Grants & assistance

This short course offers an overview of what assistance is available, qualifying criteria, supporting measures & types of benefits.

Grants & Assistance

Start

This scheme is used to aid houses in fuel poverty and low income with heating billing in the UK

Fitting insulation for poorly insulated housing including: solid wall insulation, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation Helping people to understand and setting up heating controls within the household, including electric storage heaters Installing first time central heating and non-gas boilers, as well as renewable heating sources such as heat pumps

How do they help?

Energy Company Obligation (ECO) / Affordable Warmth Obligation

Click the icons above to learn about the qualifying benefits.

Flexible eligibility (ECO Flex)

Living in social housing with property EPC rating E, F or G

In receipt of benefits&private renting OR owner occupier

There are 3 ways in which you can qualify for the ECO scheme:

ECO - How would you qualify?

Complements the ECO scheme, focusing on providing insulation to achieve bill savings in as many homes as possible.Helping with insulation including: cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation and loft insulation.Installing heating pumps and solar panels (solar pv and solar thermal) to make homes more fuel-efficient.

How do they help?

Scheme used to provide rapid installation of energy efficiency measures to a wide pool of low income and low energy efficient homes in the lower Council Tax bands.

Great British Insulation Scheme

• Must be receiving specified benefits
• Live in property with EPC rating D, E, F or G

Will be provided with a single insulation measure and possibly heating controls (tenure restrictions apply)

• Must live in a dwelling within council tax bands: A-D (England), A-E (Scotland), A-E (Wales)
• Live in property with EPC rating D, E, F or G

Only provided with a single insulation measure - determined by assessment of the property.

General

Low-Income

Depending on the group, you will recieve different levels of support

Click the icons above to learn about the qualifying benefits.

There are 2 qualifying groups eligible for this scheme:

Great British Insulation Scheme - Qualifying Groups

Focusing on improving homes in fuel poverty, the home upgrade grade has a second phase (HUG 2) for households eligible within England.HUG 2 is able to provide full subsidy for low-income housing to occupying homeowners, covering the entirety of the property upgrades.It supports in the installation of insulation such as wall insulation, loft insulation, underfloor insulation and low carbon technologies.

How do they help?

Provides grants to local authoritis to help improve off-grid owner occupied and the private rented sector households in fuel poverty.

Home Upgrade Grant (HUG)

Home Upgrade Grant 2 (HUG 2) - How to qualify?

OR

Click the icons above to learn about the qualifying benefits.

Combined gross annual household income of £36,000 or less

Be located in an eligible area

In order to have access to the second phase of HUG, you will need to meet one of 2 qualifying criterias:

Click the icons above to learn about the qualifying benefits.

How do they help?

Helping with insulation including: cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation and loft insulation.Installing heating pumps and solar panels (solar pv and solar thermal) to make homes more fuel-efficient.

Welsh Government's fuel poverty scheme used to reduce the number of homes in fuel poverty and make homes more fuel-efficient.

NEST

Click the icons above to learn about the qualifying benefits.

Receive means tested benefits OR live in low-income household

Home asset rating is 54 or lower (EPC E or lower) or 68 or lower (EPC D or lower) with a household member having a specified health condition

As someone residing in Wales who either owns a house or privately rents outside of the local authorities or a housing association, you would be able to qualify for this scheme in 2 different ways:

NEST - How would you qualify?

Local authorities in Scotland develop and deliver their own programmes in areas of high fuel poverty, but primary focus on solid wall insulations. Each local authority will have different methods and residents can contact their local authority or Home Energy Scotland to find out what measures may be available to them.

HEEPS Area-Based Schemes

Provides loans for homeowners and certain registered private sector landlords to make energy improvements to their homes:

• Up to £39,000 per home (cashback where appropriate - 40% on eligible energy efficiency measures, 75% on certain renewable heating systems)

• Maximum pay-back length on loan is 12 years

• Interest free loan

Managed and delivered by Warmworks Scotland, provides insulation and fuel-efficiency measure assistance to homeowners and private sector tenants:

• Wall Insulation
• Loft Insulation
• Draught-Proofing
• Central Heating (Inc. new gas boilers)
• Air Source Heat Pumps
• Renewable Technologies

Warmer Homes Scotland

Home Energy Scotland Loan

Click the icons above to learn more.

Consisting of Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS), Home Energy Scotland (HES) Loan & HEEPS Area-Based Schemes and is used to assist homeowners and private sector tenants to tackle fuel poverty through various different means.

HEEPS (collective)

1 household member must meet ALL criteria specified

In order to qualify for the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme, a member of the household will have to meet ALL criterias on a specified list & ONE from a list of qualifying conditions:

Click the icons above to learn about the qualifying criterias and conditions.

They also must meet atleast ONE condition specified

Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) - How to qualify?

tarted in 2020, helps by rewarding households with recently installed electricity generating renewable technologies.These households will be paid by fuel suppliers for the electricity they export to the grid. Qualifying Technologies include: Anaerobic Digestion Micro-CHP (Combined Heat and Power) Micro-Hydro Micro/Small Wind Solar Photovoltaic (PV)

SEG (Smart Export Guarantee)

Running from 2022 to 2025, BUS provides capital grants to help aid the installation of renewable technologies in domestic and non-domestic buildings.£7,500 will be provided for heat pumps and £5,000 will be provided for biomass boilers.Qualifying Technologies include:Air Source Heat Pumps Ground Source Heat Pumps Water Source Heat Pumps Biomass Boilers

Replaced by the BUS March 2022, focuses in supporting, although not limited to, off-gas grid households with renewable heat.Qualifying Technologies include:Solar Thermal Hot Water Air Source Heat Pumps Ground Source Heat Pumps Biomass Boilers, Pellet Stoves with back boiler, Cooker Stoves

RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive)

BUS (Boiler Upgrade Scheme)

RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive), BUS (Boiler Upgrade Scheme) & SEG (Smart Export Guarantee) are schemes which are also used to assist households with renewable technologies.

Other Available Schemes & Grants - RHI, BUS & SEG

We hope this overview of what assistance is available, qualifying criteria, supporting measures & types of benefits is a useful addition to your revision materials!

• Child Benefits - Subject to an income threshold
• Child Tax Credit Housing Benefits
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
• Pension Credit Saving Credit
• Universal Credit
• Working Tax Credit

Qualifying Benefits

• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits
• Pension Credit - Guarantee
• Personal Independence Payment
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• Universal Credit
• War Pensions Mobility Supplement
• Working Tax Credit

• 75 or over with no central heating
• Has DS1500 or BASRiS certificate completed by medical professional
• 16 or over with passport benefit or income-related benefit:
• Adult Disability Payment
• Armed Forced Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer's Allowance
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Council Tax Reduction
• Child Tax Credit
• Disability Living Allowance

Qualifying Conditions

Income deprivation data is used to identify eligible areas for eligibility. This is taken from the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2019.Households situated in the most economically depreived areas (income deciles 1 - 3) automatically gain eligibility for the HUG 2 upgrades when off-gas grid with a band rating of D, E, F or G

Eligible Areas

• Wind or Hydro Turbines
• Solar Photovoltaic
• Solar Water Heating Systems
• Energy Storage Systems (heat or electric batteries)
• Hybrid PV-Solar Water Heating Systems
• Heat Pumps (air source to water, ground source to water, water source to water, hybrid air source to water)
• Biomass Boilers or Stoves (non-automated, non-pellet stoves, room heaters all not eligible)

Renewable Technologies Covered by Loan

1. Have a household income cap of £31,000. 2.Be a householder in EPC bands E, F or G with any 2 of the specified qualifying criteria. 3. NHS/Local Authorities referral (NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Trust, NHS Health Board or GP) as a result of health conditions impacted by living in a cold environment - Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Limited Mobility, Immunosuppressed Conditions. 4. A supplier or local authority can submit a proposal for homes which they believe should be approved by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

ECO Flex is another way in which to qualify for the ECO scheme with 4 different qualifying routes to identify vulnerable low-income households:

What is ECO Flex?

• Child Benefits - Subject to an income threshold
• Child Tax Credit Housing Benefits
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
• Pension Credit Saving Credit
• Universal Credit
• Working Tax Credit

Qualifying Benefits

• Chronic Respiratory Condition (Respiratory Infections, Broncho-Constriction in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive -Pulmonary Disease)
• Circulatory Condition (Cardiovascular Disease, Strokes and Heart Attacks)
• Mental Health Condition (Depression, Anxiety, Psychosis and Bipolar disorders, Dementia, Intellectual and Development disorders)

Qualifying Health Condition

Evidence will need to be provided in the form of either:

• Prescriptions
• Medication Package
• Treatment Plan
• GP/Hospital Appointment
• Referral Letter

• Be a homeowner or tenant of private-sector landlord

• Live in the home as main residence

• Lived there for 6 months (unless in receipt of SR1, DS1500 or BASRiS Form)

• Poor home energy rating (Assessed by a surveyor)

• Home meets/doesn't meet tolerable living standard set by Housing Scotland Act 2006

• Home Council Tax Band A - F

• Home floor area of 230m (Squared) or less

Qualifying Criteria

• Child Tax Credit (Income below £18,660)
• Council Tax Reduction
• Housing Benefit
• Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Working Tax Credit (Income below 18,660)

Qualifying Means-Tested Benefits