Energy Saving Trust Arvostelua 

Apart from a minor issue with the online form and me having to fill out an emailed form and then upload it, the process was very quick and went pretty smoothly.
After uploading the completed form with my bank details, the grant was received 4 days later.
From start to finish, including getting advice from Home Energy Scotland, quotes from suppliers, the installation work completing, the grant money being received and my proof of payment being accepted, it was just over 3 months.
Home Energy Trust Scotland were very quick to answer by phone and respond by email.

Excellent process and very smooth journey from the application to the delivery of the grant

In contrast to some of the other reviewers, I found the EST website and grant/loan forms pretty easy to navigate, and replies were quick and informative. Without the support of the EST, I'd still be polluting the environment with my dirty oil boiler.
Oh, and a tip for those who complain about spam/scam calls - not everybody who calls you on the phone is who they say they are. ;-)

Had a call from this company today
(01597481012) claiming to work for/ with the government. The woman was very cagey about giving any information out but wanted personal information from me. She wouldn't even say where she was based. Add to that I'm registered with the Telephone Preference Service which they obviously hadn't checked when cold calling I find them very unprofessional and very suspicious.

Scam call trying to get personal information from you on your property. Avoid.

Very Good Experience, Worth Doing.
Really helped us to cover costs of replacing storage heaters and lighting. the Grant and loan have entirely covered the costs of the new installation.

Trying to apply for a car charger grant. The installer was approved about 10 days ago. But still isn't selectable on the grant form. They advised him it would be 'a few days' before he appeared but if I wanted to apply I could just select 'other' on the form and put his name in manually. There is no option to do this. I've called them and been passed around, given 3 numbers before getting to the right department, for the call not to be answered. Then got what I believe was the correct number to call in the end, and was advised by staff that they're really busy but if I leave my name and number they'll get back to me within 8 working days!

I'd complain, but the complaint e mail address is the same one I e mailed about this whole thing, from which I've had no reply. Although it says if you complain they'll reply within 2 working days. If they can reply to complaints why not just actually reply to queries in this time and prevent complaints!

Worst application process in existence.

Literally just gave up applying for their IT Support Analyst position because of the amount of really silly questions it asks.

Why do you need to know my dad's employment status in the 80s? Why do you need to know if I had free school meals? You have zero right to ask such nonsense.

Your application process is so far put of date it's actually an insult to ask anyone to fill it out.

If you're serious about filling that role then you can accept my CV

Excellent support throughout the process.

From the time I applied for the grant untill I received the grant, I always had their assistance readily available, but usually their app was user friendly

My dealings with EST were mostly indirect as I signed up to a research project which produced an energy efficiency report based on a detailed home survey.

As the survey entailed taking not only extensive measurements but also, a huge number of photos of the interior of my house, I was concerned about privacy and requested prompt destruction of the photos and the house plans I shared.

The intermediary I was dealing with was very willing to provide me with multiple explicit undertakings to destroy the material as soon as the report was completed which was the reassurance I wanted.

However, as things panned out, the delivery of the report kept on being pushed back. In itself, that was not a concern but as I kept on having to request an update, my confidence that my personal data was in safe hands started to slide. Accordingly, when finally the report arrived and was not accompanied by confirmation of the deletion, I started to fear that the undertaking was not being honoured.

So, again, I was back in the cycle of chasing the intermediary multiple times who then promised to take the matter up with EST. In the end, I got sick of chasing and getting the same formula back so I changed the tone of my emails and started to consider pressing a nuclear button such as contacting the Information Commissioner. At last, someone from the EST emailed me but she chose her words in such a way that she came across as evasive and, despite my explicit request for her to phone me to explain what had happened, continued to send emails with half apologies and partial explanations.

During a very demoralising exchange of emails with this person who described herself as a 'project manager', it became clear that no one at EST had taken ownership of the data erasure and that had I not chased, it would probably be sitting on someone's hard drive today. Rather than accept accountability, as any project manager might be expected to, she passed the buck of blame onto the intermediary.

In view of the above, so unprofessional did EST turn out to be that I can't say I put much store by anything I was told.

We made a claim recently for an air source heat pump, from start the finish the process was fast and efficient, funding was granted very quickly, drawn down was simple and the final payment on the final install and updated EPC was through in less than two weeks from submission, very impressive!

Very friendly and helpful at every stage of my grant and loan application and although very busy they did it in a timely manner

I had a terrible experience with Home Energy Scotland and Energy Savings Trust. While the people I spoke to on the phone were usually nice and tried to be helpful (although some clearly could not care les), the whole process was a colossal mess.
I applied for an underfloor insulation grant from Home Energy. This requires filling in an application at the EST portal. Getting to the portal required me sending a number of chaser emails and failed attempt. Once I finally got access, the application was straightforward enough.
My quote was fairly low (just over £500) and I applied for the grant only (75%). As the grant was under £500 I got a call that they have a new rule that they do not award anything under £500 and that I would either need to find a more expensive quote (i.e., spend more of the public money) or apply for the loan too. I did not need the loan, and the amount was under £150. However, I did change my application to grant+loan to meet the criteria.
Throughout the process, I had more issues with the portal and could not see any of my messages so had to revert to email.
The loan required a full comprehensive credit check, which is really laughable for the small amount, but I did provide all the detail. After a period of non-responsiveness and further chasing, I was informed that I had failed the credit check and my application has been rejected. Just for context, I have a stable job and excellent credit score, and have never failed a credit check in the past.
In the meantime, my quote has expired and the contractor increased the price.
In summary, this was a colossal waste of my time and energy, dealing with and organisation that is disorganized and completely impractical. It is really a shame to see that such a positive initiative is left to be managed by an organisation that appears incompetent. Even sadder is the fact that their job is to deal with public money.
I was “lucky” that my claim was small and I can actually afford the works. I can imagine the level of stress people are under if claiming for larger projects, such as heat pumps.

The EST team were outstanding from day one. They encouraged my application for a grant for a ASHP for our new build and were very supportive - always quick to answer questions on the phone and replying to messages very quickly. Nothing was a 'stupid question' - I felt listened to at every stage. They are quick to answer any queries and in this day and age, their can-do attitude was very refreshing! The process was simple and communication at all times was prompt and clear. I couldn't recommend them enough and am extremely grateful for the funding received and what it has enabled us to do. A very friendly team who are an absolute pleasure to deal with.

EST has to follow a complicated procedure to discharge its responsibilities. They undertake the task professionally, and the team is always ready and available to assist and advise on any doubts or queries. I have no hesitation in recommending the service.

I wasn't sure if I would be entitled to a grant for my loft insulation but the EST team were so helpful and encouraging that they gave me the motivation to apply. The application process is quite lengthy and tricky at times especially when it comes to providing documentation on their portal if you are not particularly computer literate . But the EST team are so supportive they can help you with any issues you might be experiencing . It is definitely worth applying for a grant or loan with them as it can make a huge difference to your property .

The forms weren't entirely clear. It may be that it's too hard to account for all situations. I was apprehensive about phoning for help but, when I did, found the EST team friendly and very helpful, often answering questions I hadn't thought of and would have needed to call again to ask. I didn't hesitate to phone again later on when I had a question about putting in the claim. Again they were as you could hope.

Had a call from someone purporting to be from energy savings trust, which appeared to be the same number from Select Home UK who I’m currently taking legal action against. Very suspicious given that Select Home who were recommended still owe me £1500 from work they were contracted to undertake in Sept 2023. Want nothing more to do with Energy savings trust.

I found EST most helpful and very easy to deal with. Of course, they have some very particular stipulations about how we interact and what information they need, but that is as it should be when we are applying for public money given at no cost. The forms are easy enough for a computer literate person and one who works in the modern "virtual" world, but I can imagine others may find it more challenging. However there was help available every step of the way.