About ECO Insulation Grants

Many UK homes are very poorly insulated and, aside from the financial savings, improved insulation can improve your comfort, lower your carbon footprint and reduce the noise from the outside world. Insulating your home is a much quicker process than you might assume and, if you qualify for a grant, it could be done at absolutely no cost to you.

Insulation grants are available for:

• Cavity wall insulation
• Internal wall insulation
• Loft insulation
• Insulation for roof / attic rooms

Why Improve Your Home’s Insulation?

Cavity walls include a gap between two layers of bricks which is intended to prevent damp, but it’s not a great insulation technique. Inserting insulation material into this gap is a simple and quick process that could save you up to 35% on your annual heating bill. For solid walls, internal wall insulation involves adding a layer of material on the internal side of your walls which is then covered with a new stud wall, or by glueing insulation boards directly onto the existing walls.

Improving loft insulation could save you up to 25% on your annual heating budget. And, in addition to saving you money, insulating your roof can open up it up as a usable living space like an extra bedroom or study. If the pipes in your attic also need insulating then this will also be taken care of which should protect them from freezing and bursting in cold weather.

All work will be carried out by qualified professionals and meets Building Regulations making it a real selling point if you ever sell your home in the future as insulation usually lasts for 40 years or more.

Making your home easier to heat will also lower your carbon footprint, reducing your impact on the environment by between 560kg and 1.9 tonnes per year.

How Do You Know if You’re Eligible?

Both you and your property need to meet certain requirements to qualify for an insulation grant.

If you’re a permanent resident in England, Scotland or Wales, a homeowner (or a private tenant with your landlord’s permission) and you’re in receipt of any of the following benefits, you can apply for a 100% grant for cavity wall insulation or loft insulation.

• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Pension Guarantee Credit*
• Income Support
• Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
• Income-Related Employment Support Allowance
• Universal credit

*This can be in combination with or without Pension Savings Credit, however those who receive just Savings Credit alone may not qualify.

If your loft has under 60mm (2.5″) of insulation currently, you’ll be eligible for a free loft insulation grant. If you live in a brick built house that was constructed between 1924 and 1982 you’ll be eligible for a free cavity wall insulation grant. Your house will also need to pass a suitability test which includes checking that you don’t have a significant damp problem.

Are There Any Costs?

As with the boiler grants you may not be offered a grant that covers the entire cost of the insulation but a substantial portion of it. If this is the case you will be told how much you would need to contribute before deciding to go ahead; you’re under no pressure to agree to anything you cannot afford.

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A growing number of families on low incomes, who are some of the UK’s most vulnerable households, don’t have the money to adequately heat their homes. The Government is attempting to address the issue with the Energy Company Obligation. Often shortened to just ECO, it’s a scheme that will help UK households lower their energy bills by becoming more energy efficient. We’ve put together some of the most important things to know when applying for a boiler grant with ECO.

1. Government boiler grants are funded by the big energy companies

As the name suggests, energy companies (who have in excess of 250,000 domestic customers) have a legal obligation to provide support and take part in ECO. It means energy providers including traditional suppliers like British Gas, EDF Energy and Scottish Power must provide funding to help families on low incomes who live in the country’s fuel poorest areas save money by heating and insulating their homes more efficiently.

2. ECO will run throughout 2019

The scheme was originally only set to run until 2015 but due to its popularity this has been extended into 2019. Make sure to apply for a boiler grant using the form above before ECO closes its doors!

3. The Affordable Warmth Obligation has other grants too

Under the Affordable Warmth Obligation, which forms part of ECO, you might be eligible for a grant to help pay for home insulation, a boiler repair or, better still, a brand new Worcester, Vaillant, Baxi or Ideal A-rated energy efficient condensing boiler.

4. ECO replaced the Warm Front scheme

You may have heard of the Warm Front scheme which ended in January 2013. Not to worry if you didn’t have the opportunity to apply for it though as ECO offers very similar benefits to recipients.

5. ECO is only available in England, Scotland and Wales

If you live in Northern Ireland there is an alternative scheme called Warm Homes Grants. You can visit Home Heating Guide to find out more information on the grant, its criteria and how to apply.

6. You must be a homeowner or live in privately rented accommodation to qualify

If you do live in privately rented accommodation you will need to get permission from your landlord. Unfortunately you cannot claim the grant if you are living in a council property.

7. There are certain benefits you must be receiving to apply

In order to qualify for a government boiler grant you will need to be in receipt of specific benefits (and possibly meet additional criteria). You can find all of the details about this on our qualifying criteria page.

8. You are most likely to benefit from ECO if your boiler is old, broken or inefficient

Your boiler must be at less than 86% efficiency for you to qualify for a replacement. This is far more likely with boilers which are older and to qualify with Boiler Grants yours must be 8 years old or more.

9. You might be asked to make a contribution

It is likely that you will be asked to contribute towards your new boiler, although in some cases the cost may be covered in full by the grant. This amount will be a lot less than what you would pay for a new boiler without an ECO grant and you could see energy savings of up to £300 a year.

10. Applying for a grant is actually very easy!

All you need to do is put in your postcode to start the application and answer a few questions to see if you meet the qualifying criteria. One of our friendly team will then get in touch at a convenient time to confirm the details, talk you through the process and answer any questions you might have. A qualified surveyor will then visit your home to double check everything is in order and approve your grant. A Gas Safe registered installer can then put in your new boiler and you can begin saving on energy bills!

The post Gas Boilers Grants appeared first on Free Boiler Grants.

With thousands of homes across the UK looking to get their hands on a new replacement boiler, if you’re a pensioner and you’re in receipt of Pension Guarantee Credit, or other certain benefits, you may meet the criteria required to access the boiler grant scheme.

With a new gas boiler typically costing around £2,300, thanks to the Government’s boiler grant scheme, if your existing boiler is broken or inefficient and meets the qualifying criteria you could receive a grant towards a brand new one. In fact in some cases the new boiler installation is completely free, whilst in others you may be asked to make a financial contribution. The grant itself is always free, meaning you will never be expected to pay back a penny of it.

What is the Energy Company Obligation?

The Government’s Energy Company Obligation, known as ECO, is funded by the country’s largest utility companies, including British Gas and the other ‘Big Six’. Currently the ECO scheme offers boiler grants for boilers with the fuel types of gas, oil, lpg and even for electric storage heaters. It is important to note that at the moment funding for gas is very limited under the scheme, so whilst we will try our best to pass your application on to a qualified installer it may take longer than usual. The other fuel types are unaffected by this.

How can pensioners qualify?

More and more pensioners are struggling to meet the demands of escalating energy bills, and with many on limited incomes a new boiler is an expense many simply cannot afford.

Pensioners in receipt of Pension Guarantee Credit and those who receive Working Tax Credit may qualify for a boiler grant to help them become more energy efficient with a view to bringing down their heating bills. But even if you don’t receive Pension Guarantee Credit you could still qualify for a grant if you get Working Tax Credit or other qualifying benefits.

As long as your boiler is old, inefficient or broken and you meet the following criteria you should be able to apply for a free boiler grant:

• You own your own home, or
• The accommodation you live in is rented privately, or
• You live in social housing (unfortunately we can’t currently process these applications, so please seek further advice from the Energy Saving Advice Service)

and

• You’re in receipt of Pension Guarantee Credit, or
• Are 60 years old or more and receive Working Tax Credit

The post How can pensioners benefit from a Boiler Grant? appeared first on Free Boiler Grants.

Originally introduced in January 2013 the scheme provided qualifying households with grants to install brand new energy efficient boilers. Take up of the scheme has been very popular, and in some cases homeowners are asked to pay part of the cost towards their new boiler – the majority will be made up of a grant that you don’t have to pay back.

Thanks to the Energy Company Obligation, energy providers (like the Big Six) have a duty to help customers on low incomes living in notoriously hard to heat homes by providing them with new boilers and insulation. By making homes more energy efficient households will be able to lower their heating bills and live more comfortably in a home that no longer leaks energy and money.

At Boiler Grants we continue to help people benefit from the scheme. But you don’t just have to take our word for it. We teamed up with reviews website Trustpilot, so now you can see what our customers think about our boiler grants website. Here’s a few of the reviews we’ve received:

“I just had finished filling in the on line form got out of the chair when the phone rang a very polite lady asked me a few simple questions. In less than 4 mins told me I was eligible for a grant this was excellent service.” – Thomas

“Just waiting for it all to happen. The first call and the setting up was faultless, quick and all questions answered.” – Robert

“I telephoned this morning to see if I qualified for a new boiler and within hours I was told I did. Quicky, friendly and first class service. Thank you so much.” – Michael

“I am 75yrs old and I am not so well practised at dealing with this sort of thing. I was very comfortable talking to the young lady who responded to my email. She was clear, polite, friendly and informative — who could ask for anything more ?!! Thank you.” – Barbara

“I was led through the qualification criteria quickly and clearly. Once told I that I was entitled to the grant the process was explained to me step by step. I was made aware of what documents I needed and the likely timescales involved. The whole process was very efficient and clearly explained.” – Farida

To be eligible for a boiler grant you must be a homeowner or if you’re a tenant, rent privately. You’ll also need to receive one of these benefits (and possibly an additional criteria):

• Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
• Income-Related Employment Support Allowance
• Universal Credit

Read more about the eligibility criteria for the boiler grants scheme here.

The post Can I still get a boiler replacement grant? appeared first on Free Boiler Grants.

The boiler grant scheme, which sometimes goes by the name of ECO (that’s short for Energy Company Obligation), was introduced in 2013 to help millions of fuel poor households (those who spend more than 10% of their annual income on fuel) who struggle to heat their homes with old, inefficient and faulty central heating boilers.

If you qualify for the scheme you’ll receive a grant towards a brand new boiler which should result in cheaper bills – by up to £320 a year if you’re replacing a G-rated boiler.

Since February 2013 people up and down the country have been visiting Boiler Grants to see if they qualify for a free boiler grant. And with the prospect of another harsh cold winter just around the corner more and more people will be looking to take advantage of the scheme.

Although touted as a scheme to replace boilers for free when it was originally launched in January 2013, due to funding cuts more people are being asked to make a contribution towards their new boiler. The boiler grant will meet some of the cost and the householder will need to make up the shortfall.

Here’s a few more things you should know about the boiler grant scheme:

1. Only homeowners and private tenants can apply. Tenants renting privately will need to get permission from their landlord first. If you have a verbal tenancy agreement or live with parents Ofgem’s unwritten tenancy agreement can be used to demonstrate your status.
2. Boiler grants will be available until the Energy Company Obligation closes its doors, which will be in September 2018. Energy Providers have agreed to make a funding pot of £1.3 billion available for each year the scheme is operational.
3. The scheme isn’t open to everyone unfortunately. You have to be on certain benefits to apply and the criteria is very strict. For example pensioners need to be in receipt of Pension Guarantee Credit; a state pension alone will not be enough.

The post 10 things you should know about Boiler Grants appeared first on Free Boiler Grants.