swap in the summer. Another £400 from BG is nice but means they'll put up their prices by £400 i'm sure. Indpendent heating engineers weren't much less.

Meanwhile for the last year or so, people with nice jobs have got £2000 off a nice new car. Meanwhile I have to struggle with a 20 year old boiler because I don't have £3500 cash.

Originally Posted by punky

£400 isn't a lot though. I had a quote of £4200 from BG for a simple boiler swap in the summer. Another £400 from BG is nice but means they'll put up their prices by £400 i'm sure. Indpendent heating engineers weren't much less.

Meanwhile for the last year or so, people with nice jobs have got £2000 off a nice new car. Meanwhile I have to struggle with a 20 year old boiler because I don't have £3500 cash.

its approx 1/2 the cost of the boiler ,an average boiler will set you back about £850-£900 ex vat with fitting you should pay no more than £1500 and that includes thermostatic valves on the rads ,at least that's what a landlord has just payed i work for

[superbiatch]

Originally Posted by martyh

its approx 1/2 the cost of the boiler ,an average boiler will set you back about £850-£900 ex vat with fitting you should pay no more than £1500 and that includes thermostatic valves on the rads ,at least that's what a landlord has just payed i work for

Yes, thats what OH paid - but we know a plumber so i suppose if you're not so lucky you could get ripped off.

Originally Posted by superbiatch

Yes, thats what OH paid - but we know a plumber so i suppose if you're not so lucky you could get ripped off.

under the scheme a plumber from the pub ,however good ,isn't going to get the grant ,the contractor will have to vetted by whoever gives out the voucher ,leading to price hikes in the labour cost