Skip to main content

Author: paragon

From Recovery to Renovation: Renata’s Stellar Energy Story

Written by paragon on . Posted in News.

Last week, we caught up with one of our recent customers Renata, who has been in receipt of a brand new combination boiler, heating controls, ventilation, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and internal wall insulation under the ECO4 grant.
After suffering a serious back injury, Renata left her home in London to stay with a friend in Wales while she recovered. What started as a short stay turned into a new chapter of her life. She fell in love with the community and the countryside and decided to make Wales her permanent home.
When she bought a house in Pontyberem, it needed a lot of work to make it warm and comfortable. The property had no proper heating system, and the cold and damp were going to be a serious issue.
“I love warm and I hate the cold!” Renata laughed. “Even in the summer I wear socks to bed! So having a warm home was really important to me.”
During her the early stages of her renovations, Renata came across Stellar Energy and the ECO4 scheme, which helps homeowners and tenants make their homes energy efficient, warmer and cheaper to run. But at first, she didn’t think she would qualify.
“I was told that if I’m not on benefits, I’m not eligible,” she explained. “I didn’t believe that it was completely free, I thought there was a catch somewhere…”
For Renata, the support couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It’s really helpful when you’re struggling with money,” she shared. “I broke my spine, so I didn’t know how long I could cope on sick pay. The fact that it was free was very, very helpful.”
After speaking to the team, Renata was pleasantly surprised to learn she did qualify through the local authority flex route.
“Communication was brilliant,” she said. “Ali was constantly in touch with me, so it was step by step. Every time they explained to me what I had to do next.”
The results were immediate.
“I’m very happy and it’s so nice and lovely. The heating is working beautifully for me, it’s more than sufficient. Before, there was cold and damp, which the ventilation has definitely helped with.”
Now that these measures have been installed, Renata can finally finish the renovations, and have a warm, comfortable home she can truly enjoy. She encourages others not to hesitate pursuing the grant.
“Go for it,” she said. “If you’re unsure, just go for it!”
At Stellar Energy, we’re proud to help people like Renata across the country, make their homes warmer and more comfortable through the ECO4 scheme.
You can find out if you qualify today, by checking on this website, or calling u sat 01554 788766. Start your retrofit journey today.

Warmer Homes in Carmarthenshire! How Mr Oliver Transformed His Home with Us

Written by paragon on . Posted in News.

Last week, we caught up wtih Mr Oliver, one of our recent grant recipients, to ask him about his experience with Stellar and how he’s finding his new energy efficiency measures. Mr Oliver has had the full ECO4 grant, meaning he’s had internal wall insulation, ventilation, solar panels and an air source heat pump installed at his property completely free of charge.
Mr Oliver shared with me that he had heard about the grant, and Stellar Energy more specifically, through word of mouth, and he “looked into Stellar Energy to see what your feedback was like on different websites. The reviews were certainly a lot better compared to the other companies.”
That confidence paid off. Since his installation, Mr. Oliver has noticed a real change in the comfort of his home; “It has made a difference! I can feel the difference in the temperature of the inside walls now. I can tell just by touching them that it’s a lot warmer. It used to be a cold spot, which is no longer there.” The upgrades have replaced his reliance on oil heating and in turn has made his home more efficient overall. “It’s definitely warmer, without too much cost compared to what it would’ve been if I wanted to put the central heating on.”

 

Saving Money and Energy

When asked about running costs, Mr. Oliver said the improvements were already paying off.
“It’s costing slightly more for the electricity yes, but when you factor in what I’m not paying for the oil, then it’s better. The electricity is costing about £1 more per day but that’s not accounting for the money I’m saving from not having to buy oil. It’s the end of October, I’ve got 20 degrees of heat and permanent hot water.”
“If I’d come in from work and fired up the oil-fired heating, that would go on for an hour and burn probably 3 litres of oil. Then it would feel too hot, I’d turn it off, the house would cool down, and I’d have to turn it on again and burn another 3 litres. So in total that would cost £3 per day. It’s certainly costing less without the oil.”

 

Clean and Reliable Energy

Aside from the financial and comfort benefits, there’s another big advantage of the switch, being that the system is cleaner and more reliable; “And I don’t have the smell of the oil. When the burner goes, you smell the oil outside because the vent has to vent somewhere. And the oil tank outside, you could smell the oil from there too, whereas that’s all gone now.”
He’s also confident the new system will help him stay powered up, even when the grid goes down in the event of a powercut. “We had around 10 power cuts last year where we couldn’t use the oil, because that was ignited off the electricity. Whereas with this system, I generate my own electricity throughout the day, and if I had batteries I’d be fully self-sufficient. During a power cut, I could use the electricity stored in the battery.”

 

Making a Difference, One Home at a Time

Stories like Mr. Oliver’s highlight how we help households under the ECO4 scheme to make their homes warmer, more efficient and more affordable to heat. If you’re ready to reduce your energy bills, cut carbon emissions, and make your home more comfortable, find out if you qualify for a free ECO4 grant today by giving us a call on 01554 788766.

From £3000+ Annual Energy Bills to Cosy Savings

Written by paragon on . Posted in News.

Last week, we caught up with one of our customers Mr Roberts from Llansteffan, just outside of Carmarthen, who has had loft insulation installed by us, and is awaiting the install of a brand new heating system and solar panels.

Like many rural and costal homes that can’t rely on mains gas for heating, Mr Roberts shared that “the house is cold, it’s an old stone house. I’ve got LPG central heating which is costing me an absolute fortune. £3000+ per year basically, so its difficult to afford to heat the house.”

When Mr Roberts first heard of the ECO4 grant, he described being keen to look into it for these reasons; “I did a bit of research, looked on Trustpilot reviews and could see that there were a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews and that gave me the confidence to contact you. High levels of satisfaction from grant recipients which had gone through your company and how satisfied they were with the level of heating and the quality of the workmanship and the aftercare service as well.”

Following Mr Robert’s research and decision to opt with us to pursue his grant, he described the process as “very straightforward, as soon as the application was in I was contacted by a representative, and the first survey was done within that week. The various surveyors were all very professional in their approach and very informative”

In terms of the installation of the loft insulation for Mr Roberts, he recounted “when the workmen arrived, they were very efficient in their work, cant fault them. And it only took 2 or 3 days to install both the loft insulation and the ventilation.”

Now that the loft insulation has been installed, Mr Roberts will be receiving an air source heat pump and solar panels shortly, which “I’m hoping that its going to save me quite a considerable amount of money, and will probably reduce my energy cost by about two thirds!”

The advice Mr Roberts offers to anyone considering pursuing a heating or insulation grant would be: “Don’t hesitate really, be careful of the company you choose and make sure they have a good track record really. I would definitely recommend Stellar as a company to go with.”

If you’d like to make your home considerably warmer this winter, and potentially cut your heating bills down by two thirds like Mr Roberts, contact us today to see what we can do to help you, on 01554 788766.

“I Used to Wear My Coat Indoors” – How ECO4 Made My Home Warm and Affordable to Heat

Written by paragon on . Posted in News.

Discover how ECO4 funded solar panels, air source heat pumps and insulation transformed one Welsh home from freezing winters to year-round comfort.

 

 

For many households across the UK, keeping the house warm in the winter is a real struggle, especially in rural areas without central heating. One of our customers, Vanessa in Fishguard, shared her story of how the ECO4 grant completely transformed her home, making it much much warmer, more comfortable and energy efficient.

Living Without Central Heating

Before applying for the ECO4 scheme, Vanessa had no central heating at all. “In the winter it was absolutely freezing. I used to sit with 10 layers on and even my coat indoors,” she recalled.
Her only heat source was a wood burner and plug-in electric heaters, which were incredibly expensive and inefficient. “It’s a lot of work—going to the woodshed in the horizontal rain in the winter just to keep warm. And my electricity bills were very high.”

Discovering the ECO4 Grant

Like many people, Vanessa first heard about ECO4 through social media and word of mouth. “A friend was thinking about upgrading her heating, and I thought, yes, I’m going to pursue this and go for it. I didn’t think I’d qualify at first, but when I realised I did, it was ideal.”
A commonly held misconception about ECO4 is that it only applies to individuals claiming benefits. However, individuals with a household income of £31,000 or less, or those with medical conditions that are affected by the cold ranging from conditions as common as asthma and high blood pressure, can also qualify.

The Install

Vanessa’s property received the full package of measures: internal wall insulation, room-in-roof insulation, an air source heat pump and solar panels.
She praised the installation team highly: “All the installers were really nice, very helpful and hardworking. They often worked long days, and I was very impressed with the quality of the work.”
Just as importantly, she felt well supported throughout: “Everyone was very friendly and patient explaining how the system works. When I had questions, they always got back to me quickly. I felt very supported.”

The Results: Warmth, Comfort and Affordable Heating

Although Vanessa has only had the system for a few weeks, the results are already clear. “Just amazing—to have warm radiators everywhere. It’s like luxury! I am not dreading this winter as I have in the past, because I know my cottage will be so much warmer and more comfortable than ever before.”
She also expects significant savings: “I won’t be spending so much on wood, and I’ll have hot water all the time. With solar panels and a smart meter, I’ll even be able to sell energy back to the grid.”

A Strong Recommendation

When asked if she’d recommend the ECO4 scheme and Stellar Energy, her answer was immediate: “I would definitely recommend it. I’ve been really, really happy with the whole process. I actually stopped with another company because they were disappointing—but Stellar was fantastic, and I’m so glad I went with them.”
Thanks to the ECO4 grant, this once cold rural property now has a modern heating system, improved insulation and renewable energy, all at no cost to the homeowner.
If you’re thinking about applying for ECO4 insulation, air source heat pumps or solar panels in the UK, now is the time. Get in touch today to find out if you qualify and start your journey to a warmer, more energy-efficient home.

From Coal to Clean Energy: Nicola’s Experience with ECO4

Written by paragon on . Posted in News.

At Stellar Energy, we’re committed to helping households make the switch to greener, more affordable energy through the ECO4 grant scheme. We recently spoke with one of our customers, Nicola Breach from Ystradgynlais, about her transition from coal heating to a cleaner, modern system, and how it has transformed her home.

Discovering the ECO4 Grant

Nicola first heard about the grant when she was visited by one of our representatives:

“A gentleman knocked the door. He told me about the grant, and we’d only lived here about six weeks at the time, and it was just like ‘Oh, that’s perfect!’ That w

as really just something that we needed.”

Mrs Breach’s home had been running on an old coal Rayburn in the kitchen, which was not only costly and inefficient, but it was also affecting her health. Nicola explained:
“My asthma was chronic since we’d moved in here. Don’t know if it was the smoke, the dust, the coal — but oh, it was dreadful.”
So the idea of upgrading to a cleaner heating system seemed like the perfect solution.

Why Nicola Chose to Apply
Like many families in the UK, rising energy costs were a big concern. So moving away from coal and looking towards renewable energy made more financial sense:

“We wanted to make the house warmer. Also coal is really expensive, and we’d been looking into solar anyway, so it just seemed like a perfect opportunity.”

Smooth Installation & Respectful Service
When it came installing the measures, Nicola couldn’t speak highly enough of the team:

“They were fantastic, absolutely fantastic! Every step that they did, it was like, ‘Are you happy with this?’ They were so respectful of the house… they were lovely, really lovely. There was no one that was off. They were just all really friendly, helpful, but they talked you through what they were doing.”

Nicola particularly commended the installers’ conscientiousness during the process, and going above and beyond to help her in the house. For example, stripping old tricky wallpaper when replacing the radiators:

“Oh you know, it was the little things. It was just considerate things like that. They didn’t need to, but they went the extra mile. Absolutely superb. I can’t fault it.”

Cutting Energy Bills in Half

Even though the new system has only been in place for 6 weeks, Nicola has already noticed huge savings:

“We were paying just for electricity alone about £120 a month. And I think now we’re at about £60. And we haven’t even got the export tariff set up yet, so we’ll be saving even more.”
This is exactly what the ECO4 scheme is designed to do; reduce bills for households while helping the UK cut carbon emissions.

Sharing the Benefits with Friends

Nicola was so pleased with her experience that she’s already encouraged others in her community to apply:
“I’ve recommended you already to 2 people. I invited them both over to see the work after it was done. I explained about the solar panels… this is just so much better. The guys are so respectful and everything.”

Nicola’s Final Thoughts

To sum up her experience with Stellar Energy, Nicola said:

“Absolutely superb. Absolutely superb. I can’t fault it. It’s been done to a higher standard than I expected.”
We’re incredibly proud to deliver energy solutions to households like Nicola’s – a perfect example of why we do what we do! Measures that improve lives, cut costs and support a greener future. Nicola’s story is just one example of how the ECO4 grant can transform homes for the better.

👉 If you live in Wales or England and would like to see how the ECO4 scheme could help your household, get in touch with our team today.