Got the Green Deal Assessment…. What now??
Finally received my Green Deal Assessment but what are my choices now? Think it’s clear cut? Think again…
I was quick off the mark in booking in a green Deal Assessment and managed to get one done for free via British Gas, they were offering them free before Christmas but are now charging. (the charge is refundable if you take up there suggested improvements, as they are a Green Deal provider also).
I digress… I have had my printed up Green Deal Assessment for a couple of weeks now but am still undecided on what the best course of action is. To give you some context my house was brought 4 years ago off a couple who had done a lot of the insulation improvements that would be highlighted in the Green Deal assessment. All I have done is added 30cm of loft insulation, there is double glazing and external cavity wall insulation and there is a new ‘A’ rated combi boiler. The house is a semi detached 1930′s which faces due south.
What actually happens on a Green Deal Assessment
The Green Deal Assessor came round and spent about an hour or so looking around and asking questions about the house and the way we ‘the occupants’ use it. I kind of knew what was going to happen so I hoovered up and chucked away any old beer cans, I also had my utility bills to hand as I knew these would be needed (there was one number I couldn’t find on my electricity bill but the assessor seemed happy enough, make sure you have all your bills in date order as this helps speed things up) i did also make proper coffee, I’m not a complete slob!
There were plenty of questions about how many baths did we take each week and at what temperature did we have the thermostat and for how long each day. Then we did a little desk top tour of the house so the assessor asked how many rooms there were, how many radiators and how many plugs and light fittings etc. And finally he went out and measured the building and looked at various things before disappearing into the loft to measure the insulation and take some snaps. There were pictures of the boiler, the electricity meter and the gas meter, he seemed uneasy of taking a picture of me, which was disappointing, apparently they don’t need a picture of the home owner to make the assessment 
Once the physical examination was done of the building and all the data was entered into the Assessors computer he was able to give me a rough guide of the results, which were:
- Better heating controls. (apparently there is an iphone app for that too)
- Replace halogen light bulbs with LEDS or similar (bit annoying because they are really pricey for the dimmable ones)
- The house could qualify for Solar photovoltaic (part funding)
It was all a bit a of a disappointment to be honest. I’m not quite sure about two of the results.
Firstly that the only real advice was to get 3 things done to make the best efficiencies. Firstly to get better heating controls for the boiler that would allow better control of when the boiler comes on and when it goes off etc.
The second recommendation was to replace the bulbs which is fine. Bit annoying but fine, I’ll do if for the planet.
here’s the decision I have to make, do I phone British gas back (that well know supplier of solar panels, not) or do I ask for another Green Deal Provider to come and quote me for Solar Panels? Beacuse 14k seems a bit steep to me and i know a bit about solar, like the avarage installation is 9k. So whats with the 14k quote?
I’m all ears people. So let me know what you think…
Vote and comments below in the box
What should I do next?
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