Energy Saving Trust Arvostelua 

Our new air-source heat pump was installed mid-June. The support we got from the call-handling team in making the claim pre-installation was excellent, the staff at NE Scotland were on top of their brief and explained everything clearly. We never had to wait more than a few minutes for our calls to be answered. We received the pre-installation loan on time (50% of the full amount) but it then took almost 8 weeks to receive the final balance. Our case file seemed to have got 'parked' after we went on holiday, and perhaps the holiday period meant less staff. The third call handler finally got it sorted for us and within the indicated time of 10 working days, the rest of the money went onto our account. All in all, we had a good experience and have already recommended EST to friends etc

Living on a Scottish island I accept things can take a bit longer than normal. My grant application and payments claims went smoothly due to the excellent customer service support I received from Julia Munro at Hi.HomeEnergyScotland. The ASHP installation went as planed and I am happy with the end results, a greener warmer home. I would recommend this service to family and friends.

EST Loan Application for Solar PV.
50 days after applying for loan I am still awaiting payment. Email on 5 October advising resolution within 10 working days. 17 working days later still no funds or communication. No responses to emails and unable to speak to an advisor as calls are triaged elsewhere. Understaffed? Disinterested? Who knows.
Edit 1 Nov - The power of Trustpilot! Payment made yesterday. Issue resolved

Was approved for a solar / pv loan 12 months ago. After chasing an installer for some time, I was in a position to proceed in July. I formally requested the 60% drawdown so that the installation could commence.....over 3 months later, not a peep. Nothing. Tried emailing. Nothing. Tried calling, was told to email. EST are a joke. More recently, I applied for a £17 ev loan and was rejected despite having an excellent credit rating. I queried the decision with EST credit rating agency (Credit Karma) who confirmed I have an excellent credit rating. I applied for a loan via Moneysupermarket and was instantly approved by 6 High Street banks. Submitted an appeal weeks ago. Suprise, suprise not a peep. Good luck getting money (or even an email) out of these clowns. They do not have money and they do not have staff. Good luck convincing the masses to adopt very expensive (and to be honest, not very good - I have a GSHP) technologies AND pay 6.5%+ personal loans to finance them. I think most people will choose to stick with their gas boilers and diesel cars.

Without the loan/grant offer it would have been impossible to financially afford the installation of renewable measures. The process was straightforward although it took over 3 months from claim to receiving the money in the bank account, something to keep in mind if you are booking an installer that expects to be paid straight after doing the job. Basically you can't claim before the job is completed, your installer wants to be paid for the hardware bought and workmanship but the money are not there. Also, don't expect any acknowledgment of receipt for the documents sent via email. Customer service speed/processing can definitely improve and that is pretty much why we haven't given 5 starts but as mentioned above, overall very happy with the service provided and grateful for this opportunity to improve the carbon footprint and reduce bills.

I used the Energy Saving Trust to finance a solar and battery installation. The process, for me, was easy and I was surprised how quickly it went through. I had to enqire twice regards the process but EST also had to come back to me for additional information/clarification. I understand that due to increased demand the scheme became over subscribed and the admin staff had a lot more applications than was anticipated. The staff were clearly put under additional pressure created by the increased demand.
All said my experience was very positive and would recommend the scheme to anyone.

Process of application for the loan through to final claim was very clear. Was kept informed on the progress - from time application was accepted through to details to be supplied for final claim and the the acceptance of the claim.
I had no issues at any point in the process.

Recognising the obviously huge demand ongoing throughout my two projects, which took up phone time!, I was nevertheless impressed with the help and clarity of information when I needed assistance.
These are significant installations and there is a lot detail and control needed. But the process is made clear and all the information required (there is lots of it) is clearly defined - so it all worked well in the end. I did have a glitch on my side and needed help - which was given clearly and pleasantly and checked to make sure all was in order before proceeding. Thanks for making an unavoidably complex process as easy as possible!

Left in total limbo. Application made in March. Failed to be approved on initial application due to inability of two computer systems to agree on definitions of loft vs room in roof insulation (EPC vs EST). Submitted significant further paperwork to clarify and appealed decision as recommended. This appeal has now been in progress for months. We can’t get any information from EST about it or any estimate of when a decision is likely to be made. Unbelievably difficult experience, still completely stuck and, after 7 months, no end in sight. Systems and processes completely letting the schemes down.

I applied for an interest free used ev loan. After many weeks of waiting, I was finally approved. I sent the claim forms back promptly then had another 2-3 weeks waiting only for the invoice to be queried. Argued that the cost of the vehicle was above the £30,000 cap. In fact it was below, as a discount had been applied. Whether there was a discount or not, the total cost was below £30,000. Typically being pedantic so as to offer loan to as few people as possible. Extremely angry and frustrated as I took a lot of time to negotiate a good deal on my car. Only to be squandered by EST incompetence. To anyone reading this thinking about applying. Don’t. Too stressful and hassle. Timeframe to respond to emails is about 5 days and callbacks are non existent.

*********Editing following response*******
Called the number EST advised twice, cut off. Tried third time but got through to a switchboard. Left a message two days ago and still no response. Extremely hacked off! Email responses go unanswered. Should save taxpayers money and get rid of them all.

Today I had the pleasure of a telephone call from a young lady Emma Francomb, her patience ,in guiding us through the remainder of the loan application can only be described as a saintly! my sanity, my bank managers sanity ,& my wife are now at a normal level ,thankyou Emma ! this woman deserves recognition for her tenacity & patience for helping /guiding a couple of old codgers through the emails and computer replies ,my sincere thanks , J.kelly

I applied for a grant for loft insulation but I found the whole process difficult, over complicated and stressful.
It also seemed to be designed only for the digitally savvy (which I an many others are not). If you want a grant via Energy Saving Trust, you need to be very determined indeed.

This review is proof that there is zero communication from Energy Saving Trust. Take a look at my last review below and the response to it. Hopeful words and promises of “Experienced Managers” tasked to telephone me shortly to resolve my complaint. Here we are 1 week later…. Absolutely no form of communication received whatsoever.
DISGRACEFUL - SHAMBOLIC - UNPROFESSIONAL - LIARS!!

I found the grant application process for our ASHP straightforward. Submitting the evidence required to accept the claim and verify all details was time-consuming. However, I understand the need for prudence when dealing with public funds and am grateful for the £7500 towards the cost of our new system. Initial correspondence by phone was very informative and useful. Follow-up email was welcome but not always timely. Again, I appreciate that demand has been high over the last few months as more households make the choice to do their bit for the environment. We will definitely use HES/EST in the near future to help with the purchase of soar panels and battery storage.

The process was long due to matters out with my control but the staff were there to help.

I have a a total of 3 loans/grants from the EST and they have allowed me to go very green. It is a great way to assist everyone to go green and should be applauded

I used the Energy Saving Trust to finance a solar and battery installation. The process was opaque and poorly administered. I had to chase up constantly. The only way to get results seemed to be to call them up. Often, this would reveal new and unforeseen steps in the process adding even more delays. The grants that the EST administer are ok, but the actual operationalisation is dismal: the staff are clearly totally overwhelmed by demand and rather than streamlining the process the management response seems to have been to bring in a spillover call centre to insulate the staff doing the work from the customers trying to progress through the system. Really poor!

The entire process with EST was clear and well explained. Filling the forms was straight forward with the instructions. Processing times were longer than originally stated, but it was easily justified by the huge number of applications they are dealing with. Very good service throughout.

Started the process in November 2022. Due to changes in grant and funding solutions it became complicated and took a number of phone calls to gather the right information. Once i had this i had to make further calls to get the right advice in what was actually needed from the supplier. I also had to change supplier due to 'liquidation'. Overall the process went well. The supplier All seasons Energy - who took over from the first supplier were brilliant. The installation was pushed through (bit of an issue with the G99 cert, but sorted) and completed all within two days. Minor issue with a cable missing, however technical team sorted and installation was completed. From scaffolders, electrician and roofers - the guys were down to earth and understood all my queries and questions. All the system once up and running is performing well.

I am now updating the review and dropping it from a 5 to a 1. The telephone helpline is okay at most as most times you get through to someone on the line who passes I formation on. I have now tried to receive the final payment for the last two weeks and have not had any return calls or emails. I have paid through credit card to help the supplier however never had anything back from the energy saving trust. The final payment is the most important and if you do not have cash lying around, you need a back up. It appears the energy saving trust don't understand this.

Maybe a final payment person who deals with this could be set up as this shouldn't delay these payments as suppliers can't be held or the customer can be held to account through government politics.

Extremely disappointing that this is now the case.

We applied for a grant of a ‘package’ involving an ASHP, solar PV and associated battery storage. The grant application process was well laid out in advance and our few queries on this answered clearly and well. It was a complex process but, as we moved through each stage reminders were given of what was needed next. The advisors we communicated with were consistently knowledgeable and plain in their responses. If I have one quibble ( and it is minor) it’s that progress through the scheme was slow and didn’t reflect the timescales I needed to work with through my builder and his suppliers on a new build. Overall our experience was extremely satisfactory and we’re most glad of the grant itself.