Written by Kate Hallewell
The Blackpool Council has a flexible energy policy that allows residents to apply for ECO grants.
A set of rules have been published by the council which will allow residents interested in installing insulation or upgrading their heating on the property, the opportunity to receive funding from ECO grants.
1. What is Local Authority Flexible Energy or LA Flex?
2. What grants are available?
The current phase of the Energy Company Obligation called ECO4 includes a range of heating, insulation and renewables. The types of grants available to residents living in the Blackpool Council area include:
- 100% funded Non-condensing Boiler Upgrades, room controls and a range of insulation options (dependent on the property)
- 100% funded Inefficient Heating Upgrades, room controls and a range of insulation options (dependent on the property)
- 100% funded Electric Storage Heater Upgrades, room controls and a range of insulation options (dependent on the property)
- 100% funded First time central heating grants, room controls and a range of insulation options (dependent on the property) - for gas central heating there must have been a gas meter installed prior to 31 March 2022
- 100% funded Air source heat pump grants, and a range of insulation options and sometimes solar PV (dependent on the property)
- 100% funded Internal wall insulation grants, and a range of other insulation options
3. Who is eligible for grants?
Whether you are a homeowner, housing association tenant or private renter living in the UK, there is good news! You may qualify to receive assistance under this government-funded scheme. The easiest way to see if you are eligible is to use our eligibility checker here.
Eligibility
There are 6 ways to qualify for a grant:
1. Receiving a qualifying benefit
2. Receiving Child Benefit and meeting income rules
3. Income-based eligibility (for households that earn less than £31,000 per year)
4. Vulnerable eligibility
5. Health-related eligibility
6. Bespoke targeting
This route to eligibility applies where a member of the household receives or has received a 'qualifying benefit'. If the benefit isn't a current claim (for example for households where they have gone back to work after the pandemic) providing the benefit has been claimed at some point within the last 12 months, the household will still be eligible for a grant.
Qualifying benefits include:
- Child Tax Credit
- Employment & Support Allowance (Income Based) - Income Support
- Housing Benefit
- Jobseekers Allowance (Income Based)
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Pension Credit Savings Credit
- Universal Credit
- Working Tax Credit
Note if you receive any of the following benefits you could qualify later in the scheme (or through the ECO4 Flex routes). We advise anyone claiming the following benefits to register for updates so you are the first to know when these benefits are accepted.
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer's Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- War Pensions Mobility Supplement
If you receive Child Benefit you could be eligible for the scheme but unlike the qualifying benefits above they would need to meet an additional income criteria.
The Child Benefit income criteria depends on the number of children in the household and also whether the claim is a single or joint claim.
The income limits are as follows:
Single parents
1 Child – £19,900
2 Children – £24,800
3 Children – £29,600
4+ Children – £34,500
Parents in a couple
1 Child – £27,500
2 Children – £32,300
3 Children – £37,200
4+ Children – £42,000
(figures updated to Ofgem’s Administration Consultation released on 13 June 2022)
If you are eligible through the Child Benefit route you should apply as soon as you can. The Government's Green Homes Grant excluded Child Benefit recipients so potentially this eligibility route could be removed later in the the scheme.
To be eligible through the income-based route your annual household income will need to be under £31,000. You will need to provide evidence such as bank statements and income information to confirm eligibility.
This is an ECO4 Flex route so it requires the applicants council to have published a Statement of Intent and to issue eligibility declarations.
Vulnerable people can access grants if they meet two of the following criteria (1 & 3 can’t be used together):
1. Lives in a Lower Super Output Area
2. Receives Council Tax Rebate (excluding for single person discounts)
3. Householder has a disability, mental health condition, is over 65, school children or under 16 and pregnant women.
4. Receives free school meals due to a low income
5. Supported by a Council scheme described in a Statement of Intent
6. Households referred by a Citizen’s advice as struggling to pay gas and electricity bills
7. Households in energy debt
A medical practitioner will need to complete a referral form to confirm eligibility.
This is an ECO4 Flex route so it requires the applicants council to have published a Statement of Intent and to issue eligibility declarations.
People with health conditions that are made worse by living in a cold home qualify.
These include:
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Immunosuppressed
- Mobility issues
- Respiratory conditions
A medical practitioner will need to complete a referral form to confirm eligibility.
This is an ECO4 Flex route so it requires the applicants council to have published a Statement of Intent and to issue eligibility declarations.
Installers can target specific groups of people living in fuel poverty. Installers will approach you if your property is eligible through this route.
Blackpool Council
If you DON'T claim benefits, the criteria for identifying households in fuel poverty in Blackpool Council are as follows:
Criteria for Blackpool Council eligible households
Fuel Poverty
o has a total household income, not in excess of £30,000 and;
o has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of band D, E, F or G.
Vulnerable to Cold
o Diagnosed cardiovascular condition
o Diagnosed respiratory conditions (in particular, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease and childhood asthma)
o Diagnosed mental health condition
o Diagnosed disability
o Aged 65 and over
o Households with young children (under 5)
o pregnant women
o Terminally ill
o Suppressed immune systems (e.g. from cancer treatment or HIV)
o Mobility issues and have attended hospital due to a fall
o people who move in and out of homelessness
o People with addictions
o Recent immigrants and refugees
| FY1 |
| FY2 |
| FY3 |
| FY4 |
| FY5 |
| FY6 |
| FY8 |
| Talbot |
| Claremont |
| Waterloo |
| Warbreck |
| Brunswick |
| Bloomfield |
| Tyldesley |
| Marton |
| Victoria |
| Norbreck |
| Ingthorpe |
| Bispham |
| Greenlands |
| Layton |
| Park |
| Highfield |
| Squires Gate |
| Stanley |
| Hawes Side |
| Clifton |
| Anchorsholme |
5. How much could you get?
If you’re looking for a grant to help pay for installing better insulation in your home, it’s important that the Ofgem mandates heating regulations. If they see how much of an improved efficiency this will be, and if you have a low income then chances are higher, they’ll approve your application. You also need to take into account what type of wall material is there as well as calculating lifetime savings from energy usage in order not to get any confusion about whether or not you qualify!
The grants are currently available as follows (subject to survey and meeting eligibility rules):
- Boiler grants - this could give you 25% - 75% off the RRP of installing a new boiler
- Cavity wall insulation grants - up to 100% of the installation cost
- External wall insulation grants - up to 100% of the installation cost (only available where electric is the main heating source)
- First time central heating grants - 50-100% of the installation cost (propeties must not have previously had central heating)
- Internal wall insulation grants- up to 100% of the installation cost (only available where electric is the main heating source)
- Loft Insulation - up to 100% of the installation cost (usually only available where electric is the main heating source but in some areas loft insulation is available for gas properties)
- Roof Insulation - up to 100% of the installation cost (usually only available where electric is the main heating source but in some areas roof insulation is available for gas properties where it is installed alongside a new boiler)
- Smart thermostat grants - up to 100% of the cost but only available through some installers
- Underfloor insulation grants - up to 100% of the installation cost but usually only installed alongside another measure like a boiler upgrade
The grant is a gift that will go directly to you and, best of all, there’s no catch! Once we determine what funding sources are available for installation with your free survey, the money will cover all costs.
Blackpool Council flexible energy (LA Flex) rules are detailed in this Statement of Intent
A full list of all local authority flexible energy rules can be found on the gov.uk website
Apply for a grant
Check eligibility for grants
Fill in the short form to see if you are eligible for Government grants.