Energy-efficiency schemes and grants for your home

In addition to the suggestions in our ‘energy saving around the home’ article, there are also more substantial changes you could consider for your home to make it more energy efficient, such as professional draft proofing, installation of solar panels, cavity wall insulation and loft insulation – this is known as retrofitting.  

Obviously these changes are costlier, but they make a significant difference to energy use over the long-term, and the good news is that lots of these changes may be covered by dedicated schemes for households which meet certain criteria. 

One of the main schemes is the recently-opened ECO4 – or to give it its full title, ‘Energy Company Obligation # 4’. This is a scheme whereby many of the large energy suppliers are required to support households with implementing energy-saving changes, such as cavity wall or loft insulation, or perhaps replacing an old or inefficient boiler, either by paying for all of the work (following a free assessment visit), or contributing towards it. It is not a government grant, but rather comes directly from the energy companies. 

One important feature to note with this scheme is that a household does not have to be receiving energy from a particular supplier to be able to apply for help under the ECO4 scheme from them – you can take your pick of who you approach! 

Eligibility for the scheme is dependent on households’ situation, with the main focus on receipt of certain benefits and other criteria – you can take an eligibility check here.  

If you find you are eligible to apply to the ECO4 scheme, visit this link to see the range of suppliers that provide support under the scheme, and click on their logo to see the details of what each are offering.

In addition to ECO4, other grants and schemes may available – you can find further details on the Simple Energy Advice website, where you can search by postcode to find help for which you may be eligible.