ECO4 Grants For Landlords
It is the tenant of a property that can qualify for ECO4 funding, if they are in receipt of a qualifying benefit.
There are several reasons why a Landlord would want their tenants to use this scheme. Upgrading the heating and installing new insulation to a property not only increases its value but also, your tenants save money on their energy bills and are more comfortable in their surroundings. It also helps to attract new tenants when the property is empty.
All properties in the private rental sector in England & Wales need to have an EPC rated at least an 'E' rating unless they are exempt. If your property is below an 'E' rating you are limited to what your tenant can initially have installed. The measures available for an 'F' or 'G' rated property are Solid wall Insulation (Internal or External Insulation) & First Time Central Heating. Either of these should bring your property above an 'E' rating which means you can have additional insulation or heating installed.
The scheme does give a fixed amount that covers the property, instead each measure attracts funding on a score that is worked out from property type, number of bedrooms and pre installation heating type. There are additional uplifts if for example your property is not using mains gas heating. This can mean that you could have multiple measures installed at potentially no cost to you, but you and your tenants get the full benefits.
These Benefits include:
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Improves the property value and condition
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Lowers the energy bills for existing and new tenants
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Makes your property a more comfortable place to live
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Helps to keep & attract new tenants
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Makes it easier to sell the property
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Helps protect the environment
There is no cost to check eligibility or to go through the survey process and if any contributions are required, you can say no at anytime before installation.
Also no installer will install anything at your property without a landlords written permission.
We request the Landlords details so that if a tenant sends us an eligibility check we can make sure the Landlord is aware and also what measures their property may be entitled to having installed.
There is a description of the scheme and what you can potentially have installed in your property below or if you have been sent here by your Landlord, please click the 'Apply for Funding' button.
What Can Tenants Have Installed Under The ECO3 Scheme?
We have listed the heating replacement, heating upgrades and insulation you can have installed under the ECO3 scheme if you are a tenant.
You are able to have insulation installed alongside heating and other insulation measures so when we contact you we will give you a full picture of what we think you could have installed. When you have the survey completed this will be confirmed with you.
FIRST TIME CENTRAL HEATING
All customers that are living in a property that has never had a Central Heating System and has one of the following as the main heating source are eligible for funding to have First Time Central Heating fitted.
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Electric room heaters, including direct acting room heaters, fan heaters and inefficient electric storage heaters
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Gas room heaters
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Gas fire with back boiler
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Solid fossil fuel fire with back boiler
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Direct electric underfloor or ceiling heating (not connected to an electric boiler)
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Bottled LPG room heating
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Solid fossil fuel room heaters
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Wood/biomass room heating
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Oil room heater
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No heating at all
If you want gas central heating, you must live in a property that has a new gas connection or a gas connection that has never been used for heating. ECO funding does not cover the cost of a gas connection but other grants may such as local authority grants.
The following may be installed as FTCH:
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Gas Boiler
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Biomass Boiler
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Bottled LPG Boiler
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LPG Boiler
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Air Source Heat Pump
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Ground Source Heat Pump
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Electric Boiler
All properties must have loft or room in roof insulation and cavity wall insulation (if able to be installed) either already present or installed before the First Time Central Heating is completed. This is something that the installer will discuss with you at the time and can be funded under ECO.
ELECTRIC STORAGE HEATER UPGRADE
If you are currently using Electric Room Heaters to heat your home, then upgrading to High Heat Retention Electric Storage Heaters will improve the warmth and efficiency of your property.
Electric Storage Heaters work by using off peak electricity (usually at night) and store heat to be released during the day time.
To do this, storage heaters have a highly insulated core, made up of a very high-density material. They’re designed to retain the stored heat for as long as possible. Storage heaters use off-peak energy because it’s cheaper than standard rate electricity. They’ll usually have a totally separate circuit to the rest of your home, and will only switch on when the off-peak period starts.
After you are contacted by the installer a heat calculation is done to determine the correct number and size of Electric Storage heaters that you need for your property.
You must be on a Economy 7 tariff or have a Economy 7 meter fitted to have Electric Storage Heaters installed.
Property must be rated A-E on your latest EPC to qualify for this measure.
CAVITY WALL INSULATION
About 35% of all heat loss from UK homes takes place through un-insulated external walls.
If your home was built after 1920 there is a strong likelihood that your property has cavity walls.
A cavity wall can be filled with an insulating material by injecting beads into the wall. This restricts any warmth passing between them, reducing the money you spend on heating.
You can check your wall type by looking at your brick pattern.
If the bricks have an even pattern and laid lengthways, then the wall is likely to have a cavity.
If some of the bricks are laid with the square end facing, the wall is likely to be solid. If the wall is stone, it is likely to be solid.
If your home was built within the last 25 years it is likely to been already insulated or possibly partially insulated. The installer can check this with a borescope inspection.
Property must be rated A-E on your latest EPC to qualify for this measure
EXTERNAL WALL INSULATION
External wall insulation is perfect for solid wall homes where you want to improve the look of the exterior of your home and improve its thermal rating.
Having external wall insulation fitted to your home requires no internal work so the disruption can be kept to a minimum.
Planning permission may be required so please check with your local authority before installing this to your property.
Some period properties cannot have this installed to the front of the property but can have it installed to the rear.
External wall insulation cannot only improve the look of your home, but also improve the weather proofing and sound resistance, alongside reducing drafts and heat loss.
It will also increase the lifespan of your walls as it protects your brickwork, but these do need to be structurally sound before installation.
INTERNAL WALL INSULATION
Internal wall insulation is perfect for solid wall homes where you can't alter the outside of the property.
If your home was built before 1920 there is a strong likelihood that your property has Solid walls.
You can check your wall type by looking at your brick pattern.
If some of the bricks are laid with the square end facing, the wall is likely to be solid. If the wall is stone, it is likely to be solid.
Internal wall insulation is installed on a room by room basis and is applied to all exterior walls.
Polyisocyanurate Insulated (PIR) plaster boards are usually used creating a dry-lined, insulated internal wall. The internal walls are then plastered to leave a smooth and clean surface for redecoration.
Not only will this make your house warmer in winter but it will also save you money by slowing the loss of heat through un-insulated walls.
It will slightly reduce the floor area of any rooms which it is applied (roughly about 10cm per wall)
LOFT INSULATION
Heat from your house rises resulting in about quarter of the heat generated being lost through the roof of an un-insulated home. Insulating the roof space of your home is the simplest, most cost-effective way of saving energy and reducing your heating bills.
Insulation should be applied to the loft area to a depth of at least 270mm, both between the joists and above as the joists themselves create a "heat bridge" and transfer heat to the air above. With modern insulating techniques and materials, It's still possible to use the space for storage or as a habitable space with the use of insulated floor panels.
Property must be rated A-E on your latest EPC to qualify for this measure
ROOM IN ROOF
Up to 25% of heat loss in a home can be attributed to an un-insulated roof space.
The ECO grants can cover the entire cost of having all loft rooms insulated to current building regulations using the latest insulation materials.
Many older properties that were originally built with loft room space or 'room-in-roof' were either not insulated at all or insulated using inadequate materials and techniques when compared to today's building regulations. A room-in-roof or attic room is simply defined by the presence of a fixed staircase to access the room and there should be a window.
By using the latest insulation materials and methods, insulating existing attic rooms means that you can still use the roof space for storage or additional room space if needed while still trapping heat in the property and rooms below.
Property must be rated A-E on your latest EPC to qualify for this measure
UNDERFLOOR INSULATION
When thinking of areas in your home that need insulation, under the floor is not usually the first on the list.
However homes with crawl spaces under the downstairs floor can benefit from underfloor insulation.
Underfloor insulation eliminates drafts that may enter via the gaps between the floorboards and the ground, making you feel warmer, and according to the Energy Saving Trust save up to £40 per year.
Property must be rated A-E on your latest EPC to qualify for this measure