For homes in the UK a new grant began at the beginning of 2013 to replace the Carbon Emissions Reduction target (CERT) and the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP). This programme is called the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and is available to everyone. It is a £1.4 billion pot of money that will be used to help support property owners to make their homes more energy efficient.
ECO is a legal obligation for the large energy companies to deliver energy saving measures to domestic homeowners. ECO works alongside the Green Deal which enables people to make energy saving improvements to their home without having to pay upfront for the work.
Who qualifies for ECO?
Almost everyone qualifies for ECO and free insulation, from people with low incomes and the vulnerable to people who own properties that are hard-to-treat.
Therefore, if your home is solid wall construction (pre-1930), with hard-to-treat cavity walls (pre-1950) or you are on certain benefits, you will be eligible for £1000’s of work to be carried out on your property for free.
There are 3 main targets for ECO funding:
- Carbon emissions reduction obligation – energy companies are focusing on installing energy saving measures at hard-to-treat homes that cannot be fully funded via the Green Deal. The main measures available are solid wall insulation and hard-to-treat cavity wall insulation for properties in these criteria.
- Community Obligation – the provision of energy saving measures for domestic district heating systems for areas of low income and vulnerable households living in rural areas.
- Home Heating cost reduction obligation – energy suppliers are to provide measures for homes with low income and vulnerable households to help them heat their homes. These measures include actions as simple as replacement or repair of a boiler.
Therefore, the following people qualify for ECO and free insulation with the Green Deal:
– People with solid wall construction homes (pre 1930)
– Homeowners with hard-to-treat cavity walls (homes built pre-1950)
– People who are on certain benefits and with a low income.
How do I go about getting ECO?
Contact your local Green Deal advisor about having a Green Deal assessment at your property to establish the level of funding you will be available to you. You never know – you could be eligible for £1000’s of work to be carried out at your property from insulation, renewable heating systems and loft insulation completely for free.
Article written by Green Deal Upgrade, UK-based Green Deal advisors to help through your funding process from assessment to energy efficiency measure installation.