HELMS (Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd) and Green Deal concerns and complaints
Did HELMS sell energy efficient home improvements to you?
HELMS (Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd) are now in liquidation but mis-sold the Green Deal to large numbers of their customers.
Who are HELMS?
HELMS were a Scottish company who sold energy efficient home improvements such as:
- Solar panels
- External wall insulation / cladding
- Under-floor heating
- New boilers.
HELMS are now in liquidation - this means they are no longer in business and aren't trading.
They mis-sold the Green Deal to some of their customers, who can now face higher energy bills, large debts, faulty goods, missing building warrants and problems selling their property.
The Green Deal was a UK Government scheme from 2013 to 2015. A Green Deal loan was a way to borrow money to pay for energy saving home improvements. If you have a Green Deal but are not a HELMS customer you can find out more about what the Green Deal is on our page Green Deal funding for energy efficiency home improvements.
If you were a customer of HELMS and you believe they conned you, we have outlined a process for you to complain. Please read the following typical HELMS scams that we have become aware of.
If you believe you fall into any of these categories you can either follow the complaints process we outline below or contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau for help.
Did HELMS scam me?
These are some of the ways we are aware of that customers were scammed by HELMS. If you believe you were conned by HELMS in a similar way you can follow our complaints process, detailed below or contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau for help.
Did HELMS tell you the energy improvements would be free
HELMS may have falsely told you the solar panels, wall cladding or other products were free.
HELMS may have signed you up to the Green Deal. This is a loan which you pay back in instalments through your energy bills. It isn’t free. You may only realise this when you start to get more expensive energy bills.
Did HELMS explain the Green Deal Loan to you
Did you know what the Green Deal was and that HELMS had signed you up to the Green Deal loan?
Did HELMS explain the Green Deal finance properly? Did you agree to the repayments you would be making and the number of years this loan would take to repay, anything from 10-25 years?
Did HELMS say you had to have everything or nothing recommended in the Energy performance Certificate (EPC)?
HELMS often told customers they had to get ALL the improvements in order to qualify for a grant or for the Green Deal finance. This was not true and customers were mis-sold in this situation.
Did you sign the credit agreements relating to the Green Deal
Did you sign the Green Deal credit agreement? Do you have all the paperwork for your Green Deal loan?
Can you tell from the paperwork and loans how much you are paying for the solar panels, wall insulation and other products. Does this amount seem reasonable or the same as what HELMS said it would cost?
Do you have another loan sold to you by HELMS
Were you told by HELMS you needed another loan or to make an upfront payment to pay for the solar panels, wall cladding or other products.
You may have been asked to transfer your feed-in tariff (FIT) this is the money you can earn from your solar panels. Transferring your FIT to HELMS or a company related to them is a method of paying for the solar panels you may not have needed any other finance. See our information further down this page if you transferred your feed-in tariff.
Did you also receive a grant that you paid to HELMS or a company connected to them? Make sure you consider the total payment HELMS are getting from you through grants, credit agreements, Green Deal finance and transferring your FIT. If you complain details of all of these should be included in your complaint.
HELMS sold me solar panels
HELMS sold many of their customers solar panels even when customers only wanted other improvements such as new boilers or radiators.
We have detailed some of the typical problems customers of HELMS have reported to us. If you find any of these apply to you then you can follow our complaints process detailed below.
Did you agree to the Green Deal finance agreement for the solar panels?
If you believe you were mis-sold the Green Deal and you would not have signed up to it, if you had known all the facts then you can complain. Here are some examples of mis-selling we have received from other customers:
- HELMS said the solar panels would be free and you were unknowingly signed up by HELMS to the Green Deal loan.
- HELMS did not tell you the Green Deal was a form of credit that would have monthly repayments for a number of years, sometimes up to 25 years.
- HELMS asked you to transfer the feed-in tariff (FIT) to another company and did not explain what the feed-in tariff was.
Is your electricity meter compatible with the solar panels?
We are aware of some solar panels not being wired correctly. If you have any concerns you should contact the installer and or an independent electrician to examine the wiring to ensure it is safe and compliant.
Not all meters will work correctly with solar panels. HELMS should have ensured your meter was working correctly at recording both energy usage and the energy being generated.
If you are concerned that the savings on your energy bills are not what you expected and that your meter may not be accurate, you should contact your energy supplier.
Once your energy supplier is aware that your meter may not be suitable, they must ensure the meter is appropriate. This responsibility has been put on suppliers through Schedule 7 of the Electricity Act 1989.
Building Warrants for solar panels
You don’t always need a building warrant for PV solar panels in Scotland, but if you live in a conservation area or have a listed property, a building warrant may be required.
You can check with your local council to find out if you needed a building warrant.
Did you transfer feed-in tariff (FIT) for the solar panels
HELMS asked many of their customers to transfer their feed-in tariff (FIT) to another company.
If you transferred the feed-in tariff, this should have been to pay for the the solar panels. You may NOT have needed to take out the Green Deal or any other finance to pay for the solar panels.
If you transferred your feed-in tariff and have Green Deal finance or any other finance to pay for the solar panels this may mean you have been scammed and can follow the complaints process outlined below.
What is the Feed-in tariff
The feed-in tariff scheme is a government programme aimed at encouraging people to install energy generation measures, such as solar panels. It is paid to anyone who owns and registers a renewable electricity system.
You should receive annual or quarterly payments for your feed-in tariff. If you do not receive any payments it is unlikely you own your feed-in tariff.
How much is the feed-in tariff
Tariffs are paid to the customers who own the feed-in tariff by energy suppliers for 20 years and the tariff is index linked. You can find details about the feed-in tariff rates here on the OFGEM’s Feed-in tariff rates page.
There are two parts to the tariff:
- The generation tariff – is the main payment of feed in tariffs. The owner of the feed in tariff is paid for every Kwh of electricity they produce, regardless of whether they use the electricity themselves or not.
- The export tariff – is a payment for every kwh of electricity that is not used by the owner, so the electricity is exported to the national grid for them to use instead.
Can I get my feed-in tariff back or complain about HELMS not giving it to me?
HELMS sold me external wall insulation / cladding
HELMS sometimes sold external wall insulation to customers who had only wanted other improvements such as new boilers or radiators. HELMS falsely told some customers they had to have all the energy efficiency measures suggested by the assessor or detailed in the Energy Performance Certificate, or have none fitted.
We have detailed some of the typical problems customers of HELMS have reported to us with external wall insulation. If you find any of these apply to you, then you can complain by following our complaints process detailed below.
Whatever your experience with HELMS if you were believe you were mis-sold the Green Deal and you would not have signed up to it if you had known all the facts at the time then you can complain.
Did you agree to the Green Deal finance agreement for the wall cladding / insulation?
- HELMS said the wall cladding / insulation would be free and you were unknowingly signed up by HELMS to the Green Deal loan.
- HELMS did not tell you the Green Deal was a form of credit that would have monthly repayments for a number of years, sometimes up to 25 years.
Do you have a building warrant for your external wall cladding / insulation?
When external wall cladding / insulation is fitted it usually requires a building warrant issued by your local council. HELMS may have told you that you did not need one or that they would apply for the building warrant.
We are aware of customers who HELMS did not get a building warrant for. If HELMS fitted your wall insulation and you don't believe you have a building warrant, you may want to contact your local council or your local Citizens Advice Bureau for advice about what to do now.
If you do not have a building warrant but now realise you need one you can include details of this in your complaint.
Do you have a timber framed house that HELMS fitted external wall insulation to?
If you had external wall insulation fitted to your house and it is a timber framed or Swedish timber framed house, the cladding should probably not have been fitted. It can cause damp. It may also have an impact on your house insurance.
You are likely to also have needed a building warrant for this work. You may want to contact your local council or your local Citizens Advice Bureau for advice about what to do now about the building warrant and the wall cladding.
If you decide to complain about HELMS fitting your external wall insulation you can follow our complaints process detailed below.
Your wall cladding was poorly fitted
HELMS may have not correctly fitted your wall cladding / insulation and did not correct the problems.
The company that supplied the wall insulation materials to HELMS should have issued you with a guarantee. If you have the guarantee this should tell you the name of the company. You can contact them about your wall cladding issues.
Wetherby Building Systems Ltd were the suppliers of the wall cladding to HELMS. They were not aware of the way HELMS were operating and they are offering support to consumers where possible. They issued some guarantees for HELMS wall cladding but HELMS did not inform Wetherby about all of work they carried out, as such guarantees were not always issued., However, they may be able to examine the wall cladding and offer advice and information to consumers on the appropriate course of action.
HELMS sold me other energy efficiency products
HELMS may have sold you:
- under-floor heating
- energy efficient light bulbs
- new boiler
- new radiators
If they told you these would be free or did not explain the Green Deal loan or that there would be monthly repayments through your energy bill, then you were mis-sold the Green Deal and can complain.
If the energy efficient measures they installed were not carried out properly you should can contact the company who issued you with a guarantee.
HELMS sold me more than one finance agreement
Did HELMS sell you any other finance agreements connected to your energy efficiency improvements? These may not be with HELMS but will have been taken out at the same time probably with the HELMS salesperson.
If you have more than one credit agreement for any of the energy efficient measures HELMS installed you may have been mis-sold this credit. You should include details of all the credit agreements HELMS sold you with your HELMS complaint.
How to complain about HELMS
Please follow these steps in order and contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau if you need more help.
Step One Complain to the Green Deal Finance Company
The Green Deal Finance Company (GDFC) was originally responsible for providing the finance to Green Deal providers, such as HELMS. They have now been appointed to deal with all HELMS customer’s complaints.
In the first instance you should complete the GDFC complaints form, here.
Please read this guidance on how to complete the complaints form here.
Make sure you put as much detail as possible in your complaint. Write down what you believe is wrong and say what you want the GDFC to do to fix the issues.
The possible outcomes to your complaint are:
- to be offered a full write off - of your Green Deal and any liability for the credit and a refund of any payments made.
- to be offered a partial reduction - of your Green Deal. Any remaining balance would still require to be paid through your electricity bill for the remaining term of your Green Deal.
- to be offered a settlement figure - i.e. if you pay £1000 now you will incur no further interest charges and your liability for Green Deal will be discharged on receipt of payment.
Step two – Complain to the Secretary of State
We have prepared a letter for you to send to the Secretary of State to help you with this next stage, if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint with the GDFC offer.
[insert letter
Here is a link to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy website if you want information about them.
You can write to them using the following contact details:
Green Deal Team
6th Floor, 1 Victoria Street,
London, SW1H 0ET
Email: gdconsumers@beis.gov.uk