"Inslating and heating a difficult to access cottage in Wales"

The company arrived on time.completed the work of internal insulation/air source heating,in a professional, helpful and good quality workmanship.The tradesmen were always careful not to destroy the caricature of an old cottage.The head office staff were always pleasant and efficient and did everything they said they would do.Would recommended City Energy after my experience. John Taylor

"Philip White was with us and was…"

Philip White was with us and was fantastic with our smart mater installation and talked us through everything. Very pleased

"Polite and conscientious and tidy"

Polite and conscientious and tidy. Explained use of smart meter.

"One star is one too many!"

Using this company was perhaps the worst thing I have ever done. Jan 2023 they commenced a massive amount of work under a government funded scheme. They insulated the internal walls- excellent job carried out by great people-. They insulated my loft, work was ok but where my loft was totally floored now only a small section in the middle is floored. They put cavity wall insulation in half the house which leaked into my utility room, having removed 12 black bags full of insulation beads I still have little grey beads leaking into the room. They fitted a new heating system, an Air Source Heat Pump. Now having had the system installed for 12 months, due to non stop leaks I have had to replace Oak flooring in my hall, a wood floor in my dining room, the tiles in my shower room and I have water pouring down the wall in my lounge. I have called them probably 50-60 times, not once have they called me back when promised. I have written to the MD, but obviously didn't get a reply or response. They agreed to re-plumb the system, but then walked out when they saw other trades people were here (repairing damage caused by the leaks) which would make their work harder. All though they were booked in for 3 days work because the other workmen were there the first morning they couldn't come back for a fortnight. I am now sitting in a house with no heating, professional driers blasting away in my dining room and water running down the walls in my lounge. So 12 months so far with a system not as good as the old oil burner they replaced, and thousands of pounds of water damage. I doubt this will be resolved now without court action.

"Professional Engineer "

John Love the engineer was very professional and gave prefect advice. He sent me a text message to advise when I should be expecting him. When he also arrived he politely identified himself and carried out the job to a prefect standard. I was able to ask questions without feeling like I was stupid and he answered them professionally. John is a great asset to the company and I would recommend again due to him.

"avoid, totally let me down at eleventh hour"

Let me down on a complete refurb that was grant funded. Wasted over three months waiting for the works to start, only to be told that as the heat source pump could not be fitted due to the fact that is was a terraced property then none of the work could be undertaken. This had been preceded by an email one week earlier confirming that everything was on track.
Their communication is awful, Customer care non existent. I am surprised that given the service they provide that they have managed to stay on Swansea Council's approved list. Steer Clear

"Good experience all round"

Our experience so far has been great, insulating walls is a messy process but our team work hard, we’re polite and friendly, clearing up as they went. We have a plumber in at the moment, Paul who’s doing a great job. The solar panels are up but not connected yet. Yes it’s an upheaval but certainly worth doing, and so glad I chose City Energy.

"Slipshod workmanship leaving us at risk."

Firstly there was an eligibility inspection on the 7th February. The inspector did not take account of the fact that my solid fuel Rayburn also acted as a radiator in the kitchen. So no radiator was installed in the kitchen as it should have been. I brought this to the attention of the manager on a number of occasions, by email, and never received an answer to that point.

The Loft insulation was install first and not last, so a substantial amount of the loft insulation got screwed up and torn when the plumbers and electricians worked in the attic. Some of the tradesmen were also unhappy with this arrangement. I asked them to leave a gap around the Mains supply cables that run through the attic so that they wouldn’t over heat. They said they would – they didn't.

Once installed we noted that the dining/living room radiator was not working we advised the plumbers, but they thought it was alright. Within a few days the radiator was still not working as it should and we heard a lot of air in the system. Plumbers came up and seemed to have sorted it. But a few days after the same thing happened again but this time I noticed the ceiling was wet. This was due to the automatic vents failing and water escaped from there. A third plumber arrived and found air was getting into the system because some fixtures had not been properly tightened and that the air in the system had caused the vents to fail. Since his visit the system has worked correctly.

The pipe work in the attic was not all clipped allowing significant movement of the pipes and connectors possible..

Lagging. The plumbers who did the lagging of the pipes had left a number of gaps particularly on the elbows. This meant that with the extra insulation in the roof there was a danger of the pipes freezing in very cold weather; we did have a -18C here in 2009. A plumber did come back and start to put it right, but only did half of it. Despite repeated contact no one came back. At one place there was a bare bend that was touching the roofing felt which in turn was tight against the tile and without lagging, hence at great risk of freezing. A similar instance was on the pipe going from outside the house to the inside where there was no lagging on a bend. Furthermore, the lagging on the outside pipes was not thorough with exposed areas of pipework. Compensation for the damage to the ceiling was promised but has not been paid.

Electrical work. The electricians, one of whom was an apprentice, did not consult with us on any aspect and installed the controls not where we wanted them. In addition, the external installation was unsatisfactory. The cables going into the unit are trapped by the cover part way up instead of going in below where there is space for them. The flexible cover for the cables was cut far too short and the cable gland was not secured into the switch.They also just turned the power off without letting anyone know. They did not check with us first and so unexpectedly stopped me working on the computer and left the plumbers in the attic working in the dark.

I also note that the top of the external unit was damaged, and I hope that this has not compromised its integrity.

Final Inspection: The Inspector did not undertake his work thoroughly enough otherwise he would have spotted some of the faults.

The manager I dealt with was friendly and initially seemed helpful but did not respond to half of my queries and has not responded for over 6 months and I have now put in a formal complaint a few weeks ago and have not had any acknowledgement.

Some positives of the work included:

The loft insulators were friendly and worked quickly and tidily.

The plumbers were friendly, helpful and consulted on all relevant aspects of the installation.

The cavity wall insulation was conducted quickly and efficiently and tidily.

The plumbers worked hard and quickly and completed the work in three days – They removed and replaced 7 radiators, installed all the external and internal works.

When we had problems, eg too much air in the system, leaks in the attic and a lack of lagging they did respond very quickly.

"Super service "

Excellent attitude, professional behaviour and quality support.
Jordan Kinghorn is the guy who absolutely goes above and beyond, knows what he is doing and follows the rules and procedures while being supportive and efficient.
I don't think I can squeeze enough positive adjectives in this little space.

"Had an appointment for 16:00-20:00 and…"

Had an appointment for 16:00-20:00 and they turn up 14:55 when I’m not in, clearly they wanted an early finish