Green Deal but already have pv am I wasting £99

[puddy]

I am not sure if it’s even worth paying for a GD visit? One company wanted £99 I already have a newish house so have double glazing loft insulation thermo blocks and special insulation tiles fitted in the cavity when built so don't need cavity wall insulation. According to my NHBC book should not have cavity wall insulation installed at all but I bet they push it.

Since my solar pv was fitted I only pay about £52 month on my electricity bill (economy 10 tariff) but I get a £20 back from the company that runs my oxygen concentrator machine, it’s on 15-24 hours a day

I would like a new front & back door change the sealed double glazing units and fit triple glazing units only by keeping the frames if possible. Fit led lights and a voltage optimizer if they work?

I think for the amount it will cost to undertake this work and the amount it will save it’s just a none starter money wise I just paid off my mortgage I don’t want to take on any new debts

How do I go about finding companies to take on this work


I know there are lots of honest trade people out their but if DECC/Warmfront cannot choose them what chance have home owners got?

 

[SRE]

Don't waste your money. Doors won't meet the Green Deal, can't see double to triple glazing doing it either, fit your own led lights and if you really want voltage optimisation (if you're voltage goes over the high 240's there may be an argument) get your pv installer to do it for you. Save yourself loads of money and aggro.

Personally if I were in your situation I wouldn't replace the windows, I wouldn't install a voltage optimiser, I would change lights to led and your door is a matter of taste/decor not energy saving. I've been in the energy efficiency/renewables industry for over 20 years, many of those giving free impartial advice and that would be my advice to you

 

[TedM]

Replacing double glazing with triple glazing won't be funded under the Green Deal - only replacing single with double is. Replacement front and back doors have about a 50-75 year payback period and similarly cannot be fully funded under the Green Deal either - you would have to pay most of the cost yourself.

If you are on benefits then the ECO part of the Green Deal may make some work available to you free of charge. The Mark Group are supposed to be offering free assessments to suitable applicants. Try contacting them.

But in all honesty, from your description of your property, the Green Deal is not aimed at you.

 

[TedM]

Replacing with LEDs is a good idea - but this is excluded from the Green Deal for domestic properties (and would you really want to take out a 10 year loan just for some light bulbs?)

 

[Gary K]

The £99 would pay for most of the LED bulbs you require as long as you don't need new fittings.

 

[Vegelen]

Philips make excellent, reliable Led bulbs. i.e Philips Masterled 10W MR16 3000K 24D.
Philips Masterled lights create beam spread via small plastic lenses in front of the LED light.
24 Degree beam is a brighter tighter beam than 36D - which is more diffuse.
They are expensive, but will last 30,000 hrs + if installed with quality transformers & dimmers. Osram Halotronic Mouses / Varilight i Touch dimmers work well together.
Transformer/Dimmer combination must be compatible with LED bulb to ensure long life.
10W Philips Masterled bulbs are rated at 50W Halogen equivalence when installed on dimmers. A compatible 250W dimmer can take 5 of them, not 25!.
Ask Philips if your exisiting dimmers, transformers will be suitable with these Led bulbs before installing to avoid expensive mistakes.

 

[Gavin A]

I know there are lots of honest trade people out their but if DECC/Warmfront cannot choose them what chance have home owners got?

much better chance than DECC and warmfront because all they care about is companies that can produce the paperwork, tick the boxes and have sufficient financing to cashflow long payment terms on jobs, none of which should have any relevance to whether a tradesperson is actually any good at their job. Best way is probably either to ask around for recommendations, or use the yellowpages, or local magazines etc to find none flashy looking adverts from the trades you want that are local to you then ask 2-3 for quotes and see if they seem like they know what they're talking about (exclude any that come in suits - don't even let them in the door).

Re the glazing and doors, I'd find the sort of thing you're looking for, then ask for a quote for either fitting only, or supply and fit from a local fitter... or at least specify the U value you want to achieve, and any coatings you want.

VO unit - no, definitely not worth it with that level of spending.

LED lights - yes, but don't go for the cheapest no brand stuff from EBAY as they fail early due to cheap components. Ask at your local CEF or similar for a catalogue, then either buy and fit yourself, or get a spark to do so using their trade discounts. Beware though that GU10 are always fine, but MR16 bulbs (where the fittings have their own transformers) can cause problems because the bulbs are below the rated power for the transformers - even if the bulb says it's 9W, and the fitting says 8-50W, it's not always good, as the bulbs can actually be 6.5W when you test them to find out why it's flickering....

 

[puddy]

Thank you for all your replies and information the wife said I must be mad and she said the £99 not coming from her so project canned. We paid the mortgage off last year and she said the apr % makes it a none starter as well.

We have just recovered from a Warmfront boiler & tank disaster which took 2 years before it was done properly and signed off with Building Control. I must say homesun did a brilliant job installing my solar

Thanks again it’s nice to hear from honest tradesman and women

Michael