Written by Kate Hallewell
The Derbyshire County Council is offering insulation and installation services as well as grants to those who are in need of them. It’s a great way to be warm, save energy costs, and get help paying for the cost of upgrading and installing insulation to your home!
The council has just released new guidelines that may apply to many homeowners. If you are interested in installing insulation or upgrading your heating system, these rules will probably be relevant and helpful for you!
1. What is Local Authority Flexible Energy or LA Flex?
The LA Flex program is designed to help people who are at risk for fuel poverty but don’t receive benefits. The system has been created with those in mind, making it easier and more affordable than other heating assistance programs available!
The Government wants to make sure that vulnerable and low-income households are well taken care of this winter. Therefore, they have obligated power suppliers to provide funding for energy efficiency measures in homes like cavity wall insulation or loft insulation! Derbyshire County Council has published their eligibility rules on the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) grant scheme which enables residents who meet certain criteria a chance towards home improvements such as these. The post explains how you can be eligible too!
2. What grants are available?
The types of grants available to residents living in the Derbyshire County 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 is a helpful and informative resource for homeowners, renters, and those 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.
Derbyshire County Council
If you DON'T claim benefits, the criteria for identifying households in fuel poverty in Derbyshire County Council are as follows:
Criteria for Derbyshire County Council eligible households
1. Low income and High heating costs.- Households containing a resident in receipt of certain income-related benefits, or
- If not in receipt of relevant benefits, then household income will be assessed and a decision will be made as to whether or not an income threshold has been met in relation to the household composition, or
- An assessment of net household income after expenditure (excluding housing costs).
- No heating or hot water system
- Broken systems
- Very old and inefficient heating systems
- Very poor insulation levels
- Non-gas heating systems e.g., coal, electricity, oil
- Inefficient heating controls and thermostats
- Household occupancy and heating needs
- Age, size and property construction
| DE4 |
| DE45 |
| DE5 |
| DE56 |
| DE6 |
| S11 |
| S30 |
| S32 |
| S33 |
| S42 |
| SK17 |
| ST14 |
| Bakewell |
| Lathkill and Bradford |
| Hartington and Taddington |
| Stanton |
| Winster and South Darley |
| Litton and Longstone |
| Chatsworth |
| Masson |
| Darley Dale |
| Matlock All Saints |
| Carsington Water |
| Dovedale and Parwich |
| Matlock St Giles |
| Wirksworth |
| Hulland |
| Ashbourne South |
| Ashbourne North |
| Clifton and Bradley |
| Norbury |
| Brailsford |
| Doveridge and Sudbury |
| Hathersage and Eyam |
| Bradwell |
| Calver |
| Tideswell |
Eligibility does not guarantee funding. For full details see the full Statement of Intent.
5. How much could you get?
Heating and other key property information such as the wall type and the number of bedrooms are used to calculate lifetime savings calculation which provides installers with funding value. The amount you get could also be dependent on where you live, but fortunately, grants are often available regardless if there is an installer nearby or not!
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
With LA Flex’s help, you don’t have to worry about installation costs and any upfront contributions! With a grant from them, they will pay the registered installer directly. There are no repayment plans needed because there is only one payment- it starts right away with estimates beforehand for your upfront contribution so that everything runs smoothly without hassle.
Derbyshire County 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.