Could you access an ECO grant towards heating and insulation improvements?
There are 2 key criteria that need to be met to access an ECO grant:
- You must be in receipt of a means tested benefit or qualify through one of the ECO Flex routes.
- Your property must need heating or insulation measures that will deliver a significant energy efficiency improvement to attract a grant.
Means tested benefits
- Child Benefit (see Child Benefit income threshold)
- Pension Credit (Guaranteed or Savings Credit)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Tax Credits (Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits)
- Universal Credit
- Housing benefit
Child Benefit threshold
| Child Benefit threshold | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children | 4 children |
|---|
| 1 adult household |
£19,900 |
£24,800 |
£29,600 |
£34,500 |
| 2 adult household |
£27,500 |
£32,300 |
£37,200 |
£42,000 |
ECO Flex eligibility routes
Route 1. A gross household income of less than £31,000. Evidence will be required.
Three other routes are outlined in the Statement of Intent for ECO4.
Heating and insulation measures
The aim of ECO is to reduce household energy costs and reduce carbon emissions.
If you meet income criteria, then grants may be available to:
- install central heating when you have no boiler or radiators
- replace storage heaters or coal fires with gas central heating
- replace a non-condensing combi boiler with a modern combi boiler
- replace a heat only boiler with a modern combi boiler
ECO4 won't provide a grant for loft or cavity wall insulation on their own.
You will need to be able to prove ownership if you are an owner occupier.
Energy efficiency improvements
The amount of ECO grant that your property will attract is dependent upon the improvement made to your original Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
The EPC rates your property from an A to a G, with G being the least energy efficient. You can find your EPC (if you have one).
If you don't have an EPC, then an EPC surveyor will need to produce one for you.
This will form part of an ECO energy efficiency improvement survey.
These are the improvements in the EPC your energy efficiency measures need to achieve to access a grant:
- if your existing EPC is an F or G then it needs to be able to be improved to a D
- if your existing EPC is a D or E then it must be able to be improved to a C
- private landlords can only access ECO to replace an old heating system with a renewable heating system if the existing EPC is an E, F or G
- social housing tenants need to be in receipt of a means tested benefit
What next?
If you think you think you meet the criteria outlined in points 1 to 4, find an ECO approved contractor near you to carry out a survey for the improvements you need.
Or, if you already have the name of a contractor, use the advanced search and enter the name of the contractor in the 'business name' box, then click on 'find tradespeople' to see which measures they provide.
You are responsible for choosing an installer to carry out the survey of your property to assess which heating and insulation measures may suit your property.
Once the contractor has assessed your property, they will be able to give you a quote to carry out the works and explain how much ECO grant you are entitled to.
If you wish to proceed with the works, the contractor will talk to you about which of the income eligibility routes you should follow to access the grant.
If you need to apply for an ECO Flex declaration, the contractor will ask you to provide evidence of your income and how many people live in the property and submit this to us for validation.
Our role only extends to validating income. We do not endorse any ECO contractors and are not involved in managing the progress or quality of your work.
Ofgem has further guidance about ECO4.