Written by Kate Hallewell
As the evenings get colder, it can be difficult to keep your home warm. But thanks to York Council’s grants for insulation work or heating installation you won’t have any worries! Apply today and stay nice and cozy all winter long!
The Council is offering ECO grants for applicants who want to save money on their energy bills. If you’re interested in upgrading your heating or cooling system, they can provide support up-front and give you access to competitive deals from local businesses that specialize in installing insulation systems – just take advantage of this opportunity before it’s too late!
1. What is Local Authority Flexible Energy or LA Flex?
The government wants to ensure you’re living comfortably and in a safe home. That’s why they created the LA Flex program, which provides grants for low-income households struggling with fuel poverty. These funds can be used on anything from home improvements to utilities!
The City of York Council have published their eligibility rules for the grant scheme in their Statement of Intent and this enables residents to apply for energy-efficiency grants. This post explains what you need do before applying!
2. What grants are available?
The types of grants available to residents living in the City of York Council area include:
- Boiler grants
- Cavity wall insulation grants
- External wall insulation grants
- First time central heating grants
- Internal wall insulation grants
- Loft Insulation
- Roof Insulation
- Smart thermostat grants
- Underfloor insulation grants
Boiler grants are expected to be removed from the grant scheme in the next phase so you should apply for this grant as soon as possible.
3. Who is eligible for grants?
The program will help all those who need it, from homeowners to tenants and living in housing associations! 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.
City of York Council
If you DON'T claim benefits, the criteria for identifying households in fuel poverty in City of York Council are as follows:
Criteria for City of York Council eligible households
1. Low Income
- Gross household income of <£21,000
2. High Costs
- Property EPC rating of E, F or G
- Property EPC rating of D; and
- Living in a hard-to-treat home
- Property is primarily constructed with
- Solid walls;
- Nonstandard cavity walls;
- System built walls;
- No connection to mains gas;
- No loft.
| YO1 |
| YO10 |
| YO19 |
| YO2 |
| YO23 |
| YO24 |
| YO26 |
| YO3 |
| YO30 |
| YO31 |
| YO32 |
| YO4 |
| YO41 |
| YO43 |
| YO5 |
| YO51 |
| YO6 |
| YO60 |
| YO61 |
| YO62 |
| YO90 |
| YO91 |
| Micklegate |
| Guildhall |
| Holgate |
| Rawcliffe & Clifton Without |
| Dringhouses & Woodthorpe |
| Rural West York |
| Fishergate |
| Haxby & Wigginton |
| Hull Road |
| Bishopthorpe |
| Clifton |
| Huntington & New Earswick |
| Fulford & Heslington |
| Osbaldwick & Derwent |
| Acomb |
| Wheldrake |
| Westfield |
| Copmanthorpe |
| Heworth |
| Heworth Without |
| Strensall |
Eligibility does not guarantee funding. For full details see the full Statement of Intent.
5. How much could you get?
Ofgem has a range of factors for calculating the grant you receive. One big factor is your current heating system, which they take into account when determining how much money you can get to invest in an efficient heating system that will help save precious resources and lower your energy bills now and in the future. With so many helpful grants available to homeowners like yourself, it’s never too late or early to start saving on gas costs today!
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
Choosing a heating system is not just about saving money on your energy bills. It also affects how much government grant funding you are eligible for! Ofgem places an emphasis on the type of wall and previous heating in determining how much they will offer, but there are some restrictions that need to be followed when choosing which installer, you’ll use. The fund typically comes directly from one of those approved Registered Installers near you so make sure before committing who they’ve been authorized by Ofgem as eligible for performing installations like this!
City of York 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.