Introduction

I am starting this page in January 2026.

It has been a good few years since I updated the site, in the main due to the effects of a quite severe allergic reaction to antibiotics which seemed to fry my brain! It seemed severe to me anyway and happened twice.

I have an update too: just over five years ago I moved house, to a bungalow just a few miles away, in a quiet Norfolk village with no mains gas. This one is a real bungalow, not a prefab made to look like a bungalow as was the last.

The move and everything leading up to it took a very, very long time and the final stages happened in the middle of the Covid epidemic and the actual moving of myself, my furniture and very many bags and boxes, took place in one of the breaks between lockdowns.

I have electric storage heating here so there is little I could control or monitor with fhem so my fhem bits and pieces have not been unpacked and set up. This might change as I have been awarded a grant for installation of a heatpump and solar panels along with a wet heating system and non-vented hot water cylinder.

As this ECO4 journey unfolds I hope to keep updating this page.

ECO4

ECO4 is a scheme set up by the Government to help households achieve their goal of becoming 100% carbon neutral. There is information on this wiki page about the Government's ECO scheme.

One part of this is LA FLEX, an acronym for ‘Local Authority Eligibility Flexibility’. This is designed to help households that might be living in fuel poverty but whose occupants do not receive any qualifying benefit under ECO4. LA FLEX allows participating Local Authorities to refer private households to energy suppliers and installers where they are considered to have low-income, fuel poor or vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold house.

My LA FLEX grant application was through an East Suffolk company who write that they are:

Monthly Progress

April 2024
April 2025
November 2025
December 2025
January 2026
February 2026
March 2026

April 2024

A canvasser knocked on my door and explained that I might be eligible for a Government grant towards heating, solar and insulation upgrades and asked if I was interested in applying for such a grant.

I very rarely engage with door-to-door salesmen and decline any and all offers but in this case I gave my contact details hoping to learn more about the scheme at the least.

This canvasser was from the above "application assistance service" company, and I soon received a number of brochures and documents by email. There followed a number of missed calls from said company but as I was just about to have soffits and fascias replaced I ignored them and all went quiet.

April 2025

About a year later I had another doorstep visit by a canvasser from the same company. I explained that I had given my details previously and agreed that he could follow up and submit a grant application on my behalf.
It was suggested that I should be eligible for "ECO Funding Route 1" which is based on household income.

A telephone interview soon followed and I was the asked to submit various documents for proof of income, residence, pension etc.

For several months I received regular emails informing me that they were still waiting to hear back from the Council. I was beginning to lose faith that anything at all might happen.

November 2025

At last!

I received confirmation from the company and my local Council that I had been found eligible for a grant under

The official document also stated

and included the name of the appointed installer, a fairly local firm that covers much of Norfolk and Suffolk.

December 2025

I received a phone call to arrange a date for a survey of my property, and this was set to take place on Christmas Eve.
This was a straightforward measured survey undertaken by someone from the appointed installation firm, a floorplan, room and window sizes, location and aspect etc.

I signed and agreed to sharing data with the Energy Saving Trust and another document, ECO4 & GBIS Eligibility and Pre-Installation Declaration v1

The surveyor took the two documents I had signed with him. At the time I was concerned that I was not given or even offered copies but I said nothing.
Two days later I emailed the company to request copies of the documents I signed. It took around two weeks to receive a reply with attached scans of just the three pages that I had signed.

Is this the way these things should happen?

A date for a further more detailed and technical survey was discussed and agreed before the surveyor left.

January 2026

The Tech Survey took place in the first week of the New Year, undertaken by different surveyor from the same appointed installation firm.

Both surveyors spoke of installation of a heatpump, I was puzzled by this so at the start of his visit I queried it and showed this surveyor the confirmation letter from my local Council which stated:

The surveyor phoned a colleague after which I was told that installing a heatpump was OK and not a problem.

Specific areas were measured and we discussed the location of heatpump, unvented hot water cylinder, radiators etc. He typed much into his laptop.

I was asked to sign a copy of the company's disclaimer. This looks to be fairly standard but obviously very much in their favour. This signed document was left with me.

I am very surprised that this is all the paperwork I have received from them to date.

...

Some two weeks after this survey and two weeks away from the agreed start of the installation I emailed the company for confirmation of the agreed date of 2nd February and whether I should expect to be provided with any documentation ahead of works including program or schedules of works.

...

I have received no reply to date so now, less than a week away I have emailed them again.

I am really not at all impressed by this company's failure to reply to my emails and I am beginning to worry that they are nowhere near as good as they claim nor as good their referenced Trustpilot reviews claim. Personally I have no confidence in reviews posted on that site.

I wish I had taken more detailed notes and been more specific in questioning everything about the install, calculations, procedures, guarantees, documentation, user guides and manuals as well as projected ongoing costs etc.

Another day and a surprise phone call from a scaffolding firm asking if they can put up scaffolding at the weekend so something must be happening but sadly still nothing and no reply from the appointed installation company!

I now have scaffold erected to about half of one side of the roof. I wonder how many panels I should expect to be installed.

I have capped the chimney today to reduce heat loss.
There is still the remains of an old solid-fuel back boiler in the fireplace that I contemplated removing once. I doubt a fire will ever be lit again while I am here and it's now fronted by an electric flame-effect stove with fan heater for effect - and just in case.

February 2026

Installation date is set for February 2nd.

Day 1 of installation

All quiet til mid-morning when a gang turns up to fit my solar panels. They explained what they were going to do and how fixings and cable entry would be done and that they would be fitting 8 panels to my roof.

They asked if the electrician has been yet and I replied that I had neither seen nor heard from anyone at all but the scaffolders and was very disappointed by the complete lack of communication by the "appointed installer".

The fitters checked the cables from the installed panels within the roofspace, showed me the panels in place on the roof and explained that they had found one cracked tile and fitted that under the lead slate. They were all done within a couple of hours.

I gather from some I have spoken to in the last week or so that this company has a reputation for poor communication.

Another email sent requesting details of programme and asking when I might be without hot water and heating and when I should switch off my storage heaters - I doubt anyone will want to dismantle them with the bricks fully heated after charging all night.

...

No response so I have phoned the "appointed installation company". The person I spoke to was sorry for poor communication but no reason given. Someone will call me back later today.

A call back from them and my installation is due to start on Wednesday when heating engineers will do their bit, electricians on Thursday.

I was told all will be finished by end of Thursday.

I asked why there has been no communication at all since the survey and why I have had no response to emails. Apparently it's because everything is done by text and they have no mobile number listed on my record.
Their system is set up to work that way - and it doesn't flag up those who don't have mobile numbers.

I do not use a mobile phone.

Funny they have called me on my home phone. Funny the scaffolders called me on it as well last week.

Day 2 of installation

Nothing is due to happen here today but I have switched off the storage heaters in readiness for their dismantling tomorrow.

Day 3 of installation

Heating engineers are due today but it's still very early and no-one here so far.

I have been recording videos and taking photos of all areas in the rooms, cupboards etc. that will be affected by these works as well as outside, the roof and roofspace as I have been clearing and preparing for installation so I have time now for a last video before the major works begin.

The installers were at my door soon after 8am. Three of them worked all day and into the evening. Most of their side is done, there will be just one tomorrow plus electricians I believe.

Their work so far is very neat and tidy and they have cleaned up as they go.

Day 4 of installation

One fitter on site all day and three electricians for part of the day. All finished, the system pressure tested and filled around 5pm, all is good and turned on.

A slow start as the outside temperature has been low this week but there was soon some heat in pipes and radiators and it was almost comfortable by bedtime. A change sleeping in a heated bedroom!

The fitters called in to check all was well on their way home.

Day 5 of installation

It's all done and it was good to wake up to a warm house - the whole house for the first time in winter since I moved here.

Another call first thing from the fitters and again as they finished for the day. Impressive service.

I have done lots of reading of manuals and guides with more to do - and I have to find everything I moved out of the way and rearrange around pipework and radiators.

I may not add much for a while as I get used to the system but will try and add a few figures for energy usage day by day.

Below is a table of total household electrical usage (kWh) calculated from meter readings taken on the date of reading before, during and after my heatpump installation. It's early days but I think it is looking very good.
I have added a column for metered solar generation.

Days when the sun shines, even for a short time, are showing much higher solar figures than overcast days - obviously.
Colder days and nights show much higher total household electricity use - again obvious and as expected.

The Smart Controller Diagnostics screen is showing Avg COP of 5.57 after two weeks.

NB. I have an Economy 7, dual tariff meter hence day and night readings. This is something I need to change.

The "appointed installation company" phoned this morning, after the weekend, asking if I am happy with the installation, if there are any concerns or issues and if all is well.

I replied that I was disappointed to have received no replies at all to any of my emails, however I am happy with the install and all is working very well. I asked that my thanks be passed on to the installation team.

I should expect to receive a handover pack within 30 days that will include registration, warranties, certificates and other documentation.

Scaffold and construction waste should be removed later in the week.

I was asked if I would submit a review on Trustpilot but declined.

...

I am one of those who do not wish Trustpilot or any organisation like them, have my email address or access to any of my personal data - data that may be aggregated by them or others and may be used to identify me. I do not wish them to be able to access and store details of the browser I am using, its screen size or anything else about the computer or operating system I am using or any data about who I am or associated with or shared login details with other organisations.

...

It should be easy enough to identify the "appointed installation company" from details elsewhere this page - and that should be a recommendation worth more than can be found on any review site, please feel free to email for confirmation.

A few days later and scaffolding is still up and construction waste is still covering my lawn :(

It has just occurred to me that I have not given details of equipment installed so...

Scaffold is gone. Scaffolders turned up in the morning and started work though no phone call for this visit, didn't even knock on the door.

Email received from the "approved installation company" with 13 attachments, very few words in the body, just says it's my handover pack. Hundreds of pages to read through! How do I know I have everything that I should have?

The installed system also included a wireless thermostat Grant Aerona³ Smart Wireless Thermostat with Receiver - HPIDSMARTWRTR.
As well as displaying ambient temperature and enabling increase and decrease of set temperature it appears to have other functions to be able change other settings but I cannot find a user guide in any of the documentation I have received or from extensive searching online including both Grant and Chofu sites. There is a guide to pairing the device with the Smart Controller but nothing more. The supplied thermostat is not at all the same as the UFLEX NEOSTAT V2, documentation for which was provided, display, layout and icons are completely different, the HPIDSMARTWRTR has three buttons, the UFLEX NEOSTAT V2 looks to have five.

It is two weeks since the installation was completed and packaging and construction waste still covers my front garden.
It's such a pity that the "appointed installation company" is so let down by their administration side as their installation team so impressed me.
Ignoring emails and not replying to simple queries combined with general lack of communication is very poor service and is surely not a great reputation to have.
...
I received an email reply from the "appointed installation company", later the same day, a pleasant surprise, apologising and passing the issue on to another - hopefully I will get my lawn back soon.

Another week has passed since my email and I still have packaging and construction waste on my lawn.
Not happy at all.
...

No reply to my email but man and van came and removed it all.
I am happier now.

March 2026

A new month and the start of Meteorological Spring.

I have added the last readings from February to the table above today though I will continue to record readings every day as I have done for years.