The Lemon Fool

Has anyone experience of this?
It seems to offer free insulation to property within certain categories and it appears to be Gov approved but we are generally advised to be very wary of anything offered at the door.
I fall within the 'low hanging fruit' category - being elderly and with limited capacity to do much other than pay.
I've tried researching (with that limited capacity) but not become much wiser.
I didn't notice any reference to 'means test' that I expected to see and I have allowed a call re a survey and nothing else.
Any 'heads up' please

gnawsome wrote:Has anyone experience of this?
It seems to offer free insulation to property within certain categories and it appears to be Gov approved but we are generally advised to be very wary of anything offered at the door.
I fall within the 'low hanging fruit' category - being elderly and with limited capacity to do much other than pay.
I've tried researching (with that limited capacity) but not become much wiser.
I didn't notice any reference to 'means test' that I expected to see and I have allowed a call re a survey and nothing else.
Any 'heads up' please

The scheme is genuine:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/great-british-insulation-scheme

However, it's likely you were called by a dodgy company, here's a link showing how widespread such scams are:

More than 19 million adults have been targeted by a green scam in the past year, new research by Citizens Advice finds.

The charity discovered more than two thirds of adults are thinking about making their home more energy efficient in the next 12 months, but 36% said they have already been targeted by a green scam. More than a quarter clocked the danger, but an estimated 5.2 million people have already fallen for a green scam across the UK in 2021.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/about-us1/media/press-releases/19-million-targeted-by-a-green-scam-here-are-five-top-tips-on-staying-safe-when-making-your-home-more-energy-efficient/

I get scam calls about insulation fairly regularly from dodgy outfits who piggyback onto the latest government green initiatives. Beware.

RC

When people turn up at my door offering to fix this or that I never take them up on it. Play them along if you like to give you some ideas but never take the offer.

Dod

The scheme is genuine:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/great-british-insulation-scheme

However, it's likely you were called by a dodgy company, here's a link showing how widespread such scams are:

More than 19 million adults have been targeted by a green scam in the past year, new research by Citizens Advice finds.

The charity discovered more than two thirds of adults are thinking about making their home more energy efficient in the next 12 months, but 36% said they have already been targeted by a green scam. More than a quarter clocked the danger, but an estimated 5.2 million people have already fallen for a green scam across the UK in 2021.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/about-us1/media/press-releases/19-million-targeted-by-a-green-scam-here-are-five-top-tips-on-staying-safe-when-making-your-home-more-energy-efficient/

I get scam calls about insulation fairly regularly from dodgy outfits who piggyback onto the latest government green initiatives. Beware.

Many thanks for your quick response. I think I interpret it as saying that the scheme is genuine but the vendor may be suspect. That leaves me with asking if there is a way of qualifying the vendor so that I can take the scheme offer without risk.

There are lots of ads about spray on insulation. But there are stories iof Mortgage suppliers not accepting houses that have this instaslled. It appears that there is no clear specification as to when it is right or wrong to fit it.

Bob

gnawsome wrote:Many thanks for your quick response. I think I interpret it as saying that the scheme is genuine but the vendor may be suspect. That leaves me with asking if there is a way of qualifying the vendor so that I can take the scheme offer without risk.

I know it's been a while but this came up when I was searching the scheme & noticed there wasn't an answer.

I can't post links as a new account, but if you search the scheme on the gov.uk website it's described as an "obligation on energy suppliers". I've searched a couple of the big ones like EDF & British Gas and they also have info pages explaining how you apply through them.

Based on that, I'd try searching your own energy supplier's website and go through them. It may be perfectly legitimate to go straight to a company, but from what I've read I'd be very wary of anyone offering it direct.

SJW92 wrote:
I can't post links as a new account

Welcome to the forum.

You may not be able to post links as a new poster (news to me!) but you can post what I call "pseudo links", which people can probably figure out how to use. Here as an example is a pseudo link to this forum:

lemonfool co uk

Or even lemonfool dot co dot uk

If you get a cowboy putting in your insulation, you may end up with unresolvable damp problems. Then what are you going to do then?

This is my concern about banning gas boilers. Where is the skilled workforce to fit your newfangled heat pump? What happens if your pipework and radiators are not up to spec? It will turn into a nightmare.

SJW92 wrote:
I know it's been a while but this came up when I was searching the scheme & noticed there wasn't an answer.

I can't post links as a new account, but if you search the scheme on the gov.uk website it's described as an "obligation on energy suppliers". I've searched a couple of the big ones like EDF & British Gas and they also have info pages explaining how you apply through them.

Based on that, I'd try searching your own energy supplier's website and go through them. It may be perfectly legitimate to go straight to a company, but from what I've read I'd be very wary of anyone offering it direct.

Thanks SJW92 for updating that info but after an initial survey and the list of 'adjustments required' I decided that the potential costs outweighed any potential benefits and combined with personal factors wrt my continuing to be the occupier, it would not be in my interests to have it done.

MrFoolish wrote:If you get a cowboy putting in your insulation, you may end up with unresolvable damp problems. Then what are you going to do then?

You talking about cavity wall insulation in unsuitable places, or is there some other issue?

This is my concern about banning gas boilers. Where is the skilled workforce to fit your newfangled heat pump? What happens if your pipework and radiators are not up to spec? It will turn into a nightmare.

Boilerman who fitted my boiler said he was just waiting for the right nudge from government to get the training to do heat pumps. In the past, all the work was with boilers, and to skill up for heatpumps would've cost him time and money for no obvious returns. So he - and presumably others like him - look like becoming that workforce as soon as the economics line up for them.