Latest news with #fuelPoverty
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
What is the ECO4 scheme? Eligibility criteria and what the grant covers
If you are considering installing solar panels on your home, the good news is that there is financial help available, whether that's through loans, grants or other schemes. In fact, you can even lease panels through certain solar panel installers, though this isn't typically covered by government grants. One of the most widely used government support programmes is the ECO4 scheme, which helps low-income households improve their energy efficiency through grants and funded upgrades. If you're interested in a grant, there are a number of options depending on where in the UK you live and your household income. Most are targeted at those on low incomes in homes with poor insulation. The ECO4 grant, which we'll discuss below, is a key part of the government's broader Energy Company Obligation programme. What is the ECO4 scheme and how does it work? If you or someone you live with qualifies for state benefits, then the ECO4 grant could help you. ECO4 is a government-backed energy efficiency scheme designed to tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions. As the name suggests, it's the fourth phase of the Energy Company Obligation, and it runs until 31 March 2026. It is funded by major energy companies and regulated by Ofgem. The ECO4, therefore, is not a traditional government grant; rather, it is an obligation from the government on energy suppliers to fund energy efficiency upgrades in eligible households. You may qualify if your household income is less than £31,000, you live in private housing (i.e. not council-owned), and you receive one of the following benefits: Child Tax Credit Working Tax Credit Universal Credit Pension Guarantee Credit Pension Savings Credit Income Support Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Child Benefit Housing Benefit If you own your house, it must be rated D or worse and if you rent, E or worse for energy efficiency. You can find out what energy rating your home has on the government website. It covers properties in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. This includes homes, business properties and public buildings. What does the ECO4 grant cover and what's not included? You can apply through your energy provider for funding worth up to £10,000 to make your home more energy efficient. The scheme is for broad energy efficiency, so you might find that insulation and a smart thermostat are better uses of the funding for your energy use. What the ECO4 scheme covers Insulation upgrades, including for your loft, cavity wall, and solid wall Heating system upgrades, including for efficient boilers and heat pumps Renewable energy installations, including solar panels What the ECO4 scheme does not cover New doors or windows Properties with a D or higher Energy Performance Certificate rating Projects that combine ECO4 with other funding sources (In some cases, ECO4 Flex may allow complementary funding with strict conditions, but usually it cannot be combined) How to apply for the ECO4 scheme You can contact your local council to check if they are participating in ECO4 Flex, or you can go directly to an energy supplier. Ofgem maintains a list of companies taking part. These include: British Gas E (Gas & Electricity) Ltd UK Solutions Ecotricity EDF Octopus Energy Outfox the Market OVO Scottish Power So Energy (Including ESB Energy) The Utility Warehouse Utilita Energy Ltd Be cautious of third-party websites claiming to offer access to ECO4. Many are not affiliated with the scheme. Some may charge fees for services you can access for free; others may be scams. You can read Ofgem's scam advice to learn more. If you aren't happy with the work that's done on your home, first contact the supplier. If that doesn't work, Citizens Advice can offer support. The ECO4 scheme is regulated by Ofgem, so any disputes around ECO4 eligibility, grant misuse, or poor workmanship may also fall under their oversight.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Funding boost to help home energy efficiency
More than £3m is to be spent improving homes in South Yorkshire to make them more energy efficient. Barnsley Council's cabinet is expected to approve the acceptance of two major government grants on Wednesday in a bid to tackle fuel poverty and cut carbon emissions. The money will support improvements in hundreds of private and council-owned properties across the borough over the next three years. A report to the council cabinet says tackling cold homes will also help to reduce health issues such as respiratory and heart problems. The council secured £1.5m from the warm homes local grant to upgrade private homes, and the same amount from the social housing decarbonisation fund for council housing. The money, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, aims to support people living in or at risk of fuel poverty by reducing bills. It will pay for upgrades including loft insulation, new doors, LED lighting, solar panels and air source heat pumps. A minimum of 160 council homes will be upgraded through the scheme, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said, with funding matched by the council's housing revenue account. Properties will be targeted in clusters based on deprivation levels, fuel poverty data and the current energy ratings of homes, the local authority said. Officers will work with the Berneslai Homes housing association and local contractors to engage with residents and encourage participation. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North Rent rise to 'repair and maintain' council homes Lifetime council houses replaced by short tenancies An energy efficient home - why is it so difficult? Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Barnsley funding boost to help improve home energy efficiency
More than £3m is to be spent improving homes in South Yorkshire to make them more energy Council's cabinet is expected to approve the acceptance of two major government grants on Wednesday in a bid to tackle fuel poverty and cut carbon money will support improvements in hundreds of private and council-owned properties across the borough over the next three years.A report to the council cabinet says tackling cold homes will also help to reduce health issues such as respiratory and heart problems. The council secured £1.5m from the warm homes local grant to upgrade private homes, and the same amount from the social housing decarbonisation fund for council money, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, aims to support people living in or at risk of fuel poverty by reducing will pay for upgrades including loft insulation, new doors, LED lighting, solar panels and air source heat pumps.A minimum of 160 council homes will be upgraded through the scheme, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said, with funding matched by the council's housing revenue will be targeted in clusters based on deprivation levels, fuel poverty data and the current energy ratings of homes, the local authority said. Officers will work with the Berneslai Homes housing association and local contractors to engage with residents and encourage participation. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
The Independent
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Landlords say homes energy efficiency schedule is ‘detached from reality'
The Government's plan to improve the energy efficiency of all private rented homes is 'detached from reality', landlords have warned. The proposed timeframe for requiring all properties to meet a higher efficiency rating is 'simply unrealistic' largely due to a shortage of tradespeople to carry out the work, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said. The Government's consultation on the plan, which aims to cut bills and emissions to deliver a statutory fuel poverty target, closed last month. It proposes that all privately rented properties must meet a minimum efficiency standard C, rather than the current required rating of E, by 2030. The NRLA said that while landlords support the overall objective, the Government must rethink its implementation process. Under the Government's current timeline, the new minimum efficiency standard, which will be set against new metrics, will be confirmed in late 2026, with a view to it applying to all new tenancies by 2028 – and all tenancies by 2030. The NRLA said this could give landlords less than two years to upgrade more than 2.5 million rented homes that it estimates do not currently meet the new energy performance standard. It also said ministers have not explained how the 'extensive' works will be funded. In its response to the consultation, the NRLA cited research by the Kingfisher group, the owner of brands such as Screwfix, B&Q and Tradepoint, which estimated there will be a shortfall of 250,000 skilled tradespeople in the UK by 2030. The NRLA proposed an adjusted implementation plan which requires landlords to meet specified standards relating to the fabric of the building, such as improved insulation, by 2030. All landlords should then meet secondary standards relating to smart meters and efficient heating systems by 2036, it said. NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle said: 'We want all private rented properties to be as energy efficient as possible. However, tenants are being sold a pup with timelines that are hopelessly unrealistic. 'The idea that millions of homes can be retrofitted in less than two years is detached from all reality, not least given the chronic shortage of tradespeople the sector needs to get the work done. 'Noble ambitions mean little without practical and realistic policy to match.' In its annual report in 2024, the advisory Committee on Fuel Poverty said: ' Failure to make rapid progress in the private rented sector on energy efficiency will fundamentally undermine any Government strategy to end fuel poverty.' A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: 'Everyone deserves to live in a warm home, which is why we have recently consulted on plans to require private landlords to meet higher energy performance standards. 'These plans could lift up to half a million households out of fuel poverty by 2030, while also making renters hundreds of pounds better off. 'We have also announced plans to train up to 18,000 skilled workers to install heat pumps, fit solar panels, install insulation and work on heat networks.'
