Cold calling; free boilers and insulation

We’ve had lots of people contacting us recently about offers they’ve had for free insulation or boilers; many wondering ‘where’s the catch?’.

Since April the way energy efficiency measures are funded has changed and lots of companies are offering different things. The good news is that there ARE free insulation and free heating upgrades available. Eligibility depends on your home, where you live, and sometimes on your circumstances.

Our advice to anyone being cold-called is –

Find out the name of the company. We can check them out for you – or you can check yourselves. For insulation, the key thing is to see if the installer is registered on http://www.nia-uk.org/householder/index.php?page=installer-members – if they are, then its a bona fide company.

As with any cold-calling: don’t be rushed into anything, and DON’T sign anything you don’t understand. The installer should offer a free no-obligation survey of the home, to check eligibility. They should carry photographic identification with the company’s name on it, and it’s fine to ask ‘can I see your ID please?’

There’s some useful information on Money saving expert Martin Lewis’s website, on Free Boilers & Insulation –
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation