Energy Efficiency Grants – The Facts

Energy Efficiency Grants – The Facts.  We all want to reduce our energy bills, and improving the energy efficiency of our homes is one of the best ways to do it. To help UK households reduce their carbon emissions, energy efficiency grants are available for those that qualify.

This article covers these grants, what you need to be eligible, and how to get one. Firstly, let’s review the facts about home insulation.

Home insulation helps to retain most of the heat otherwise lost from your home. According to the Energy Saving Trust, your roof and walls account for half the heat lost in your home, and insulating them could save you around £265 a year on fuel bills. So now we have reminded ourselves of the value of home insulation, let’s talk about energy efficiency grants.

Energy Efficiency Grants

The government in a bid to hit the country’s Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT), has instructed energy suppliers and local authorities to make £3billion available to help households insulate their homes. Energy efficiency grants are available from these bodies, and provide much needed financial assistance for virtually all households. These grants can also be used for many other energy efficiency home improvements, like draught-proofing and energy saving light bulbs.

Who Provides Energy Efficiency Grants?

They are available from 3 main bodies; the government, energy suppliers and local authorities.

1. Government Grants These grants can go up to £3,500 depending on your household circumstances and where you live.
   • If you are over 60 and on benefits like income support or housing benefit.
   • If you are on one or more benefits like disability allowance or child tax credit.
   • If you have a child under 16 and are on benefits like income support.

In England for instance, the government’s energy efficiency scheme is called Warm Front, but this is different for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Eligibility criteria will also vary depending on your country, but to give you an idea of what to expect, here are some of the main ones for England, should you rent or own your property:

You can find out more about who can qualify for government energy efficiency grant by visiting WarmFront.co.uk if you live in England, or energysavingtrust.org.uk for the rest of the UK.

1. Energy Supplier Grants The government’s CERT target dictates that all UK energy suppliers with a certain amount of customers have to hit a home energy efficiency target. This has resulted in our energy suppliers providing a range of money saving products and services designed to help households reduce their energy bills. These include huge savings on home insulation. You can also take advantage of any of these supplier deals without having to be their gas or electricity customer. To find out more, contact these energy suppliers directly, and see how they can help you insulate your home and what else they are offering to improve energy efficiency in our homes.
2. Local Authority Grants Energy efficiency grants are available for home insulation and other energy efficiency home improvements from most local authorities. Find out from your local authority directly if they are one of them.

Further information about energy efficiency grants can be found on energy advisory websites like energysavingtrust.org.uk, where you will also find also more on home insulation and other home energy efficiency measures.

Sources – Energysavingtrust.org.uk, Confused.com