Boiler and Insulation Grants in Dudley

If you live in the Dudley area we have some great news for you! There is a £4 billion UK-wide Government grant scheme that helps homeowners cover the cost of a new boiler or insulation installation. These grants are designed to reduce carbon emissions and to ensure homes are adequately heated and insulated. Dudley Council has now helped people who don’t claim benefits access grants by publishing their ECO4 Flex ‘Statement of Intent’. We are urging everyone in Dudley to check if they are eligible for funding as soon as they can so they don’t miss out.

What boiler and insulation grants are available for Dudley residents in 2023?

There are a few schemes operating within the Dudley area that can help residents reduce their energy bills in 2023. The ECO4 scheme is one of the largest pots of funding, with £4 billion to be made available throughout England, Scotland and Wales. We are also awaiting ECO+ which is a new Government scheme and is expected to launch later in 2023. This scheme will be made available to those that don’t qualify for the existing scheme.

Thanks to the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, local residents can receive support with the costs associated with improving their home’s energy efficiency. While it’s a Government scheme, in reality it obligates energy companies to fund improvements to inefficient homes. It provides funding for upgrading non-condensing boilers and also offers insulation (and in some cases heat pumps and solar PV). The current phase of the ECO scheme is called ECO4. It started in 2022 and is expected to be available until 2026.

The ECO4 scheme is very generous for properties that qualify, and if the property is eligible the grants are fully-funded with nothing to pay by the home owner!

What’s changed for 2023?

The big change came on 8th September 2022 when Dudley Council published their Statement of Intent, and that opens the door for more applications from within the Council area.

Before the Statement of Intent was published, applications could only be submitted where households were in receipt of benefits. However, now that Dudley Council has published their Statement of Intent for ECO4, applications can come from a wider range of applicants through a pathway called ECO4 Flex. Suppliers can meet a proportion of their obligations (50% for ECO4) by installing measures for households that meet broader fuel poverty and vulnerability criteria. These are set out in the Local Authority Statement of Intent (SOI).

The household eligibility (to which ECO4 Flex relates) is split into two parts:

Part one: Customers can qualify for ECO4 grants if they live in energy inefficient housing and are in receipt of certain benefits

Part two: Customers can qualify for ECO4 grants if they live in energy inefficient housing and meet broader fuel poverty and vulnerability criteria set out in a Local Authority Statement of Intent (SoI). This is known as Local Authority Flexible Eligibility (LA Flex) or ECO4 Flex .

Because the Council published their Statement of Intent at https://www.dudley.gov.uk/media/20754/statement-of-intent-eco4-v1.pdf Dudley residents can apply based on receipt of eligible benefits, or through ECO4 Flex routes. Further details regarding criteria for eligibility are discussed below.

What does Dudley Council say about the grants?

The Council says “The authority welcomes the introduction of the ECO4 Flex eligibility routes as it helps the authority achieve its plans to improve the homes of those in fuel poverty or vulnerable to the cold.”

What involvement does Dudley Council have?

Dudley Council’s only involvement in the scheme is to check that the householder meets the qualifying criteria, and to issue a declaration to the installer. It is not responsible for checking that properties are eligible, awarding the funding, appointing a contractor or installing the measures.

That’s where we come in, as we can assess your property against the eligibility criteria and let you know which grants you could potentially access.

Eligibility criteria for grants

Property eligibility

The property will need to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E or or G to qualify. Currently most energy companies are only accepting applications with an E, F or G rating, as only 15% of their allocation can be spent on Band D properties. If you don’t have an EPC you don’t need to get one. This is because the installer will arrange it as part of the application process.

Household eligibility (benefits route):

Customers can qualify for ECO4 grants if they live in energy inefficient housing and are in receipt of certain benefits. Eligible benefits include:

• Child Benefit*
• Child Tax Credits
• Income-Based Employment and Support Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance
• Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit)
• Pension Credit (Savings Credit)
• Universal Credit
• Working Tax Credits

*If Child Benefit is the only benefit you receive, you will also need to meet an income test (there are no income requirements if you have claimed any of the other benefits listed).

Household eligibility (ECO4 Flex route):

Customers can qualify for Energy Company Obligation grants if they live in energy inefficient housing and meet broader fuel poverty and vulnerability criteria set out in a Local Authority Statement of Intent (SoI).

This is known as ECO4 Flex, and the main ECO4 Flex eligibility criteria are either through income, being vulnerable or having a health condition.

Income-based eligibility is for households with an income less than £31,000.

Vulnerability-based eligibility requires households to meet two of the following rules:

1. The home must be in a Lower-layer Super Output Area
2. Households receiving a Council Tax rebate (excluding single person rebates)
3. Households that are vulnerable to living in a cold home as identified in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidance
4. Households receiving free school meals due to low-income
5. Households supported by a Local Authority scheme, that has been named and described by Dudley Council as supporting low income and vulnerable households for the purposes of NICE Guidelines
6. Households referred to Dudley Council for support by their energy supplier or Citizen’s Advice, because they have been identified as struggling with electricity or gas bills

* Note 1) and 5) cannot be used together.

Health-based eligibility

Households with health-conditions that could be worse off living in a cold home. Eligible health conditions include:

• cardiovascular disease
• respiratory conditions
• immunosuppressed
• mobility related conditions

This is because Dudley Council has identified a correlation between households who suffer from health conditions and are living on a low-income, with those living in poorly insulated homes.

Types of grants available

The ECO4 scheme obligates energy suppliers to install insulation and heating measures to alleviate fuel poverty. The energy companies give the funding to Registered Installers, and grants can include:

• Air Source Heat Pumps
• Boiler upgrades depending on your boiler type (if you have a non-condensing boiler)
• Electric storage heater upgrades (you’ll need inefficient storage heaters)
• First time central heating (you’ll need an existing gas connection)
• Loft or roof insulation
• Solar PV (electric properties only)
• Wall insulation

The type of grant that a property can access is dependent on the rules set by Ofgem (the grant scheme administrator). The easiest way to check eligibility is to speak to a registered installer like ourselves to see which options would suit your property.

How to apply for a grant in Dudley

Here’s what you need to do in order to apply for a grant in Dudley:

• Step one – apply for a grant with a Registered Installer that has access to funding
• Step two – the installer will advise regarding what types of grants you can get
• Step three – If the installer thinks you meet eligibility requirements, then it’s time to move onto gathering all necessary documentation (for example, energy bills and proof of eligibility)
• Step four – your installation will be arranged for a convenient time (usually within a few weeks of all the documentation being provided)

Apply now at https://www.ecoproviders.co.uk/eco4-grant-application-form

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In conclusion, this Government grant scheme is a great opportunity for homeowners in the Dudley area to get help with the cost of a new boiler, install insulation or even to make the switch to a heat pump. Not only could this grant cover up to 100% of the costs, but it can also mean you’ll have lower heating bills and a more energy efficient home.