Why You Must Get An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) For Your Home

Many homeowners throughout the UK do not realise the importance of getting an energy certificate for their house particularly with the Green Deal plan coming into effect in January 2013. Now more than ever is the time to obtain an EPC www.epcforepcs.co.uk as you could miss out on some free energy saving home improvements which even include solar panels for free electricity from the sun, which will help you cut your energy bill. Don't have an energy certificate? It is needed as part of a green deal assessment to determine what improvement measures can be applied to a property, so it is important to get a survey done and and a certificate issued.

A typical Energy Performance Certificate

If you saw £10,000 lying outside your front door would you pick it up? Well we think in most cases that most people would, however that is what is on offer for owners of homes, landlords and registered social landlords. The grant allows all these groups to benefit from the free supply and installation of a range of measures which includes insulation, new heating boilers, and renewable energy systems which can be installed in your home. To date the take-up for the grant has been slow, largely due to poor public awareness of the scheme. This post aims to improve awareness so that the general public can take advantage of free home improvements.

Listed below are the Cash Back Schemes available:

• Loft Insulation (incl.top up) £100
• Cavity Wall insulation £250
• Solid Wall Insulation £650
• Flat roof insulation £390
• Room in roof insulation £220
• Floor Insulation £150
• Hot water cylinder insulation (top up) £10
• Draught Proofing £50
• Heating controls (roomstat and/or programmer & time/temperature zone controls) £70
• Condensing oil boiler from non-condensing oil heating or other £310
• Energy Efficient Gas Boilers Upgrade boiler to condensing gas boiler from non-condensing boiler or other. £270
• Flue Gas heat recovery (condensing combi boiler) only alongside replacement boiler £90
• New or replacement storage heaters £150
• Replacement warm-air unit £60
• Waste water heat recovery systems £60
• Double Glazing Double/Triple Glazing (old single glazing to A rated) £20 per m2 up to a maximum of £320
• Secondary glazing £15 per m2 up to a maximum of £230
• Insulated Doors High performance replacement doors £40
Some terms and conditions apply. Check with your local green deal provider for advice.

A Typical Domestic Air Source Heat Pump

If that's not enough you can also benefit from the installation of renewable energy technologies such as:

Air Source Heat Pumps which are used for space heating and cooling.

Ground Source Heat Pumps which are used to provide domestic hot water.

Solar Panels or PV which is used to produce electricity for your home.

Some terms and conditions apply. Keep up to date with the latest events and stories by free subscription to Green Deal News. Check with your local green deal provider for advice. So don't miss out contact an assessor today.
Green Deal www.greendealadvisersuk.com.

Green Deal Assessment Knowing Your Rights

Green Deal Assessment

There are many frequently asked questions that arise when an assessor arrives for a home survey, so its best to know your rights with regard to the green deal plan for energy efficiency home improvement measures

Many questions have been raised about assessments so here is a checklist that provides details of what will happen when you get a visit from a Green Deal assessor to your home or business premises.

Know your rights

Before your visit

If you get an unsolicited call this is what happens:
An assessor must provide a minimum of at least 24 hours if they are cold calling and making an assessment on your property. If you make the request then they can call the same day. You should check their identification, a registered person has the the Green Deal Quality Mark.
Make sure that you have a copy of all your energy bills for at least a year, the assessor will need these to determine if you qualify under the "golden rule" criteria, you will also need a copy of your EPC (Energy Performance Certificate). The assessor must disclose what other companies they are representing for the provision of energy saving measures such as insulation or energy efficient boiler.
Remember that you can get more than one quote for your Green Deal plan for your property, you can apply to any registered installation company for quotes based on the assessment.

During the visit

A Green Deal advice report will be provided, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for the property energy efficiency scale from A to G, and in addition, the assessor will provide an Occupancy Assessment, this is important as this report is used to assess how you use energy in the property. The representative must provide impartial advice about your home. They will offer a quote and finance for the installation costs for your home. Remember that you can obtain other quotes from registered companies. The assessor will ask questions about your home, such as what insulation is installed and also the occupancy of the home.

After the visit

It is important to note that you are not obliged to accept the terms of any quote provided, seek advice or request another assessor to carry out a survey if you wish to do so. As with any salesman, be wary of any offers made that are too good to be true. Shop around and get another quote, and get a detailed explanation of the terms of financing the improvements in writing and do not sign up for a contract if you are not satisfied with the terms and conditions of the agreement.

Green Deal www.greendealadvisersuk.com