Most of the grants and offers you can benefit from are provided by three main groups:
1. The Government
The UK Government funds schemes providing up to £2,700 to households on certain benefits (see below for examples of eligibility criteria) to improve their heating and energy efficiency. In England the scheme is known as Warm Front
Examples of Warm Front eligibility criteria - If you own your own home or rent it from a private landlord and if:
(i) You are 60 years or older and are in receipt of one or more benefits. Benefits include: income support, council tax benefit, housing benefit, job seekers allowance and pension credit.
(ii) You have a child under 16 or you are pregnant and have been given maternity MAT B1 and are also in receipt of benefits such as income support, council tax benefit etc.
(iii)You are in receipt of one or more benefits such as disability living allowance, child tax credit with an income of less than £15,460, housing benefit and disability premium etc.
To see if you qualify call 0800 316 2805 or go the Warm Front website.
£300 heating rebate scheme
Other funds have now been made available to help some of those who would not otherwise be eligible for Warm Front.
If you do not qualify for a Warm Front Grant because you do not receive a relevant benefit, you may still be eligible for a £300 rebate.
This rebate is available to all householders aged 60 or over who own their home or rent it from a private landlord, who either have no central heating system or one which is inoperable. Go to the following link to apply or call 0800 316 2805.
2. Energy Companies
The Government's Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) has been replaced by the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) this means energy suppliers with a certain number of customers operating in Great Britain are obliged to achieve targets for improving home energy efficiency. The suppliers therefore provide a range of offers which significantly reduce the cost of installing energy efficiency measures. What's more, you can take up offers from any of the energy companies, regardless of who supplies your gas and electricity.
The different offers available for a particular postcode and personal circumstances can be obtained from the Energy Saving Trust (Tel: 0800 512 012) or their website:
Energy Saving Trust .
If you do the search, you get a list of possible grants that might be available to you (you may need to be in receipt of certain benefits or over a certain age to qualify).
3. Local Authorities
Most local authorities provide grants and offers for local residents to install certain energy efficiency measures in their homes.
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council has the Cosy Loans scheme (End date: 31-Mar-2009). These are interest free loans for up to £1,000 to install energy efficiency measures including cavity wall and loft insulation. Availability is limited. Contact telephone no: 0800 512 012.
Again, for a full list of grants available for particular circumstances in different postcode areas go to the link below and fill in form or call the local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012.
Energy Saving Trust .
Summary of Contact Details
Warm Front
(Government Grants)Tel: 0800 316 2805
Website: www.warmfront.co.uk
Energy saving Trust
(source of a lot of energy saving info. plus grants and offers search facility)Tel: 0800 512 012
Website: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk .
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
(Cosy Loans scheme)Contact telephone no: 0800 512 012
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