News / Environment
Green home insulation scheme goes bust
People who signed up to a council project to insulate homes fear they have lost their money after the energy company responsible went bust.
Climate Energy went into liquidation this week, leaving those who signed up and paid a deposit to the scheme with half finished work on their homes.
One homeowner told Bristol24/7 that the news came after a “comedy of errors” from the scheme which it was hoped would have a “tangible contribution” to Bristol’s year as European Green Capital.
Climate Energy was delivering the council’s Warm Up Bristol project, which offered subsidised insulation funded by £7.3 million of central Government money.
The company, which has offices in Bristol, Croydon, Motherwell and Essex, went into liquidation this week, blaming Government cuts to green energy subsidies.
It is not known how many homeowners had signed up to the Warm Up Bristol Project. But the council said on its website on Thursday: “Naturally our top priority is reducing any potential impact on the customers of Warm Up Bristol and the contractors working for it.”
A letter from liquidators on Climate Energy’s website said it would try to “migrate the work in progress to a potential purchaser”.
Ben Fowkes, 31, a software consultant living in Easton, said he signed up for the deal in January this year, but had been let down on numerous occasions.
He was quoted for £4,000 of work, which would cost him just £1,000 with the help of subsidies. He paid a “£300-£400” deposit for work which he said was never started, due to delays.
He claims he was told by contractors that the scheme had been “a shambles” from the start. “I’m pretty certain that the money is gone and if it hasn’t gone, it’s going to be an incredibly painful process getting it back,” he told Bristol24/7.
Other homeowners have complained on social media that work on their homes has been left half finished.
Bristol24/7 are waiting for a response from the council on how many people are affected by the liquidation.
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