Wednesday, August 16, 2006

The Warm Front £300 Heating Rebate Scheme

Hello Everyone - hope you are well.

Sorry Ive been a bit remiss and not posted for a few weeks - very busy with new schemes at the moment and still trying to source reliable utility funding so I hope you understand?

Hot off the press - new addition to the Warm Front family, as outlined in an statement from Eaga describing the new funding:

On 5 December 2005 the Chancellor made a pre-budget announcement regarding the Government's intention to offer a £300 rebate off the cost of installing a new central heating system for people aged 60 and over who own or privately rent their home. The £300 rebate, which forms part of the Warm Front scheme, can only be used by householders who either have no heating system or one which is inoperable. The £300 rebate will be made available from 11 August 2006 to all householders aged 60 or over who are not in receipt of a Warm Front qualifying welfare benefit.

All customers will apply via the Eaga Contact Centre on 0800 316 2808. Customers who are not eligible for Warm Front will be given the opportunity to register for the Warm Front £300 Heating Rebate Scheme. A free Benefit Entitlement Check will be offered and if Warm Front qualifying benefits are identified the householder will follow the normal Warm Front route. If no benefits are identified, or the customer doesnt wish to have a Benefits Entitlement Check, they will be passed to the Warm Front £300 Heating Rebate Scheme.

A letter and voucher/claim form is sent to the customer detailing the names of six registered installers working in their area. Householders qualifying for the Rebate will only be permitted to use the installers approved by CORGI, NICEIC or OFTEC AND who are registered with Eaga for the £300 Heating Rebate scheme. The customer's letter and voucher/claim form will have a unique reference number, therefore photocopies will not be accepted. The voucher/claim form is valid for 3 months from the date shown on the letter. If the voucher is not used within this time, it is possible to reapply. However funds are limited so the offer may not be available if a reapplication is made.

The customer will then contact one or more of the installers on the list in the letter to conduct a technical survey and provide a quotation for the works. Eaga recommend that customers obtain more than one quote. The customer will decide which installer they want to install the works and will contact the installer directly to arrange an installation date. No retrospective claims will be permitted.

Once the installation is complete, and the customer is satisfied, the installer will provide the client with an invoice for the works, showing a £300 deduction. The customer will then provide the installer with their signed voucher/claim form enabling the installer to claim the rebate from Eaga.

If, for any reason, the customer is unhappy with the installation works, they should approach the installer directly and agree a solution. Any remedials works should be carried out to the customer's satisfaction prior to the submission of the voucher/claim form. Eaga will carry out a verification check on a proportion of the installations to confirm that measures have been completed and the customer is happy.

Any queries regarding the scheme should be emailed to warmfrontrebate@eaga.co.uk


So thats the latest news - I understand that there is a significant budget set aside to accommodate this new element and I hope that as many people as possible will benefit !

Its about time there was something for the 60+ customers who arent on any benefits so this should prove to be a welcome addition to the Government scheme. I would add that no doubt many organisations will look at how they can fold this new opportunity into their existing scheme processes but as long as it reaches the customers who need it then its all good.

More interesting news to follow soon - I wont leave it 6 weeks between postings again

Thank you for your attention - come back soon



From Your Friend The Energy Angel