Grants schemes
Eco Flex - Information for Suppliers
Essex County Council (ECC) is delivering ECO4 Flex in partnership with the 12 district councils in Essex (excluding Southend and Thurrock Unitary Authorities) and is the sole Statement of Intent (SoI) holder for ECO4 Flex across these areas. ECC has appointed Happy Energy Solutions Ltd (HESL) as the Managing Agent for ECO4 Flex. The onboarding site for contractors is called HEATFLEX, which can be accessed here.
All contractors wishing to participate must complete the onboarding process via HESL in order for declarations to be approved; declarations cannot be submitted directly to ECC. They must be uploaded through HESL’s secure portal once onboarding is complete. Once onboarded, you will be able to submit declarations and may also receive application referrals directly from HESL.
To find out more about the onboarding process please contact
Email: warmhomesessex@essex.gov.uk
Telephone: 0333 013 8219
Warm Homes: Local Grant (Essex)
Essex County Council has been awarded £6 million to deliver the Warm Homes Local Grant across Essex this year. Although the scheme has not yet launched, further details will be made available in due course. Please check the Energy, Climate and Environment – Essex County Council webpages regularly for the latest updates.
Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)
ECO and GBIS are government energy efficiency schemes run by Ofgem.
They are both four-year schemes and are intended to run from 01 April 2022 to 31 March 2026.
The main aim of these schemes is to support low income and vulnerable households to:
- install energy saving measures
- improve the efficiency of the lowest rated homes
This is to help the government’s fuel poverty and net zero commitments.
Participating local authorities can refer households they consider to be:
- living in fuel poverty
- on a low income
- vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold home
Eligibility
To be referred for the ECO4 and GBIS Flex schemes you must be living in Essex and be a homeowner, private tenant or landlord.
Landlords may be asked to contribute towards the costs of installed measures. This will depend on the circumstances of the tenant at the qualifying property.
Your property must have an energy efficiency rating between bands D to G and you must either:
- have a household income below £31,000
- be identified by your doctor or GP as having a health condition which may be impacted by living in a cold home
- be identified by Essex County Council as a vulnerable household which is not eligible under any other scheme
To gain funding, a survey of the property must be done to determine suitable measures and certain other criteria. Not all properties will be eligible.
If you do not meet the criteria
The WarmHomesEssex website has details of other funding, advice, and support available in Essex.
How to apply
All applications for the ECO4 and GBIS Flex schemes are being handled by our Managing Agents, Better Housing, Better Health (BHBH). To apply, either:
- call 0800 107 0044
- apply online with BHBH
What happens next
An advisor will call you to complete an eligibility assessment over the phone. This will include questions about the household and the residents occupying it.
If you pass the eligibility assessment your personal data will be shared with an approved contractor. You will need to give consent for this data to be shared. The contractor will then contact you to arrange for a survey on your property.
You will be told the name of the contractor that will be contacting you. You will not be “cold-called” by doorstep contractors. All eligible applicants will be contacted directly by the contractor to arrange an appointment. If in doubt, please contact BHBH on 0800 107 0044.
Once the survey is done and measures are agreed, the contractor will ask for additional paperwork to be able to process the application. The contractor will advise on the timeline for works to be done.
Information for Suppliers and Contractors
We have appointed the National Energy Foundation (NEF) as our Managing Agent for ECO4 and GBIS Flex.
Only declarations submitted to and by NEF can be considered for funding. No declaration requests made directly to Essex County Council will be accepted.
All interested suppliers must be onboarded with NEF first. Fees will apply for this process. Visit the NEF website for full details.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
The Government offers an upgrade scheme where you could get a grant to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems with a heat pump or biomass boiler.
Find more information on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Improvements in Private Rented Property
Laws have been introduced designed to improve energy efficiency of homes in the private rented sector. From April 2016 private tenants had the right to request consent for improvements to make their homes more comfortable, and easier and cheaper to keep warm, and the landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. There are a number of government supported schemes that provide finance for home energy improvements such as insulation and efficient heating systems. Tenants can find out if they are eligible for government support schemes by contacting: The Energy Saving Advice Service on 0300 123 1234 (open Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm),
The Regulations also set out minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) for England and Wales. These regulations make it unlawful for landlords to grant a new lease or tenancy of properties that have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating below E, from 1 April 2018. The regulations do not affect sales. They apply to both commercial and domestic rented properties, with some exceptions.
Essex Energy Switch
One of the simplest ways of saving on energy bills is to switch energy supplier.
Essex Energy Switch is a group buying scheme for gas and electricity.
It brings people together in search of a better deal on their energy bills. This collective buying power helps to drive down prices. An auction is held where energy suppliers bid to offer the lowest energy tariff to residents.
There is no obligation to accept the offered tariff if it isn't beneficial. The added bonus is that all energy suppliers must offer 100% renewable electricity.
Register online or call 0800 048 8439 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5.30pm) to register and receive information by post. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5.30pm. You will need a recent energy bill to to sign up.
Other useful links
Visit the Energy Saving Trust to find out how you can save more money on your energy bills.
If you're not connected to the mains gas supply, you can still save money on heating oil by joining the Rural Community Council of Essex (RCCE) community oil buying scheme.