Looking for funding to make energy efficiency home improvements, or reduce your energy bills? There’s a wide range of financial support available to households in the North East.
The list of schemes here will give you more information about what’s available, eligibility and how to apply. If you need any more detailed advice on the support available to you, give us a call for free on 0808 175 9345.
Help with energy saving home improvements:
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What does it offer?
You could get free energy saving improvements to your home if you:
- are a homeowner
- do not use a gas boiler as your main heating system
If you’re eligible, your local council will arrange a home survey to see how your home could be made more energy efficient. They might suggest improvements like installing:
- wall, loft and underfloor insulation
- air source heat pumps
- electric radiators
Your local council will then organise and pay for any improvement work they’ve agreed with you. You won’t need to pay for it.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible, you must:
- own and live in the property you’re applying for
- not use a gas boiler as your home’s main heating system
- have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G – if you do not know your home’s EPC you can find it out when you apply
You’ll usually need to have a household income of £36,000 a year or less. You might still be eligible even if you earn more than that in some postcode areas.
How do I apply?
For more information, contact your local authority:
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What does it offer?
The scheme provides up to £7,500 to help cover the cost of installing one of three low carbon heating systems:
- Air source heat pump (£7,500 grant)
- Ground source heat pump (£7,500 grant)
- Biomass boiler (£5,000 grant).
The funding only covers biomass boilers in:
- rural locations
- properties that aren’t connected to the gas grid
- properties with an emissions certificate showing that polluting emissions are kept to a minimum
Biomass boilers in self-build properties are not eligible under the scheme.
Am I eligible?
The scheme is open to homeowners, as well as owners of small business properties, in England and Wales. To be eligible for the scheme, you must:
- own your property
- have a property with an installation capacity up to 45kWh (this covers most homes)
- have a valid EPC
For more information, visit Energy Saving Trust’s advice on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
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What does it offer?
You might be able to get funding for energy-saving improvements to your home if you either:
- claim certain benefits and live in private housing eg you own your home or rent from a private landlord
- live in social housing
You may get help with the cost of:
- insulation work, for example to your loft or cavity walls<
- replacing or repairing your boiler – or other upgrades to your heating
Am I eligible?
You might be eligible for help if you live in private housing and get one of the following benefits:
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit
- Pension Guarantee Credit
- Pension Savings Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Child Benefit
- Housing Benefit
If you own your house, it must have an EPC rating of D, E, F or G to be eligible.
If you rent from a private landlord, the house must have an EPC rating of E, F or G to be eligible. You must have the owner’s permission to do the work.
If you live in social housing that has an energy efficiency rating of E, F or G you might be eligible for help with insulation or installing a heating system for the first time.
Use the energy performance certificate register to find your property’s energy efficiency rating, or ask your landlord or housing association.
How do I apply?
Contact your local council to find out if they’re taking part in the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme:
You could also contact an energy supplier directly. You can find contact details of suppliers who are taking part in the scheme on the Ofgem website
Installers or agents might contact you directly. If you’re not sure if an offer is genuine, contact your local council or the energy supplier they represent to check.
For more information, read Energy Saving Trust’s advice on how to spot an energy scam
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What does it offer?
ECO4 Flex is an additional element of the ECO funding to help low-income UK homes that would have otherwise been ineligible for the ECO grant.
If you’re not eligible for ECO funding, you may still be eligible for support under your local authority’s ECO4 Flex criteria.
To check if you’re eligible, speak to our advisors on 0808 175 9345, or contact your local authority.
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What does it offer?
You may be able to get free or discounted home insulation to reduce your home’s energy bills.
The most common measures installed under this scheme are loft insulation or cavity wall insulation. You may need to contribute towards some of the cost.
Other insulation measures such as solid wall insulation may be available, but the energy supplier is only likely to offer them with a more substantial cost contribution from you.The Great British Insulation Scheme is delivered by energy suppliers. They’ll assess your home, either through a desktop assessment or by arranging a visit to your home. What the energy supplier can offer will depend on this assessment.
If you need to pay anything, you’ll find out after the assessment. You can decide not to go ahead if you don’t agree with the assessment or costs.
If you’re comfortable with this then in the next step you can create a referral that will be sent to your chosen energy supplier.
Am I eligible?
You might get support if your home:
- has an energy performance certificate (EPC) of D to G
- is in council tax bands A to D in England
You can be a homeowner, landlord or tenant (either renting privately or from a housing association). If you’re a tenant, speak to your landlord before you apply. You’ll need their permission before any insulation can be installed.
By submitting a referral through this service your energy supplier will also check if you’re eligible for additional help through the government’s ECO4 scheme.
For more information, visit Energy Saving Trust’s advice on the Great British Insulation Scheme.
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What does it offer?
You could get free in-home energy advice.
If you’re eligible, an energy expert from Community Action Northumberland or Groundwork will arrange a home survey to see how your home could be made more energy efficient. They might suggest improvements like installing:- wall, loft and underfloor insulation
- upgraded windows and doors
- new heating controls
- air source heat pumps
They’ll also give you advice about the best way to keep your home warm and reduce your energy use. You won’t need to pay for this visit.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible, you must live in a home that’s considered ‘hard to treat’. This includes:
- solid brick homes
- flats
- rural homes
- homes with electric or LPG heating systems
Find out more on our in-home support page
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What does it offer?
The Smart Export Guarantee provides income to homes for the electricity they export to the grid. It ensures you’re paid for the renewable electricity you generate at home but don’t use.
Am I eligible?
You may be eligible for the scheme if you have one of the following renewable energy systems at home:
- solar panels
- wind turbine
- hydroelectricity
- anaerobic digestion
- micro combined heat and power
All energy suppliers with at least 150,000 customers must provide at least one Smart Export Guarantee tariff.
The system and your installer must be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or equivalent. Your energy supplier may ask for your MCS certificate to prove that your installation meets this standard. You also need a registered smart meter that records how much electricity you export to the grid.
For more information visit Energy Saving Trust’s advice on Smart Export Guarantee
Help with your energy bills:
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What does it offer?
The Warm Home Discount is a one-off wintertime payment of £150 towards your energy bills. You don’t get the money directly – it’s applied as a discount on your energy bill between October and March.
Am I eligible?
You may be eligible for the Warm Home Discount if:
- You get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit
- You’re on a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme.
Your electricity supplier must be part of the scheme, but most suppliers are. View the full list of suppliers on the GOV.UK website.
How do I apply?
There are different ways to apply to the scheme, depending on how you qualify for the discount.
For more information on the scheme, including how to apply, visit the UK Government’s website.
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What it offers
If you get certain benefits you could get £25 extra a week during the winter when the temperature is zero or below for more than seven days.
For more information, visit the GOV.UK website.
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What does it offer?
In the winter months pensioners can get between £250 and £600 to help pay heating bills.
This winter, this will include an extra one-off Pensioner Cost of Living Payment of between £150 and £300. This will be paid as an automatic top-up to the Winter Fuel Payment.
Am I eligible?
Check if you’re eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment