Updated: Sep 26, 2023
You may have heard of the ECO4 funding scheme and thought that it sounds too good to be true – free help with heating costs? In this economy? Believe it or not, though, it’s true. Contrary to many people’s scepticism, the ECO4 scheme is a legitimate government-backed scheme.
If you’re still unsure or if this is the first time you’re hearing about it, then read on below as we discuss exactly what it is in more detail and the criteria you need to meet in order to be eligible to apply.
What is the ECO4 Scheme?
The primary objective of the Energy Compliant Obligation (ECO4) scheme is to help vulnerable individuals and low income households to become more energy efficient in their homes, designed to tackle fuel poverty and help to reduce carbon emissions as part of the bid to make the UK net zero by 2050.
It is an obligation that is placed on energy companies, rather than residents, to deliver energy efficiency measures to domestic premises.
As such, the scheme is targeted at properties that fall within the efficiency bands E, F and G – which are the lowest bands. Benefitting from the scheme can see you having more energy efficient appliances and insulation retrofitted in your home, which is funded for by your energy supplier or another obligated supplier.
Since this scheme is not a government funded grant, it is up to each energy supplier to decide how much funding they choose to put towards each retrofit project, however this should be enough to meet the minimum requirements of them as part of their obligation. Either way, benefitting from the scheme still remains completely free to you.
Do I Qualify and How Do I Apply?
So, who actually qualifies for the ECO4 scheme? As we previously stated, the scheme is targeted at properties where the energy efficiency rating falls under bands E, F or G, and aims to support low-income individuals. To qualify as a low income individual who is eligible to claim ECO4 support, you need to be claiming one of the following benefits:
– Income based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
– Income related Employment & Support Allowance
– (ESA) Income Support (IS)
– Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
– Working Tax Credit (WTC)
– Child Tax Credits (CTC)
– Universal Credit (UC)
– Housing Benefit
– Pension Credit Savings Credit
– Child Benefit
Assuming you are eligible, then you can go ahead and apply! That’s where we come in. You can easily check your home’s current energy efficient rating on our website, then fill out our simple application form, after which we will be in touch to let you know if you’re eligible and what happens next.
Working to provide the best options of funding available to you, we’ll manage your ECO4 journey from start to finish to ensure that you can experience a more comfortable, energy-efficient home for you and your family. Simply get in touch today to learn more.
