ECO4 Scheme (Energy Company Obligation including ECO4 Flex)

ECO4 is the latest Energy Company Obligation scheme administered by OFGEM. The aim of ECO Funding is to help those who are living in fuel poverty and vulnerable to the risk of living in a cold home, and whose house is energy inefficient. ECO funding pays for energy efficiency measures such as heating improvements and insulation to be installed, thereby helping to reduce the cost of heating the home and create carbon savings with is good for the environment too.

Residents may be eligible for ECO funded measures if they are in receipt of one of the following benefits:

Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Income Support (IS)
Pension Credit Guarantee Credit (PCGC)
Working Tax Credit (WTC)
Child Tax Credit (CTC)
Universal Credit (UC)
Housing Benefit
Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)
Child Benefit (subject to income caps and composition)

If none of these benefits are being claimed, the household may still be able to receive funded measures through the flexible eligibility process (‘ECO flex’ for short), for example if the household has a combined income below £31,000 or someone in the home has a qualifying medical condition.

This statement of intent sets out Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council’s s flexible eligibility criteria for ECO4 Flex from April 2022 to March 2026.

How to apply:

Installers:

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has partnered with E.ON on the delivery of ECO4 flex. If you are an installation company and wish to enquire about on-boarding with our scheme, please contact E.ON at: eoncommunityprojects@eonenergy.com

Residents:

If you think you may qualify for ECO Funding, please speak to an organisation who can offer you free and impartial energy and bill saving support and assess whether you might be eligible for funding, either from ECO or any other grant programmes to help pay for improvements to your home. Warm Wales is one provider who offers such assistance for any residents in Wales:

WARM WALES

0800 091 1786 – Option 1 www.warmwales.org.uk/getting-support

Please note: Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council will not be accepting any ECO related requests. If you are assessed as potentially eligible for funding, you will be referred on to the relevant funding scheme provider or an approved installation company. If ECO flex eligibility is required, the installation company will ask you to provide them with documents to help them evidence your application. This information will be provided to the council for checking via our ECO flex delivery partner E.ON.

Nest

Nest is a Welsh Government scheme which provides free advice and home improvements to help you save energy and money.

Since 2011, Nest has provided over 60,000 households across Wales with free home energy improvements.

Energy saving advice

Their friendly advisors offer free impartial advice to help you lower your energy bills and improve your health and wellbeing. This includes:

finding the best energy and water tariff for your home
benefits to boost your household income
help to lower your carbon footprint
advice on installing your own low carbon technology

Support with home energy efficiency improvements

The Nest scheme also provides support with installing free home energy efficiency improvements, which could include a new heating system, solar panels or insulation.

Residents may be eligible for free home energy improvements if you meet all three conditions:

you own or privately rent your home
you receive a means tested benefit or live in a low-income household
your home has an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of 54 E or less; or 68 (D) or less and someone in your household has an eligible health condition.

If your home is without heating or hot water, the scheme can provide a boiler repair or replacement at no cost to you.