Energy efficiency grants

A range of different loans and grant schemes are available to help improve the energy efficiency of homes in the borough.

Advice about energy efficiency improvements

For impartial advice about home energy improvements, including potential financial support, contact our Green Team.

If you live in a listed building or conservation area, check to see if you need planning permission or listed building consent for energy efficiency measures

Overview of available grants

Further details and how to apply

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

How much:

• £7,500 is available towards air source and ground source heat pumps
• £9,000 is available towards air source and ground source heat pumps if replacing LPG or oil boilers
• £2,500 is available towards air-to-air heat pumps
• £5,000 is available towards biomass boilers

Who it is for: Homeowners (owner-occupiers) and non-domestic properties

Details: The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides grants to fund the replacement of existing fossil fuel heating systems with more efficient, low carbon heating systems. This includes air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps and, in limited circumstances, biomass boilers.

Eligibility:

• Property must have a valid energy performance certificate (EPC) with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation.
• Heat pumps are eligible either on or off the gas grid. Biomass boilers are only eligible in rural locations and in properties off the gas grid.
• You must be fully replacing an existing fossil fuel system such as oil, gas or direct electric.

How to apply: You will need to find and contact an installer to quote for the work. The installer will apply for the grant on your behalf. The value of the grant will be discounted off the price you pay. We recommend you get quotes from more than one installer to make sure you’re getting the best value for money, and ensure that the installer is MCS Certified. The MCS quality assurance scheme ensures that installers are competent and the products they use meet the correct standards. You can search their website for certified installers in your area. Further information on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is available on the GOV.UK website.

Landlord Grants

How much: up to £500

Who it is for: Landlords

Details: A one-off grant for landlords to help them pay for energy efficiency improvements to their rental property or properties to benefit tenants and help to reduce fuel bills.

The grant is targeted at properties with poor levels of insulation and may be used to part fund more costly improvements, such as a replacement boiler or double glazing.

Conditions:

Grants are offered to landlords on the following conditions:

• the landlord has not previously received a grant from this scheme. There is one £500 grant available to each landlord irrespective of how many rental properties they have
• the work can only be for measures that will improve the energy efficiency of the property, such as additional insulation
• evidence of the works to take place, such as a contractor’s quote, must be provided prior to the works taking place
• evidence that the work has been completed, such as photographs, must be provided following the completion of the work
• a grant cannot be given for work already completed at the time of application
• for all work, a quotation from a registered company must be provided before the grant can be approved. While we are aware that some energy efficiency improvements can be done as a DIY job, in order to ensure the work is completed to industry standard and will not cause damp problems or electrical faults we require the work to be done by a professional installer

How to apply: Contact the Climate Change team for an application form.

Homeowner Grant

How much: up to £3,000

Who it is for: Homeowners (owner-occupiers) receiving means-tested benefits who are not eligible for a homeowner loan or any other kind of funding.

Eligibility:

• Homeowners receiving means-tested benefits
• Property must be within council tax bands A to E
• Any energy performance certificate (EPC) rating

Details: The Homeowner Grant is available for people who own their own home and are on means-tested benefits. We will prioritise those that are not eligible for other grants/funding.

The grant can be used for a range of measures including:

• insulation
• heating systems (but not replacement fossil fuel systems)
• double glazing
• draught proofing
• renewable energy measures

Other conditions:

• Grants in excess of £2,500 must be repaid if the property is sold within three years.
• Two estimates for works must be obtained, with the homeowner going with the cheapest quotation unless they wish to make up the difference
• The contractor employed to carry out the works must be a member of a professional body

How to apply: Contact the Climate Change Team to enquire more about the funding.

Warmer Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG)

How much: Dependent on the measure(s) installed

Who it is for: Homeowners and tenants

Eligibility: An EPC rating of D, E, F or G. Check your home’s EPC rating.

• your tenure is either Privately Rented or Owner Occupied and
• you have a total gross household annual income of £36,000 or less (before Tax, NI, housing costs/bills), or meet the ‘after housing costs’ threshold or
• you receive a means-tested benefit

How to apply: This funding scheme is currently oversubscribed. However, you can still register your interest via the Warmer Homes website or get in touch by calling 0800 038 5737 or emailing retrofit@warmerhomes.org.uk

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years. You can find your property’s energy efficiency certificate on the GOV.UK website. If your property does not have an energy efficiency certificate, you can find out how to get one on the GOV.UK website.

Cold callers and scams

Sometimes installers may legitimately call homes direct in order to get business through one of the available grant schemes. Always check to make sure they are a trusted company and registered with a professional body.

• For loft insulation: The National Insulation Association (NIA) is a member organisation for the UK insulation industry. Members follow a code of professional practice to ensure that customers receive excellent customer service.
• For heat pumps, solar, wind and biomass installers: Find an MCS Certified contractor in your area. The MCS quality assurance scheme ensures that installers are competent and the products they use meet the correct standards.
• For general trades people: TrustMark is the only government-endorsed scheme for all trades in and around the home. TrustMark provide a list of top tips for ensuring a tradesperson is trustworthy, and installers registered with TrustMark must provide approved financial protection and warranties for their work

Homeowners may be contacted directly by an installer claiming to be working under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme. Always ask to see their credentials as for all measures (except for connections to district heating systems) installers under ECO must be TrustMark accredited and will have a registration number.

If you suspect a scam, report it to Hampshire Trading Standards. You can check their website for details of the latest known scams.

Home Energy Conservation Act Report (HECA)

These reports set out our work to improve energy efficiency in the borough. If you would like a copy of historic HECA reports then please get in touch with the climate change team