The cost of living... what can we do?

I don't know the name of the scheme here, it doesn't ring a bell.

 

It was a set of requirements like that, except we don't get any benefits and were given the grant.

 

In our case we applied via a company called Action Surrey, we were very sceptical even though they used our local council website logos and had testimonials from local people. They were genuine and organised everything, they have a list of preferred suppliers who submitted quotes. We didn't have to do anything, Action Surrey accepted one of the quotes and gave us a list of dates for the install. All we had to do was let them in and feed them with biscuits and tea. The scaffolding was put up in a morning and the installers came a few days later and had the panels working within a day. All for free.

The scaffold was left another two weeks so I used it to repaint my fascias and soffits.

The only hassle was getting the loft insulation installed. I had to clear our loft of accumulated junk and pull up the boarding, otherwise they wouldn't have done it. The insulation was laid in a morning after I done the clearance.

 

@pete what I meant to say was we were effectively dealing with the council, they directly fund this company (Action Surrey) to do all the organising and installation. To begin with we did have to do the means test, a few forms and provide bank statements etc. We were never pestered or contacted directly by any pushy salesmen.

 

No the panels and insulation were installed for free. No money left my bank account, although to begin with I was thinking it was a scam.

 

I've just taken this from their website:

"The Action Surrey partnership of local authorities has been awarded further funding to help Surrey households save money on energy bills and improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

The Sustainable Warmth scheme encompasses the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Phase 3 (LAD3) and the Home Upgrade Grant Phase 1 (HUG1).

Funding is available to low-income households, with hard-to-heat properties. Applications for properties with an Energy Performance Rating of E, F or G will be prioritised. Upgrades to EPC D-rated properties will be limited. Upgrades to listed properties will be limited and in some cases may not possible."

I'm pretty sure that other councils will have this funding available, finding out how it's distributed will be the tricky thing. I actually saw it advertised on our local facebook page and thought it was another scam until I recognised some of the local people they had helped. I took some convincing.

 

We were/are kleptomaniacs with all sorts of stuff, old children's toys, Christmas cards, car magazines, yoga mats, sleeping blankets, tents, bits of furniture, as well as the usual Christmas decorations, suitcases, things we don't use often. Plus we are storing household equipment from when our daughter was at Uni and will be needed sometime. All in all it was 37 years worth of junk, we kept things just in case.

It took me several weeks just to bring it down a few at a time. We have given a lot away, sold some and dumped most. It was a good exercise because if ever we have to move in the future we only have what we need. I couldn't have got them down if I wasn't fit. When it came to getting the floorboards up that was another awful job, I managed to lift them without too much damage and raise them up for the extra insulation. Some of this work was over the summer and it was like a sauna up there.

Last week our kettle died and I knew we had a spare in our reorganised loft boxes. After keeping it for years it was useless so had to buy a new one. It's not worth keeping things just in case. It spurred me on to clear out my shed in the summer, I was ruthless and dumped a lot more.