Green deal v conventional finance for new boiler?

A question about : Green deal v conventional finance for new boiler?

Our ancient boiler died last winter, and a trusted local plumber who had mended it several times before said it really was dead and needed replacing. Me and my dh have quite good earnings but very limited available funds because of paying off old debt via a debt management plan (which finishes in 2016!) and subsidising a child at Uni. We can't just replace the boiler, the plumber told us that the whole heating system needs to be replaced because it doesn't meet current regulations. We have managed without any central heating for over a year, thanks to a very mild winter last year, and having hot water from an immersion heater on a timer. There is no way we can pay Ј4000- Ј6000 up front, but my credit rating seems to be 'good' when I've checked it as all the debt is in my husband's name so we may be able to get finance (which I am very wary of now).

I have just about convinced myself that the green deal could be the right way to go for a new boiler, rads and maybe some other home improvements. But I'm having a wobble.

I have tried twice to arrange a green deal assessment - the first company have never got back to me, and now I've phoned British Gas and asked them to arrange a green deal assessment. The operator immediately tried to get me to make a standard sales appointment, as she said that possibly my boiler was not eligible for the green deal.

So my very long-winded question is - green deal or conventional finance? What would you do?

Best answers:

• My understanding is that the Green Deal was a flop and the government pulled the plug. The replacement scheme ran out of money last June. There is talk of something else, but it has not been implemented.
  However, were I in your position I would be insulating and draft proofing my home at a cost of under Ј100. This cost would be based on getting top up roof insulation FOC and likewise cavity wall insulation FOC.
  If your home is well insulated and draft proofed, and complete with cavity walls then the the heating costs would be minimal. So instead of considering Ј4000-Ј6000 on a heating system I would buy some oil filled electric radiators. For an outlay of Ј200 you could heat your home using six or seven of these - and be sweltering in the process.
  Four small oil filled rads heat my home, and on Economy Seven the bills are low. These rads cost less than Ј100, and the elecric is 6p per unit.
• I'd get Green Deal because if those guys at Home Heating Grants are anything to go buy, then you might be able to get some kind of cash back on your existing boiler. As for British Gas well they can be sales people :-( so I'd try the other place instead!
• I agree with furts, sound advice given your current circumstance, I crunched the numbers for my in laws last year as they were hard sold the scheme by a cold caller from one of these companies and from memory the scheme only works if you are 100% sure that you will live in your current house for over 20 years. New tech gets cheaper every year so in 5 years time these high cost products will cost less than half what they do at this stage.my father in law to cancelled the contract.
• There is a BIG difference between "Green Deal" and "Green Deal Home Improvement Fund". Make sure you research both options individually to assess if they are suitable.