When the evenings get cold, keeping your home warm can be a challenge. But thanks to Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar’s recent grants for insulation work or heating installation you won’t have any worries this winter season! Apply today before it ends and stay nice and comfortable all year long!
As the Council announced, ECO grants will be awarded 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 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 make sure that you’re living comfortably and in a safe home. That’s why they have created the LA Flex program, which provides grants for low-income households struggling with fuel poverty. You can use these funds on anything from home improvements to utilities!
The Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar have published their eligibility rules for the grant scheme in their Statement of Intent and this enables residents to apply for energy-efficiency grants. You need to complete a few things before you can send your application, so read more!
2. What grants are available?
The types of grants available to residents living in the Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar 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.
Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar
If you DON'T claim benefits, the criteria for identifying households in fuel poverty in Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar are as follows:
Criteria for Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar eligible households
1. Fuel Poor and Low-Income
- The low-income proxy will be the household that lives in a property with a Council Tax Band A-C and;
- The high-cost proxy will be a Score D, E, F or G in Energy Performance Certificate Rating.
2. Low income and vulnerability to the cold
I. Have an income of £25,000 or less AND less than £28,000 in savings of any kind
II. Have one or more members:
– with a limiting long term or terminal illness
– with a mental illness
– with a respiratory condition
– with a disability
– who are 60 years or over
– who are dependent children of 18 years or younger
| Na Hearadh agus Ceann a Deas nan Loch |
| Steòrnabhagh a Deas |
Eligibility does not guarantee funding. For full details see the full Statement of Intent.
5. How much could you get?
Ofgem has an array of factors to calculate what grant they’ll give homeowners like yourself. One big factor is homeowner’s current heating system which influences how much money that homeowner can use for investments inefficient systems that will help save precious resources and lower energy costs now and into the future! With so many helpful grants available, it’s never too late or early to start saving on those tiresome household expenses 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 isn’t just about saving money on your energy bills; it will also affect how much government grant funding you are eligible for! In order to be sure that the right installer is chosen, make sure before committing with someone they’ve been authorized by Ofgem as eligible to perform installations like this.
Leeds City 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.