South Ribble Borough Council is here to help you save money and the environment with their LA Flex scheme. The South Ribble has announced that they will be offering home heating improvements for residents. This new initiative means fewer energy bills, better-living conditions in your house all while protecting our planet’s natural resources from harm.
1. What is Local Authority Flexible Energy or LA Flex?
The Local Authority Flexible Energy program offers low-income households living on tight budgets access to grants that can be used for energy efficiency measures like installing insulation and boilers; it’s easier than ever before. The ECO helps vulnerable residents such as benefit receivers who live in a cold home.
2. What grants are available?
The types of grants available to residents living in the South Ribble 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?
A grant is available to help homeowners, renters and tenants with low income or who receive benefits. You’ll need a bit of qualification but it would be worth your time! 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.
South Ribble Borough Council
If you DON'T claim benefits, the criteria for identifying households in fuel poverty in South Ribble Borough Council are as follows:
Fuel Poverty
- Property EPC rating of D, E, F or G
- Household gross income of less £14,800 – £33,800
Vulnerable to Cold
- 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
- has dependants of 18 years or younger living in the home.
| BB2 |
| PR1 |
| PR25 |
| PR26 |
| PR4 |
| PR5 |
| PR7 |
| Samlesbury & Walton |
| Howick & Priory |
| Broad Oak |
| Middleforth |
| Charnock |
| Walton-le-Dale West |
| Seven Stars |
| Earnshaw Bridge |
| Broadfield |
| Buckshaw & Worden |
| Leyland Central |
| Moss Side |
| St Ambrose |
| Farington East |
| Farington West |
| Hoole |
| New Longton & Hutton East |
| Longton & Hutton West |
| Coupe Green & Gregson Lane |
| Bamber Bridge East |
| Walton-le-Dale East |
| Bamber Bridge West |
| Lostock Hall |
Eligibility does not guarantee funding. For full details see the full Statement of Intent.
5. How much could you get?
When determining how much money you may be eligible for, consider the type and condition of any existing or previous heating at your property. Insulation can have a major impact on an installer’s funding value which helps them estimate savings over time with efficient installation methods that are right for you!
Grants depend on where you live, but if there’s an expert and installer nearby that specializes in energy efficiency projects they can be great for finding the right fit.
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
Grants are a great way to fund your home improvement. They require no obligation on the part of you or any other individual in need, so there’s nothing holding people back from taking advantage! One major benefit with this type of grant is how much information it provides about costs before they proceed into an installation which guarantees that all associated fees will remain transparent throughout construction as well.
South Ribble 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.