ENERGY COMPANY OBLIGATION (ECO4 & ECO+)
ECO4 will include supporting households on the lowest incomes. Households in receipt of means tested benefits will be eligible.
Up to 50% of the obligation target can be met under the reformed ECO4 Flex, which is designed to target households on low incomes, but not in receipt of benefits. ECO4 Flex will be voluntary for local authorities,
ECO+ is a new £1 billion ECO+ scheme will see hundreds of thousands of homes across the country receive new home insulation, saving consumers around £310 a year.
The new ECO+ scheme will extend support to those who do not currently benefit from any other government support to upgrade their homes.
ECO+ will extend support to those in the least energy efficient homes in the lower Council Tax bands, as well as targeting the most vulnerable.
Boiler upgrade scheme (bus)
Through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, you could get a grant to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems with a heat pump or biomass boiler.
Fossil fuel heating systems include oil, gas or electric.
The BUS scheme will have a budget of £450 million over 3 years, running until March 2025 and will provide grants of:
- £5,000 towards the costs of air source heat pumps and biomass boilers
- £6,000 towards ground source heat pumps.
The remaining cost of the installation is to be paid by customers. To be eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, you will need to meet these requirements:
- You must be a homeowner or small business owner
- Your property must be in England or Wales
- The building must have a valid https://www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate (EPC) issued within the last 10 years. If not, you will need a new EPC certificate
La flex (eco4 scheme)
Flexible Eligibility, often shortened to LA Flex, is a part of the UK Government’s new phase of the ECO4.
Councils and Local Authorities have the power to widen the eligibility criteria for ECO, allowing them to tailor energy efficiency schemes to their respective area.
This allows more residents, in addition to those claiming benefits, to qualify for ECO funding, often on the basis of low incomes, health, age or area, giving councils the ability to support specific communities.
LA Flex must define criteria that proves residents are either living in fuel poverty or are on low income and vulnerable to living in a cold home.
Local authorities can use LA Flex to help homeowners benefit from the installation of home energy efficiency measures. However, the Flexible Eligibility route is not applicable for social housing tenants.
You can read more on the ECO4 Guidance: Local Authority Administration on the following link https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/eco4-guidance-local-authority-administration
ev chargepoint grant
The EV chargepoint grant provides funding of up to 75% towards the cost of one chargepoint and its installation.
A grant cap is set at £350 (including VAT) per installation. The main requirement is that a person owns, leases, or has ordered a qualifying vehicle and has dedicated off-street parking at their property.
A person may apply for 2 chargepoints at the same property if they have 2 qualifying vehicles.
A customer will qualify if they have a qualifying vehicle and property as detailed below.
A customer is not permitted to claim for a grant if they have previously claimed against the scheme (or its predecessor, the Domestic Recharge Scheme) unless they own 2 eligible electric vehicles concurrently in which case a second chargepoint grant can be claimed. This includes if they:
- have previously claimed against the Domestic Recharge Scheme
- move property
- purchase a new chargepoint, even if it is for a new car that is not compatible with the old one
- update an old chargepoint to a new one
- want to claim against the cost of moving an existing chargepoint to a new property
If a customer is moving to a new house with an old chargepoint and they wish to replace it, they would be eligible for the grant (providing that customer has not previously claimed against the scheme and all other requirements are met).
Workplace Charging Scheme
The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a voucher-based scheme that provides eligible applicants with support towards the upfront costs of the purchase and installation of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints.
It is available in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but not in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man.
The WCS is open to businesses, charities and public sector organisations.
The grant covers up to 75% of the total costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints (inclusive of VAT), capped at a maximum of:
- £350 per socket
- 40 sockets across all sites per applicant – for instance, if you would like to install them in 40 sites, you will have 1 socket available per site.