You may have heard about the government saving scheme that is aimed at helping low-income households and homeowners to make their property more energy efficient and cheaper to run, whilst improving its carbon emissions, but do you really know what it is?
Here we give you the low down on exactly what the scheme is all about and how you can benefit from taking action today.
What is the ECO grant?
The ECO4 grant, also known as the Energy Company Obligation, is a government-funded program that provides grants and funding for households to improve their energy efficiency and reduce their energy costs.
The program is designed to help low-income and vulnerable households make energy-saving improvements to their homes.
The ECO4 grant is available to homeowners, private renters, and landlords, and can be used to fund a range of energy-saving measures, including insulation, boilers, and central heating systems.
The purpose of the ECO Grant
The purpose of the ECO4 grant is to address the issue of fuel poverty.
Fuel poverty is the condition by which a household is unable to afford to heat (or cool) their home to an adequate temperature. It is caused by low income, high fuel prices, poor energy efficiency, unaffordable housing prices and poor quality private rental housing.)
By reducing their energy bills and improving their energy efficiency, the ECO4 grant can help households stay warm and comfortable throughout the year, while also helping to reduce their impact on the environment.
Where does it come from?
The ECO4 grant is administered by energy suppliers, who have a legal obligation to provide funding for energy-saving measures to eligible households. To be eligible for the grant, households must meet certain criteria, such as being in receipt of certain benefits or having a low income (below £31K). Landlords may also qualify for the grant if their tenants meet the eligibility criteria.
What does the grant provide?
The range of measures that are covered by the ECO4 grant include external wall insulation, solid wall insulation, insulation for hard-to-treat cavities, insulated glazing, loft insulation, and under-floor insulation.
Additionally, the grant also covers boilers and heating systems, including the installation of central heating systems for properties that do not have one, boiler replacements and upgrading of old boilers, for example.
What are the benefits?
One of the benefits of the ECO4 grant is that it can help households save money on their energy bills in the long term, as well as improving the comfort of their homes. Upgrading insulation and heating systems can also improve a home's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating, which can make a property more attractive to potential buyers or renters.
Landlords can also take advantage of the ECO4 grant to improve the energy efficiency of their rental properties, which can help attract and retain tenants, and also bring them in line with the new EPC legislation for all properties to have an EPC rating of C or above by 2030.
If you are a landlord, check if your tenant has a household income of £31k for receiving benefits and you may just be able to upgrade your boiler fro free with this ECO grant.
How do I check if I qualify?
The only specifications to receiving the ECO grant for a first time heating system is that your home is well insulated.
We can check the insulation of your home through a home survey and you can also apply through the same government funding for free home insulation here.
To qualify for the free home heating grant, you must never have had a heating system in this property before and you must be in receipt of either the following benefits, or have a household income of below £31.000/year.
In conclusion, the ECO4 grant is a government-funded program that provides financial assistance to households to improve their energy efficiency and reduce their energy costs.
It is designed to help low-income and vulnerable households make energy-saving improvements to their homes, such as insulation, boilers and central heating systems, to reduce the number of households living in fuel poverty.
If you think you might qualify for the grant, you can apply here and we will help you make the application, survey your home to discover what measures are needed and help you with any questions or the process throughout.
Who is it for and how to apply and what to do next?
At the time of writing this article, the available grants are for homeowners with an income of £31K or below, and / or in receipt of benefits, such as Tax credits etc, for the full list of qualifying benefits, visit here.
However, there are measures being put into place for the coming months to make these grants available to higher-income households.
Please do complete the "Stay in the know" over on the side bar and we will email you when new grants come available.
To apply for your grant or book an energy efficiency home survey to find out where your home could be more energy efficient, contact us below.