What is a heating grant?

The Sustainable Warmth grant awards funding to local authorities to help them upgrade energy-inefficient homes of low-income households in England. This grant is available to high-energy-cost households, providing they meet strict criteria set by the government.

First-Time Central Heating Grant Eligibility Requirements: You must be a homeowner or a tenant in a privately rented house. Central Heating Grants are restricted to dwellings with an EPC rating of D, E, F, or G for homeowners and E, F, or G for private tenants. The first-time central heating payments scheme is ineligible for homeowners who rent from a local council or housing association or those with joint ownership.

Check your EPC Rating

Energy Performance Certificates

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) tells you how energy-efficient a property is. It would be best if you had an EPC  in England and Wales when you’re:

  • selling a property
  • renting out a property
  • building a new property

You must order an EPC for potential buyers and tenants before you market your property to sell or rent.

In Scotland, it is not compulsory to have an EPC rating though there is talk of legislation changing this in the future.

An EPC contains:

  • information about a property’s energy use and typical energy costs
  • steps to improve a property’s energy efficiency and save money

An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (best) to G (worst) and is valid for 10 years.

Important

To ensure eligibility for a First Time Central Heating Grant after the implementation of ECO4 on April 1, 2022, your home must have an existing mains gas supply. This main supply is consistent with the government’s plan to eliminate gas boilers over the next few years. Either no full heating stop or one of the following heating systems must be installed in your home:

  • Electric space heaters, such as direct-acting fans or electric storage heaters.
  • The heating system used to determine your eligibility for First Time Central Heating Grants is the ‘Main Heating’ system shown on your home’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

How do I know if I qualify?

You must receive at least one qualifying benefit or meet ECO Flex Rules eligibility requirements. To be eligible for First Time Central Heating Grants, you or a permanent household member must receive at least one of the following state benefits, tax credits, or other allowances unless you are eligible under the ECO Flex Rules:

  • Income based job seekers allowance
  • Income related employment and support allowance
  • Income support
  • Pension credit guarantee credit
  • Working tax credit
  • Child tax credit
  • Universal Credit
  • Housing benefit
  • Pension credit savings credit
  • Child benefit (with dependencies)

Am I still eligible if I do not receive benefits?

To be eligible for the LA Flex fund, you must satisfy one or more of the following requirements:

  • Low-income: If the Household income is less than £31,000 before tax you will qualify through route 1 of the LA Flex scheme.
  • Certain conditions that are impacted by the cold: Those with respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, neurobiological disease, cancer, limited mobility, or autoimmune and immunological diseases will qualify via route 3 of the LA Flex scheme. 

To qualify for first-time central heating grants, you must install loft insulation and, if your property has cavity walls, cavity wall insulation. If neither is present at the time of your application, the installer of your new central heating system may arrange for their installation. First-time central heating subsidies give financing for the installation of the following central heating boiler types, as well as radiators, pipes, and heating control systems:

  • Gas boiler from the mains biomass boiler, LPG boiler, air source heat pump
  • Geothermal heat pump
  • Electric boiler

FIND OUT IF YOU QUALIFY FOR ANY UK HEATING GRANTS AVALIABLE ON OUR ECO4 ELIGIBILITY CHECKER