It’s getting colder earlier each year. But don’t worry, there are grants available from the Ceredigion County Council for insulation work or heating installation that can help ease the burden on your energy bills and keep you nice and toasty during those cold nights!
The Council has just released new guidelines for applicants wishing to apply under the ECO grants program. They are offering a chance to save money on your energy, by investing in insulation and heating installation work. Now is an excellent opportunity if you’ve been considering upgrading your own home’s insulation systems!
1. What is Local Authority Flexible Energy or LA Flex?
The government has designed a grant scheme that obligates energy suppliers to offer grants to UK households that are living in fuel poverty. Eligible households can receive grants for heating and insulation LA Flex opens the eligibility criteria so that vulnerable households can access funding.
So if you live in the Ceredigion County Council area this blog has helpful information on how you can apply. Read below for more details!
2. What grants are available?
The types of grants available to residents living in the Ceredigion County Council area include:
- Boiler grants
- Cavity wall insulation grants
- First time central heating grants
- Internal wall insulation grants
- Loft Insulation
- Roof Insulation
- Smart thermostat grants
3. Who is eligible for grants?
You deserve a safe and affordable place to call home. From subsidized housing, finding an apartment or owning your own house, we want all our clients to be comfortable with their living situation. 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.
| SA35 |
| SA37 |
| SA38 |
| SA39 |
| SA40 |
| SA41 |
| SA42 |
| SA43 |
| SA44 |
| SA45 |
| SA46 |
| SA47 |
| SA48 |
| SY20 |
| SY23 |
| SY24 |
| SY25 |
Eligibility does not guarantee funding.
Ceredigion County Council
If you DON'T claim benefits, the criteria for identifying households in fuel poverty in Ceredigion County Council are as follows:
5. How much could you get?
Why choose between saving money and comfortable home? With this grant program, you can have both. The grants provide free upgrades to homes that reduce energy usage and make them more efficient – all without costing the homeowner anything! As an added bonus, these improvements could also help homeowners save on their utilities by reducing heating bills even further. If your region has installers available locally then they are happy to assist with installation but if not don’t worry-applications are always free!
The grants are currently available as follows (subject to survey and meeting eligibility rules):
Ceredigion County Council flexible energy (LA Flex) rules are detailed in this Statement of Intent
Apply for a grant
Check eligibility for grants
Fill in the short form to see if you are eligible for Government grants.