warmfront grant

Apparently I qualify for a £2,700 government grant toward a central heating system

Anyone had any experience ?

Apparently they will install 5 radiatoirs but I can negotiate with the supllier to install more - I probably need 9

Hope they will consider an upgrade to the boiler otherwise it could be a waste of time

Reply to
jim.arnold
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When the rep comes round to measure make sure you listen closley ie record him with a pocket recorder,if he says the boiler will be such&such a model then you have evidence thats what should be installed...not what the installers want to put in?

Also and this is paramount make sure you ask where the rads are going and where the piping will be sited,if you dont like what they are about to do tell them or they'll just go ahead and do it.

They made a right pigs ear of the installation at a neighbours house,it was absolutly disgusting but on saying that it might be just those bunch and doesn't play a bearing on the rest? Also they took the copper boiler without asking ie it wasn't there's to take.

They actually ran copper pipes along the skirting and could have easily been run under the floorboards.

Reply to
George

Had a tale of woe from our neighbours about a warmfront grant installed CH system just before Christmas. Lots of messing about before work actually started as the property is and old stone built place with nice thick walls. This was highlighted to the sales person and to warm front on several occasions but the message never seemed to get through.

The last event of the installation was yet another visit from a spark to install the thermostat, he managed to drill a hole through a pipe bringing down a ceiling, ruining a sofa, arm chair and carpet.

The people (I hesitate to call them Plumbers, Heating Engineers or Electrictians) actually doing the work where coming from way south near the M62 corridor. I have a sneaky feeling that they are paid a fixed amount for the job to be done in a fixed amount of time, with little or no regard for the distance travelled/overnights or difficulties that any given job may have (like thick walls). Thus to get the jobs done they have do them in the quickest time possible cutting as many corners as possible, such as surface running pipe work etc.

Unless you are prepared to watch 'em like a hawk for every minute they are there and be prepared to have long and protracted "discussions" about how the work should progress. I wouldn't bother with the Warm Front grant.

One has to wonder why skilled, experienced, competent plumbers take work that means they have to travel long distances, take overnights and cut corners. There is a shortage of good plumbers, if they where any good they wouldn't have a shortage of work in their local area.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Two I know of. One was installed worked fine - person went into home so don't know if it still is fine. But easy installation, no problems with any of it. Second. Three weeks old and broken down this week. They're not coming out til next week. I know the council have been out to another neighbour's heating this week and that's also less than 3 weeks old. Different companies installing it - but interesting to see council's repair response is better than that of private company.

Reply to
Mogga

The council's emergency repairs response is always better - they have the manpower/contractors on a 24 hours emergency standby service throughtout the year with [generally] a two hour response time for housing emergencies.

The authority that I worked for actually has a response time of 1 hour - and woe betide you if you don't make that time!

Reply to
Brian G

It makes me think that warmfront wouldn't survive very long if the end user was footing the bill/entire bill.

It is clearly stupid installing half a heating system.

The system sounds like B&G on a very bad day. No communications between the soso installers and the 'salesman'. The only thing that can be said is that it is free to the end user.

Reply to
Ed Sirett

They rush in, rush out so don't expect a satisfactory job unless you are prepared to watch them every minute. Make sure the job is up to standard and make sure they clean the mess up, all of it.

Ask all of your questions at the beginning and make sure you get a full description of their intentions in writing before giving the go ahead. Then make sure they do the job as per written spec.. They will try to get away with not giving you ANY detailed information until it is done, so start with your list of questions on paper ready, insert their answers and get the sales droid to sign it. If you have any complaints after the job, get them back again.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

Except I don't think it is free to the end user, not unless you can install a gas CH system for =A32,700 (combi, pipes, valves, 5 rads etc) = or =A34,000 for oil fired. Maybe this is why the installs are so wham bam t= hank you mam, there is only a few hundred quid left from the government grant= for labour costs.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

It *might* have been just as easy to do it, but they specifically say they won't on their web site: they almost certainly say the same in whatever documentation they provide too. It *might* be possible tom persuade the installersw to do it with both a) a "drink" and b) all the floorboards already lifted and joists drilled or notched according to whatever regs apply.

Reply to
no spam here, thanks

What boilers to warmfront fit?

Reply to
Person

What boilers to warmfront fit?

Ideal Isar

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led to believe when the blokey that came to inspect the proprety infored the neighbour that a Worcester would be fitted and when the installers came they fitted the above and gave soe lame excuse that the Worcester had too many call out faults?

Reply to
George

No they can do it but its a case of...get in and get out,there were three of them on the job they were in at 8:30pm and out by 3:00pm

Reply to
George

I don't like Worcester they make little features found on most boilers sound very good, people are led to believe that their boilers are the best just because British gas fits them when really you are much better of with a Viessmann, ATAG, Vaillant.

Reply to
Person

I assume you mean they CAN do it in the sense of being physically, intellectually and emotionally capable of doing it, but since they (Warmfront) very clearly say they (the installers) won't, there's hardly any surprise to be had when they don't. What would be surprising s if they did what they said they wouldn't do, and what their (the installers') contract (with Warmfront) and payment arrangement tells them not to.

Reply to
no spam here, thanks

In article , Dave Liquorice writes

We had extra loft insulation done under the warmfront deal. The firm came from Milton Keynes, think their name was Igloo. They were polite, tidy, worked quite fast but efficiently and tidied up after them. Did as good a job as someone I know who employed a national firm for her loft insulation, so I have no reservations about that particular aspect of Warm front.

I do know of a plumber who worked for Warmfront because he felt he was being "socially " helpful, i.e. helping people who could not afford to employ plumbers/electricians etc without help. Many of the firms working for W.F. don't do that type of work exclusively.

Janet

Reply to
Janet Tweedy

is done in the loft and any part of the house other than the loft doesn't get dirty.

We're on about shoddy placement of CH pipes and it not right that they can come into your home and make it look as though a complete ameture has fitted the CH system regardless of it being grant work. I suppose if people getting a CH grant were to put another couple of hundred into the grant allowance they WOULD make a better job of it.

Reply to
George

Of course, that's "us" (taxpayers) paying that extra couple of hundred for cosmetic work - not sure that's how I want my tax spent. Nor would everyone denied access to a grant because the money had been spent on unnecessary (albeit desirable) work.

If it's such a big deal for folks, maybe - like I said elsewhere - they could offer the installers that same couple of hundred themselves to get the extra work done. Have a whip-round at the pub, see how many other folks want to spend their money on making houses look nice rather than keeping folks warm.

Warmfront make it clear that the grant DOES NOT include running pipes under floorboards etc.

In the end, you get what you pay for: when you get something for nothing, be grateful we live in a nice country whose taxpayers are happy to have their money used to keep their fellow citizens warm.

Reply to
no spam here, thanks

I would like my taxes spent efficiently as well, although it has to be said that those words don't cosily fit together in one sentence.

The better way to do this, rather than being prescriptive about the implementation, would be to have a minimum spec. of what is included. Then if the householder wants something better, they simply pay the difference.

This is yet another example of meddling in fine detail when it is not necessary.

Reply to
Andy Hall

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Next week I get my condemned CH system replaced under the Scottish Executive CH Scheme) after a wait of over 4 months) and this thread has me a bit concerned re. quality of the fitting - I'll let you know.

The installers, nominated by British Gas, (the current operators of the Scheme) supply and fit system to a minimum specification. If I wish additional radiators I have to pay BG £276 per radiator (any size).

I have a WB Highflow 3.5 Combi at present and the Potterton Promax 28 specified won't give me the DHW flow I want but I'm not allowed to pay for an upgrade. They also specify a timer on the boiler and a room stat but even if I buy a nice Honeywell CM927, as I want to, they cannot fit it and if I did it, it would invalidate my warranty which BG cover.

I have fitted a towel rail to replace the bathroom radiator and installed electric underfloor heating there but I still have to accept a radiator for that room even though the installer's surveyor agreed that there is no way he would destroy my floor and wall tiling to do so. But he will connect up the tails for the towel rail for me and basically I would throw out the new radiator. Obviously I will use that in a cloakroom later unofficially.

So the scheme does have a minimum spec. but flexibility is restricted to additional radiators.

I'm not too happy about it but considering how much it would have cost me to replace the CH myself I can't complain and I'll fit a Prog Stat after the warranty expires.

Bill

Reply to
Bill

And it's so fair too. An elderly couple I know who afford several long foreign holidays a year to exotic destinations such as Australia and New Zealand have received large grants. However another family with young children who can afford one week camping in Devon on a good year get almost nothing.

M.

Reply to
Mark

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