Green Deal - Boiler +?

[pippop1]

Does anyone understand the Green Deal thing better than me? I've just phoned an energy helpline and I'm none the wiser. Just trying to find out information for my son while he's at work.

Adult DS2 has just bought a 13 year old flat in Sussex which has a known to be dangerous boiler (a model that has a very bad history). He had a heating survey in addition to a normal survey) before he bought the flat and the programmer is not working either.

He now wonders if he can use the Green Deal to get some money back (via their cashback scheme)? to put in a new gas central heating boiler. He is able to finance this himself but apparently he needs to do two new energy saving measures to qualify?

The flat already has double glazing, cavity walls and there is no loft to insulate in his flat. There is something about putting in new doors in, but the Green Deal people I spoke to (Energy Savings Trust) said that the doors one didn't qualify as one of the two things and anyway the doors are fine.

Does this mean he can't use the Green Deal then (fair enough, it's probably directed at those with older properties).

It's confusing as there are so many schemes.

There's this one which ends next month:

gdcashback.decc.gov.uk/

Then there's this one the Telegraph announced (of which I've seen no mention elsewhere yet):

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/household-bills/10802605/Households-to-be-granted-up-to-7600-for-energy-efficient-home-improvements.html

Then there's the Renewable Heat Initiative for putting in ASHP, GSHP, Wood chip boilers etc which requires you to install loft insulation and cavity wall if recommended by a Green assessment (unless exempt due to being listed etc.

Most of the 'Green' firms seem to be jump-on-bandwagon cowboys which doesn't help much.

it is area-sensitive, but when I tried (for an oil boiler) the hoops were so involved and so expensive that I didn't bother. Unsurprisingly the scheme has been an expensive failure with a tiny take-up.

green deal firms charge extra to recoup the cost. And the EPC he already has for the flat won't do. The whole thing is a total cock-up and a massive waste of money. The bloody obvious solution of removing or reducing VAT on energy-saving improvements is far too simple for our bone-headed politicians.

it doesn't sound like he will take out a green deal loan - no-one should, high interest rates and will make properties very difficult to sell on.

in short - tell him not to waste his time.

BTW if that gas boiler is really dangerous (emitting CO) then he needs to turn it off right now.

Completely agree that a simple approach like vat exemption would be far better. One point though, if he buys through green deal to get cashback he doesn't need to take a loan - he can just pay upfront

I'm glad it's not just me.

The boiler he has isn't actually dangerous at the moment. It's just the model has a very poor reputation (and some of them have caused fatalities).

As it would need a new programmer anyway, it's not worth spending money repairing something that is already 13 years old which has the potential to be troublesome so he definitely needs to replace it. It doesn't look like the Green Deal thing is going to work for him.

Thank you and the loan thing sounds like a really bad feature of a rather difficult scheme too.

it's nuts, isn't it?

immediate action - buy a carbon monoxide alarm, and then look into replacing the boiler and programmer. Now is a good time to start that as summer is the time to get it fitted, the gas men are usually too busy in the winter.

Thanks. I bought a carbon monoxide alarm today and a smoke alarm too, I need to be able to sleep at night!