Consumers face being misled over green heating claims, says report

People looking to buy ‘green’ home heating technologies can face difficulties and are not always treated fairly by businesses, a new report has found.

The report, published by the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), raised concerns about the complexity of buying green heating and insulation products, as well as a lack of information.

Consumer protection in the green heating and insulation sector also highlighted examples of potentially misleading sales claims by some businesses. This could lead to people buying heating products that may not be as green as advertised, or might put them off green alternatives altogether.

The CMA report found three key areas of concern. People often don’t know where to get the information they need and it can be unnecessarily complicated, which can put them off or lead to them fitting the wrong systems for their home.

It also said not all businesses are acting fairly: some may be

Energy networks and charities join forces to help older people

Older people who are in or at risk of fuel poverty are the focus of a £1million partnership by the UK’s gas infrastructure companies with three national charities.

Age UK, Age Scotland and Age Cymru are collaborating with Northern Gas Networks, Cadent, Wales & West Utilities and SGN to help older people understand and access support services, including benefits checks. It will also give information on how to use energy safely and efficiently at home.

The companies are providing each charity with resources, including funding for benefits advisers who will help older people gain access to the benefits and monetary support they’re entitled to, potentially increasing their household income by up to £2,000 a year on average.

Mortgage-rate cut for energy efficient homes under govt-backed trials

Homeowners who make their properties more energy efficient could see their mortgage rate cut, under a government-backed pilot scheme.

Perenna Bank is to develop a long-term, fixed-rate mortgage that will incentivise customers to make their homes more energy efficient by offering to reduce their mortgage rate. It will receive more than £193,000 in government funding.

Another trial will see buy-to-let landlords add the cost of making properties more energy efficient on to their mortgage. This will enable them to borrow the money for improvements. Ashman Bank will design and develop this, assessing the property’s energy efficiency, providing improvement options and incorporating the cost of carrying out the work on to the duration of the mortgage. making misleading claims about the cost saving or environmental benefits of their products. It added that businesses marketing boilers as ‘hydrogenblend’ or ‘hydrogen-ready’ risk greenwashing people into thinking these products are more environmentally friendly than they really are. This is because hydrogen is not available for home heating now.

The projects are among 26 green finance products being developed and tested, backed by £4.1 million in funding.

They are aimed at encouraging and helping homeowners to make their properties more energy efficient with measures such as loft insulation.

Quality assurance schemes are not as effective as they can be. There are several different schemes, which can be confusing for people to understand. The level and robustness of protections the schemes give to consumers also varies. Some people might miss out or have less protection than others, especially if something goes wrong.

To help people looking to buy green heating and insulation products, the CMA has published a new consumer guide, which sets out key considerations for people at each stage of the buying process and summarises their rights under consumer protection law.

Stelrad to add electric radiators

Stelrad is to make electric radiators for the first time, in a new range that will be available in the autumn.

Its Electric Series will include around a dozen models, with different sizes available in each model. There will be standard radiators for any room, along with a selection of towel rails for bathrooms and en-suites.

Head of marketing Chris Harvey says: “The selection includes radiators that are dry, dry stone and fluid-filled, and with fitted and Wi-Fi-enabled controls.

“Some of the new radiators will be three-in-one options, featuring a fan heater at the base of the radiator and manual controls that enable you to use the towel rail and the fan heater individually or together.

“We pride ourselves on being a one-stop shop for all things radiators and the arrival of the electric series builds on that claim still further.”