October 16, 2023
Energy saving measures are being introduced to more and more homes in line with the UK Government’s ambition to reduce energy demand by 15% by 2030. This goal is supported by a £1 billion ECO+ insulation scheme and a major expansion to the government’s public awareness campaign.
ECO+ is an extension of the ECO4 scheme with the intention to offer additional support outside of the requirements for ECO4. ECO4 is the fourth stage of the government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, and aims to provide support for low-income households who are unable to upgrade their homes and heating systems’ efficiency. The outcome of this would be providing vulnerable people with renewable energy systems in their homes, whilst also helping the country reach its net zero by 2050 goal.
ECO+, which has since been rebranded to the Great British Insulation Scheme, focuses on delivering single lower-cost insulation measures to homes with low energy efficiency in lower Council Tax band areas. The fast turn-around results in as many households as possible getting support through the scheme quickly. The scheme could reduce average fuel bills by more than £600 per year and currently looks set to save more than 500,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Here are a list of energy conservation schemes available in Wales and details to see if you could be eligible:
- Help to Heat – The government has invested £12 billion in Help to Heat schemes to make sure homes are warmer and cheaper to heat. The funding for the schemes does not come from the government themselves, but through a range of access paths such as installers, local authorities and energy companies. The schemes below are all included in the Help to Heat scheme and provide support through different ways:
- Energy Company Obligation Scheme – Support from your energy supplier
- If you claim government benefits, credits or allowances, then you may be eligible for support from your local energy supplier through the Energy Company Obligation Scheme (ECO). To find out if you are eligible, contact your local council to find out if they take part in the ECO Scheme, your energy supplier or Consumer Energy Solutions directly. The amounts of support will vary, so it is important to get in touch and investigate how to make your home more energy efficient.
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme – Support through installers:
- This scheme offers a grant to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems with a heat pump or biomass boiler. These usually range between £5000-£6000 but cannot be used to fully replace a low carbon heating system.
- There are certain requirements in order to qualify for this grant, such as the system you install having minimum efficiency levels (your installer can advise you on these) and the system’s maximum capacity being less than 45kWth.
- Home Upgrade Grant – Support through your local authority
- This scheme installs energy efficiency measures in low-income households that are off-the-grid and have a low performance in energy efficiency. This is measured by having an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) between D and G.
- Both phases 1 and 2 of The Home Upgrade Grant were awarded funding by the Sustainable Warmth Competition to help them upgrade energy inefficient homes of low-income households.
- Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund – Support through your local authority
- This provides funding to upgrade properties that rank below D level in the Energy Performance Certificate, to improve their energy efficiency. £778 million was offered to 107 projects for Wave 2.1 of the Decarbonisation Fund. The scheme focuses on subsidising measures such as heat pump installations to tackle increase the energy efficiency of homes and help with the rising energy costs.
- For more information on the above and how to assess your eligibility, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/find-energy-grants-for-you-home-help-to-heat
- Energy Saving Trust
- This provides independent, impartial advice and programme management through dedicated teams of specialists to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. It strives to achieve a zero-carbon society by working with businesses, government, local authorities and community groups and its personally tailored advice reaches more than 100,000 homes a year. For more information, visit: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/about-us/
- Climate Change Committee
- The Climate Change Committee (CCC) was established under the Climate Change Act 2008. They are an independent body who provide advice for UK governments on how to prepare for Climate change and report back to Parliament to provides updates on the progress being made. Information on the progress made and to read their Parliament reports here: https://www.theccc.org.uk/uk-action-on-climate-change/
While the eligibility of these schemes will differ, the aim is to make renewable energy a possibility in almost every home. At Consumer Energy Solutions, our main focus is on finding eco-friendly, energy efficient solutions through government backed grants and making renewable sources as accessible as possible with little financial burden. We have successfully transformed over 8,000 homes, helping our customers save energy and reduce their carbon footprint.
We will guide you through the process of obtaining the best grant for you, starting from the paperwork right up to installation. With our successful reputation, we have the expertise to guide you into making your home more energy efficient. Get in touch to see the range of grants we can assist you with or head over to our Help to Heat website to see if you qualify directly by answering our 60 second questionnaire: https://helptoheat.co.uk
