The government scheme that is meant to guard consumers against fuel poverty has upped the level of money now available.

Grants of up to £2,700 have been available to households who opt for energy efficient initiatives such as the fitting of a new boiler, loft and wall insulation, and double glazing. That figure has now increased to £3,500 and for those households that are not on the national grid and have to rely on oil, or LPG, they can now apply for a grant up to £6,000. Also, grants for new carbon friendly technologies, such as air source heat pumps and thermal heating, will now be available.

But critics point out that the grants are not usually 100% and top-up fees are often payable by the householder. Furthermore, many people on the receiving end of work carried out say that much of it is below standard and over priced. Some 22,000 people who originally applied for a grant over the last three years have either pulled out of the scheme, or put their applications on hold, fearing that they would not be able to afford the top-up contributions.

The government has ear-marked a total of £959 million for the Warm Front scheme until April 2011, although there are many who see this as promised and not secure funding.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Calor Gas is making a determined effort to market low-carbon LPG systems to those households who have no choice but to use coal, or oil for heating.

There hopes lie in fuel cells which provide combined heat and power technology.

Calor Gas has launched a partnership with fuel cell specialists Ceres Power and a new fuel and power system is set to be introduced within three years. Ceres Power is also currently working with gas giant Centrica on a domestic fuel system for houses with mains gas supplies.

Fuel cells produce electricity from a core supply of methane, or hydrogen, after a electro-chemical process that involves no moving parts. They are known as electro-chemical engines.

The fuel system being developed by Ceres Power provides 1 kilo-watt of electricity and 20 kilo watts of thermal heat.

Calor Gas have estimated that over two million homes do not have access to mains gas in the U.K., along with over 100 million in mainland Europe.

But the fuel cell system does not come cheap, although Calor Gas argue that although the installation process is comparatively expensive, the savings made later during its operational life will balance out the costs. Thus, a electro-chemical engine is set to cost around £2,000 on top of the cost of a new boiler. But as its between 80% to 90% efficient, running costs will be reduced accordingly.

And Calor Gas point out that customers of the new fuel cell system might enjoy further incentives to have one fitted, including Government grants, capital grants and tax breaks.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

The Government’s much trumpeted Warm Front initiative is “unfit for purpose” says The National Audit Office (“NAO”).

The Warm Front scheme was created to help poorer households get subsidised help with roof and wall insulation, double glazing and high-efficiency boilers. It is also a scheme on which a number of energy companies build their customer help programmes.

But the NAO discovered that some 57% of vulnerable households – those in fuel poverty – could not be helped by the scheme because they did not claim key benefits. Fuel poverty is officially defined as those that spend over ten per cent of their household budget on energy costs. Ironically though, the NAO also found that 75% of those who are entitled, were not necessarily in fuel poverty.

So, whilst there are some two million households in fuel poverty, only around 600,000 have been helped between June 2005 and March 2008.

And, in another twist, the NAO discovered of the nearly £900 million spent on grants, around £35 million of it was spent on homes that were already regarded as fuel efficient.

Various charity groups claim to have received thousands of complaints about Warm Front, mainly over the fact that the measures are only subsided and many households literally cannot afford to make up the difference in the cost from their own pockets.

The net result, say the various bodies, is that the government’s scheme cannot be said to cope with the nation’s energy cost crisis.

The government has responded via Energy and Climate Change Minister Joann Ruddock who highlighted the fact that nearly two million households had received tangible help, but she did admit that some improvements were necessary. She said the scheme was being reviewed, more money was being made available and that an independent consultant was being brought in to make recommendations as to its viability.

Whether that will be enough to please the various pressure groups, remains to be seen.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

In the current economical climate everyone is looking for ways to heat their homes more efficiently and save money but most people neglect to think about keeping the heat in their homes once they’ve produced it. Cavity wall insulation has been available for years and I can remember my parents having it installed when I was a kid, but is it still a viable money saving option in today’s world of highly efficient boilers and top quality central heating systems. Not surprisingly the experts say yes and it is estimated that 35% of your home’s heat escapes through the walls, so is it worth the installation price?

The Pros
There are plenty of reasons why you should have cavity wall insulation, one of which is that you could get it fitted for free. The government have grants available for most homes which either allows you to have the insulation installed by professionals free of charge or for the greatly reduced price of around £100. The over 70s get it for free, tenants can get it for free, people on certain benefits can get it for free so why not spend ten minutes filling in the application form. Even if you have to pay the £100, it’s still cheaper than fitting cavity wall insulation using the DIY method.

Another great point is that it can often save you money on your heating bills. A detached house with all four walls open to the elements will lose hundreds of pounds worth of heat each year, and this can easily be reduced to virtually nothing with cavity wall and also loft insulation. In fact, you can often recoup any installation costs within the first year just by cutting your heating bills. As well as the economical factor, this type of insulation is also safe to install, it often comes with a 25 year guarantee, it reduces CO2 emissions from your home and it adds value to your property should you decide to sell it.

The Cons
After researching a number of cavity wall insulation websites and forums it would seem that there are very few, if any, drawbacks to this type of insulation providing it is installed properly. Occasionally there have been reports of mould forming around the ceilings close to the exterior walls however these often seem to be due to a problem with the installation contractor and not the actual insulation material. If gaps are left in the wall then moisture can accumulate and mould can form but as long as a sufficient amount of insulating material is injected then there is very rarely a problem.

With this information in mind, it seems that cavity wall insulation is a must for saving money. It can be fitted in a day with no fuss and no mess and if you do apply for a grant, you can often get the entire house done for a very modest price, if not absolutely free.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock

It’s a well known fact that today’s government doesn’t hand out freebies very often however they do have a relatively good scheme to help some households with their central heating and boiler needs. There are three separate government heating grants available to apply for, these being:

• The central heating grant,
• The cavity wall insulation grant,
• The loft insulation grant.

The main grant is the central heating grant and the particulars are covered by the Warm Front Scheme. This grant can pay up to £2700 for central heating installation and boiler replacement however there are some quite strict criteria for applicants to meet. For example, to get a free grant your household has to have either a person of 60+ years, a child under the age of 16 or a pregnant woman with a valid maternity certificate. In addition, the household also has to receive at least one of the following benefits:
• Income support,
• Housing benefit,
• Council Tax benefit but not single person occupancy,
• Pension credit,
• Job seekers allowance.

Other householders that don’t meet the above criteria can still apply for the central heating grant however they have to be in receipt of one of these benefits:
• Working tax credit,
• Child tax credit,
• Attendance allowance,
• Housing benefit,
• Income support,
• Council tax benefit.

All of the benefits have conditions attached and it may be that you receive them but still don’t qualify for the grant. Saying that it doesn’t cost anything to apply and you can do it easily online, plus you might be awarded a partial grant even if you don’t get the full amount. People who don’t receive any of the mentioned benefits can also apply and they can often get up to £300 to help with central heating costs. The grant is awarded to the property and so if a previous owner has already applied for and been awarded a grant then you won’t be eligible for another one.

The other two government grants – the cavity wall insulation and the loft insulation grants – have the same kind of restrictions if you want the full amount however even those people who don’t receive benefits can claim between 40-70% of the total cost of installation from the government. This is well worth doing as 35% of your home’s heat is lost through the walls and another 25% disappears through the roof. If you can get a 70% grant then you personally will only have to pay around £100 to insulate your house – an amount which will easily be saved in the first year alone on heating bills.

The government have made it easy to apply for the various Heating grants and there are numerous websites available that will actually apply for you. All you need to do is fill in some details and let them do the rest. Even if you don’t think you qualify it’s worth a few minutes to fill in a form as you never know what the person at the other end will decide.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock