Written by Kate Hallewell
Dumfries & Galloway Council is taking a proactive approach to helping residents save money and live more comfortably by providing grants for heating or insulation. Residents who are interested in installing insulation or upgrading their heating in the property can get up-to-date information about the Dumfries & Galloway grant to apply for ECO grant funding!
1. What is Local Authority Flexible Energy or LA Flex?
The LA Flex program was created to help people in the country who are at risk for fuel poverty but don’t receive benefits. The system has been made with these people and their needs in mind, making it easier and more affordable than ever before. Save your money on energy while also saving our environment! You’ll be able to get your home heated up economically without sacrificing comfort.
The government is obligated to power suppliers to provide funding for energy efficiency measures in homes like cavity wall insulation or loft insulation! Dumfries & Galloway Council has published their eligibility rules on the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) grant scheme which enables residents to apply.
2. What grants are available?
The types of grants available to residents living in the Dumfries & Galloway 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. Dumfries & Galloway grants: who is eligible?
The program is a great resource for homeowners, renters 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.
Dumfries & Galloway Council
If you DON'T claim benefits, the criteria for identifying households in fuel poverty in Dumfries & Galloway Council are as follows:
Criteria for Dumfries & Galloway Council eligible households
1. Low-Income- If gross income is below the thresholds as set out in the table
- EPC rating of E and below
- The property has solid walls and no current insulation exists
- The property has cavity walls and no current insulation exists
- The property’s primary heating source is not main gas
- The property is heated for long periods, or abnormally high temperatures or both due to disability, health or other condition
- Receives Carer’s allowance for the care of another occupant
- Has a limiting long term or terminal illness
- Has a mental illness
- Has a respiratory condition
- Has a disability
- is 60-year-old or over
- Have dependents of 18 years or younger living at home
| CA6 |
| DG1 |
| DG10 |
| DG11 |
| DG12 |
| DG13 |
| DG14 |
| DG16 |
| DG2 |
| DG3 |
| DG4 |
| DG5 |
| DG6 |
| DG7 |
| DG8 |
| DG9 |
| ML12 |
| Annandale East and Eskdale |
| Nith |
| Lochar |
| North West Dumfries |
| Annandale North |
| Annandale South |
| Mid and Upper Nithsdale |
| Abbey |
| Castle Douglas and Crocketford |
| Dee and Glenkens |
| Mid Galloway and Wigtown West |
| Stranraer and the Rhins |
Eligibility does not guarantee funding. For full details see the full Statement of Intent.
5. How much could you get?
Ofgem rules place an emphasis on existing or previous insulation when calculating how much funding will be available which means grants offered depend heavily on your current level of insulation in addition to considering type and age too!
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
LA Flex will provide a heating insulation system that is installed by qualified contractors. You won’t have to worry about anything because the funds go to installers who are upfront and honest with any additional expenses you need in order for your new home improvement project not turn into an unexpected expense down the road.
Dumfries & Galloway 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.