The Swindon Borough Council offers many ways to save money. They have an eco-friendly grant program that can help with heating upgrades, electricity bills are now more affordable due to the flexible energy policy!
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 Swindon 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?
The program will help all those who need it- whether they’re homeowners, tenants in a housing association, or 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.
Swindon Borough Council
If you DON'T claim benefits, the criteria for identifying households in fuel poverty in Swindon Borough Council are as follows:
Low-Income Households
- The household annual savings of £10,648 to £27,448
- EPC Rating of D, E, F and G
Vulnerable to Cold
a. people with cardiovascular conditions
b. people with respiratory conditions (in particular, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease and childhood asthma)
c. people with mental health conditions
d. people with disabilities
e. older people (65 and older)
f. young children (under 5)
g. pregnant women
h. people with addictions
i. people who have attended hospital due to a fall
j. Terminal illness
k. suppressed immune system e.g. from cancer treatment or HIV (inclusion as
recommended by Health Booster Fund projects)
| SN1 |
| SN17 |
| SN2 |
| SN25 |
| SN26 |
| SN3 |
| SN38 |
| SN4 |
| SN5 |
| SN6 |
| SN8 |
| SN99 |
| Central |
| Rodbourne Cheney |
| Covingham and Dorcan |
| Eastcott |
| Blunsdon and Highworth |
| St Margaret and South Marston |
| Walcot and Park North |
| Old Town |
| Wroughton and Wichelstowe |
| Gorse Hill and Pinehurst |
| Lydiard and Freshbrook |
| Mannington and Western |
| Haydon Wick |
| Priory Vale |
| Penhill and Upper Stratton |
| St Andrews |
| Chiseldon and Lawn |
| Liden, Eldene and Park South |
| Ridgeway |
| Shaw |
The eligibility does not guarantee grants. To see if you qualify, read the full Statement of Intent!
5. How much could you get?
The amount of your grant depends on the type and measure installed. For example, if you have an old home with thick walls that are not well insulated then it will cost more than another house where they do all kinds of insulation work!
You also need to take other factors into account like how much money has been spent maintaining heating systems in previous years – this can help calculate lifetime savings.
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 you’ve been given is a one-time payment and will be paid directly to the installer. You don’t have any obligation or responsibility for repaying this, so go ahead with your installation! The survey team needs some information from both parties before they can complete it though–the person getting surveyed on their home’s condition as well as how much funding might otherwise be available if there were other costs involved.
Swindon 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.