Written by Kate Hallewell
The Guildford Borough Council is looking out for its residents’ best interests by providing them with a flexible energy policy that allows anyone who resides within the boundaries of this council to apply for funding. The grant program makes sure people have up-to-date measures installed such as insulation which can help cut down heating costs significantly over time!
1. What is Local Authority Flexible Energy or LA Flex?
2. What grants are available?
The types of grants available to residents living in the Guildford Borough 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?
Everyone will benefit from the program- from the homeowner, tenant in a housing association and renters. 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.
Guildford Borough Council
If you DON'T claim benefits, the criteria for identifying households in fuel poverty in Guildford Borough Council are as follows:
Low-Income Households
- The household’s occupants are not in receipt of benefits (if in receipt of benefits, they are eligible under standard ECO Affordable Warmth criteria), and
- The household’s income (after housing costs) is below the set threshold based on household composition, and
- The household has savings of less than £10,000
High Energy Costs
- The property is eligible for an ECO measure and,
- The property has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G or
- Where no EPC exists, a set of questions will be used to assess the likelihood of the property having high energy costs
| GU1 |
| GU10 |
| GU11 |
| GU12 |
| GU14 |
| GU16 |
| GU2 |
| GU23 |
| GU24 |
| GU3 |
| GU4 |
| GU5 |
| GU7 |
| GU8 |
| KT11 |
| KT2 |
| KT23 |
| KT24 |
| RH5 |
| Friary and St Nicolas |
| Stoke |
| Worplesdon |
| Onslow |
| Christchurch |
| Burpham |
| Holy Trinity |
| Merrow |
| Ash South and Tongham |
| Pilgrims |
| Ash Vale |
| Ash Wharf |
| Normandy |
| Pirbright |
| Shalford |
| Stoughton |
| Westborough |
| Lovelace |
| Send |
| Clandon and Horsley |
| Tillingbourne |
| Effingham |
The eligibility does not guarantee the grants. For more information, please read the full Statement of Intent in order to see if it’s a good fit for your project!
5. How much could you get?
The amount of the grant depends on a range of factors. One of these is your heating, as it has an impact on whether or not you’re eligible. Factors like this and other key property information such as wall type and the number of bedrooms can be used when determining how much savings there will be over time – plus they provide installers with funding values that allow them to create budgets for the installations.
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 paid directly to the Registered Installer and because it’s a grant, there are no repayment requirements. Where contributions need be made towards installation cost they will quote in advance for your approval before proceeding with any work at all. After receiving an estimate on what funding may be available through grants, you’ll have everything needed so that this process can start right away!
Guildford Borough 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.