What do the new rules mean for me and my business?
The general advice encourages people to work from home. Where your place of work remains open and where you cannot work from home, including if your job involves working in other people’s homes, then you can continue. This is subject to the work being managed in a COVID-19 safe way for both the worker and the household member(s). This means if you and your customers feel comfortable, working in homes is allowed under the new lockdown restrictions.
For more advice on trades people working in people’s homes visit the UK Gov website – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/homes
Now more than ever, we’re here to support you with expert training and protective equipment to ensure the highest health and safety conditions when working in your customers homes.
You should minimise time spent outside of your home and around other people to ensure that you are two metres apart from anyone not in your household or support bubble.
Remember - ‘Hands. Face. Space’:
- Hands – wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds
- Face – wear a face covering when working indoors and where social distancing may be difficult.
- Space – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings or increasing ventilation indoors)
What more can I do when working in a customer’s home?
It’s advisable to understand what more you can do to work safely and what additional measures you can take out to assure your customers that you’ve got their safety as your priority.
Are you HomeSAFE qualified?
homeSAFE is a free, 60 minute online training course, which further details the latest health and safety legislation in the UK, COVID-19, how to prepare for a customer visit and how to ensure your working environment is kept safe. Once complete, you’ll receive support materials and a free PPE pack which includes:
- Face mask, gloves, hand sanitiser, surface disinfectant and tissues
- Certification to show course completion
- Safe working practices infographic for installers
- Safe working practices infographic to give to your homeowners
- Van sticker to communicate your homeSAFE training
- homeSAFE logo on the Glow-worm Find an Installer page to show potential customers you’ve got their safety in mind*
- Pack of homeSAFE leaflets
- homeSAFE email banner
- Digital homeSAFE logo
* Only applicable to loyalty scheme members who are already on the FAI platform
Click the link below to find out more or to sign up now.
homeSAFE
Download free Support tools
You can download the installer guide here (207 kB) and the homeowner guide here (522 kB).
COVID-19 testing available for key workers and members of their household
The UK Government has announced that key workers and members of their household who are showing Coronavirus symptoms will now have access to testing.
We can confirm that workers delivering essential services in the utilities sector, which encompasses heat, are now eligible for testing.
The Governments guidance remains that tradespeople entering home's should only be undertaking essential repairs and maintenance, and that no work should be carried by a tradesperson who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild.
Those that need to return to work to undertake essential activity in the heat sector must get tested before doing so.
For more information and for the option to self-refer for a test, visit https://www.gov.uk/coronavirusonline.
Find out more at HHIC
New Government backed Business Bounce Back Loan available
The Government has released an additional loan scheme aimed at small businesses who can borrow between £2000 and £50,000 to help them survive the COVID-19 period.
The scheme will launch for applications on Monday 4 May, with companies able to access loans through a network of accredited lenders. The government will provide lenders with a 100 per cent guarantee for the loan and pay any fees and interest for the first 12 months. Loan terms will be up to 6 years and no repayments will be due during the first 12 months. The government will work with lenders to agree a low rate of interest for the remaining period of the loan.
Note businesses cannot apply if they are already claiming under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).
For more information and to apply (from 4th May) visit the Gov.uk website page here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Work carried out in people's homes
What type of work am I allowed to carry out?
It is important to highlight, that no work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household, such as emergency plumbing or repairs, and where the tradesperson is willing to do so. In such cases, Public Health England can provide advice to tradespeople and households.
Work carried out in people’s homes, for example by tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance, can continue, provided that the tradesperson is well and has no symptoms.
Again, it will be important to ensure that Public Health England guidelines, including maintaining a two-metre distance from any household occupants, are followed to ensure everyone’s safety.
The full statement on the Gov.uk website is here.
If I do need to enter a person’s property, what measures should I take to ensure I’m kept safe?
- On the day, before you attend the property, call ahead and ask if any member of the household are showing any symptoms of the virus (for a list of symptoms, click here) or if they are self-isolating. Also check if they are comfortable with your visit still taking place.
- Explain to the customer what you will be doing and that you will need to maintain a safe distance between you and them. Ensuring you are 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household is the recommended distance.
- Washing hands with soap and hot water is one of the most effective ways of limiting the spread of this disease – do this for at least 20 seconds before entering the property and as soon as you get home or into work.
- No handshakes with the customer or any other occupants.
- Request that the customer clean down any working areas prior to your arrival.
- Wear PPE such as disposable gloves, masks, shoe covers.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze.
- If you feel unsafe or at risk at any point, undertake a personal risk assessment and leave the premises if necessary. You can re-plan for a future date if appropriate, after ensuring everything is made safe.
- Customer/engineer signature – is this required by the work? Can it be avoided, or an electronic copy can be sent on the day, or at a later date? The use and/or sharing of pens, tablets or mobile phones may pose a risk of contamination/infection.
I’ve completed the job, now what should I do?
- Wipe down any operational rubber gloves, tools and instruments used within the premises.
- Remove and place into a plastic bag any wipes, disposable gloves and overalls used, whilst trying not to cross-contaminate onto existing clothes or persons.
- Do not touch your face.
- Ensure you then clean/wash your hands, and where possible/appropriate any reusable PPE (e.g. safety glasses), using soap and water, or use suitable hand sanitizer on hands before moving to your next job.
- At the end of each day and following the appropriate local waste regulations dispose of any bagged waste in line with any existing business process and/or Government guidance.
*Note- this guidance is to assist the business/individual. It does not form an official process.
You can find further advice on how installers and engineers should approach visiting and working at customers’ homes from the Gas Safe Register and HHIC with the links here:
https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/covid-19-advice-and-guidance/
https://www.hhic.org.uk/news/hhic-issue-updated-advice-to-heating-engineers-on-working-during-covid-19-crisis
Self-employed income support
What support is available for me?
On the 26th March, the government confirmed that self-employed people across the UK will be able to claim a grant equivalent to 80% of their income, based on their average monthly profits –up to a maximum of £2,500 a month.
Am I eligible for the grant?
To be eligible you must:
- Be self-employed or a member of partnership;
- Have lost trading/partnership trading profits due to COVID-19;
- File a tax return for 2018/19 as self-employed or a member of a trading partnership;
- Have traded in 2019/20; be currently trading at the point of application (or would be except for COVID-19) and intend to continue to trade in the tax year 2020/21;
- Have trading profits of less than £50,000 with more than half of your total income coming from self-employment. This must have been the case for either your 2018/19 tax return or the average of your 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 tax returns (or both).
You are not eligible for this scheme if you:
- Have average annual trading profits of more than £50,000;
- Became self-employed since April 2019 and haven't filed a tax return yet;
- Are a company director and pay yourself a salary or dividends.
If you fall into any of these categories, see the section on other support below.
How will my income by calculated?
To work out the average, HMRC will look at your previous tax returns and add together the total trading profit for the 3 tax years (where applicable) then divide by 3 (where applicable), and use this to calculate a monthly amount.
It will be up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for 3 months.
The grant will be paid directly into your bank account, in one instalment.
When will I receive the money?
The government stated that it’s unlikely anyone will receive a payment before the start of June, citing the complexity of the scheme. But the first payment will be backdated and paid out as a taxable lump sum covering an initial period of three months.
How do I claim?
You cannot apply for this scheme yet.
HMRC will use existing information to check your potential eligibility. HMRC will invite applicants to apply online once the scheme in operation.
HMRC will then pay the grant directly to eligible claimant’s bank account. This is expected to be paid out by beginning of June 2020.
For full information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme
Please note, you can only access this scheme through GOV.UK. If someone texts, calls or emails claiming to be from HMRC, saying that you can claim financial help or are owed a tax refund, and asks you to click on a link or to give information such as your name, credit card or bank details, it is a scam.
I can’t wait until June – what can I do in the meantime?
As the July self-assessment tax payment can be deferred until January 2021, it may also be worth using money you have set aside for tax to cover immediate expenses until your grant comes through. You could also apply for a Business Interruption Loan or Universal Credit, if eligible.
There is also help available to ease the strain of having to pay certain household costs, such as mortgage and council tax.
The Financial Conduct Authority issued guidance to lenders on allowing homeowners to take a ‘mortgage holiday’ if they anticipate having payment difficulties as a result of COVID-19.
But lenders have warned that interest will still accrue in this time, meaning mortgage repayments are likely to increase. Online Mortgage Advisor have set up a calculator to see how your mortgage payments might change after a payment holiday.
The government also announced in the Budget on 11 March that it would provide local authorities in England with £500 million of new grant funding to deliver support households in their local area, including reduced council tax payments. If you’re concerned about your council tax bill, get in touch with your local authority to see what they can offer.
I’m not eligible for the self-employment grant scheme – where can I get help?
You can apply for a Business Interruption Loan which is open to self-employed people and offers access to loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance of up to £5 million for up to six years.
And if you have income tax payments due in July 2020 under the self-assessment system, you can defer them until January 2021.
If you're a director of a company and pay yourself a salary or dividends you won't be able to apply for this scheme, but may be covered for your salary by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme if you operate PAYE schemes.
Finally, the government has removed the 'minimum income floor' to the Universal Credit benefit and will be boosting the standard allowance from Monday 6 April – meaning a single person aged over 25 could get a standard monthly allowance of £409.89.
For your customers - homeowners
Considering the progressive COVID-19 outbreak, we would like to highlight the steps we are taking to protect our customers, colleagues, and engineers working with the Glow-worm brand at this challenging time.
Under the advice of the Government and World Health Organisation, we have taken extra precautions to ensure we are working safely. Glow-worm is determined to continue providing the highest levels of customer care and service. The UK team is closely monitoring the situation and guidelines daily so that we can provide you with heating and hot water in your home as an essential service.
Below we have outlined some FAQs. If your question isn’t answered below and is urgent, please call our service team on 0344 693 3133 for assistance.
My annual service is due – am I going to invalidate my guarantee if I miss it?
To support our customers during the COVID-19 outbreak, Glow-worm have put in place a ‘service extension’ to those services that are due between March and June 2020. If these services are carried out by the end of 2020, this will not invalidate the guarantee.
I consider myself a vulnerable person – what extra support can I get?
To help those most at need, we are reviewing our inbound messages and prioritising calls for vulnerable customers, so please make your call handler aware that you are in this category. The NHS define those of high risk as those people who are either, over 70 years of age, pregnant or living with an existing health condition, find out more here.
I am self-isolating – how can I get help with my boiler?
If you suspect that you or a member of your household are suffering from COVID-19 or you have been in contact with someone who is displaying symptoms, we ask that you inform us when booking a visit. Each call we be dealt with individually based on your personal circumstances.
How will the Glow-worm engineer work safely in my home – do I need to make any changes?
- Please do not shake hands with the engineer on their arrival and only have one member of the household open the door/ have contact with the engineer where possible.
- Keep all members of the household away from the room where the engineer is working to allow for social distancing as much as possible.
- It is best to not offer the engineer food or drink on the premises.
- The engineer themselves will clean their workspace before and after installation, however, please ensure as the homeowner that you are providing a safe and clean environment for them to enter.
- We are providing our engineers with regular advice on hygiene and how to work in customers’ homes. They will of course, also be keeping to government guidelines surrounding hand washing, coughing and sneezing into tissues which are immediately disposed of and minimising contact.
We are working hard to keep things running without disruption and thank you for your patience and support at this unprecedented time.
