Written by Kate Hallewell
A lot of people want to reduce energy consumption in their homes. Harrogate Borough Council is here for you! The council has a flexible, helpful policy on the matter and will help residents apply for ECO grants if they are interested in seeking out grant assistance from an Energy Company Obligation (ECO) grant program.
The Council have published some fairly detailed rules which allow you to install insulation or upgrade your heating system if you’re happy with applying for an Eco Grant offered by the council
1. What is Local Authority Flexible Energy or LA Flex?
ECO is an energy efficiency program delivered by companies that help to reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. This measure can not only lower your electricity bill by lowering consumption, but also provide more efficient appliances for the rest of this year- leading you on a path towards saving money on utility bills!
The Harrogate Borough Council introduced LA Flex, which allows each council to create guidelines about what grants they’re going after with the document Statement of Intent. This means less time spent on figuring out eligibility requirements and more focus can be put into completing applications!
2. What grants are available?
The types of grants available to residents living in the Harrogate 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
3. Who is eligible for grants?
This article will provide useful information for landlords, renters and people 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.
Harrogate Borough Council
If you DON'T claim benefits, the criteria for identifying households in fuel poverty in Harrogate Borough Council are as follows:
Criteria for Harrogate Borough Council eligible households
a. Low-Income
- Gross household income of <£32,000
- One or members of the household has a health condition made worse by living in a cold home
- One or more members of the household are aged over 65 and/or is a child under 16 years of age
b. Vulnerable to Cold
- People with addictions
- People who have attended hospital due to a fall
- Recent immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees
- People who move in and out of homelessness
- Household that are falling into debt due to a change in circumstances compounded by high energy cost
| TS22 |
| TS23 |
| TS24 |
| TS25 |
| TS26 |
| TS27 |
| Rural West |
| Fens & Greatham |
| Headland & Harbour |
| Burn Valley |
| De Bruce |
| Victoria |
| Throston |
| Hart |
| Seaton |
| Rossmere |
| Foggy Furze |
| Manor House |
5. How much could you get?
The heating situation of your home will be taken into account when you apply for a grant. The amount of the grant depends on where you live and whether there are installers in your area. One thing to keep in mind is how much energy it takes to heat up, so make sure that this information goes into account during application!
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 installation grant is paid directly to the Registered Installer and because it does not need repayment, you will be able to use that money for other purposes. The free no-obligation survey determines what funding is available for your energy efficiency project before a quote can be given by the installer which makes this process much more convenient than any other option out there!
Harrogate Borough 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.