Energy efficiency grants

Statement of Intent

This statement sets out Nuneaton and Bedworth and North Warwickshire Council’s flexible eligibility criteria for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) and Great British Insulation schemes which run until March 2026.

The ECO4 scheme will focus on supporting low income and vulnerable households. The scheme will improve the least energy efficient homes helping to meet the Government’s fuel poverty and net zero commitments. The Great British Insulation Scheme will support the ECO4 scheme in the delivery of predominantly single measures targeted at a wider range of households.

The flexible approach for Local Authorities (LAs) to identifying fuel poor and vulnerable households who may benefit from heating and energy saving measures is referred to as “ECO4 Flex” and “Great British Insulation Scheme Flex”.

The Council is publishing this Statement of Intent (SoI), on the 12/11/2024 to confirm that each of the households declared will adhere to at least one of the four routes below

Route 1

  • An Owner-occupied or privately renting tenant and,
  • Have a gross annual income less than £31,000

Route 2

To qualify through Route 2, owner occupiers or privately renting tenants need to meet any two of the following proxy criteria:

Proxy 1

Homes in England in Lower-layer Super Output Area 1-3 (LSOA), or homes in Welsh provision LSOA 1-3 on the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019, or homes in Scotland in “data zone” 1-3 on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020. 

If you are unsure, email your full address to green.homes@nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk and we will confirm.

Proxy 2

A person living at the premises is entitled to a Council Tax reduction on the grounds of low-income.

Proxy 3

A person living at the premises is considered to be vulnerable to the cold under the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidance NG6: Recommendation 2, for a reason other than their low-income

Proxy 4

A child living at the property receives free school meals due to low income.

Proxy 5 

A Person living at the property is supported by a Local Authority-run scheme that has been named and described by the LA as supporting low income and vulnerable households for the purposes of NICE Guideline. In Nuneaton and Bedworth, and North Warwickshire, residents may be eligible under this Proxy if they have:

  • Been supported by either the Council's Household Support Fund Or Warwickshire Welfare Scheme.  Council's Household Support Fund and the Warwickshire Welfare Scheme aim to support residents of NBBC and NWBC experiencing either food or fuel poverty, facing immediate financial difficulties, or struggling to pay essential household bills including energy bills.
  • Have received a Disabled Facilities Grant at any time or a Warm and Safe Homes Grant within the last 5 years. These grants are to support residents who have long-term health conditions, are disabled, or have a category 1 hazard within their property, including excess cold. Grant recipients may have low income or be in receipt of benefits to qualify for support.

Proxy 6 

A household referred to the Local Authority for support by their energy supplier or Citizen's Advice because they have been identified as struggling to pay their electricity and/or gas bills

Proxy 7 (proxy 7 is for supplier owned debt data and is listed here for information only)

 Households identified through energy supplier debt data. This route enables obligated suppliers to use their own debt data to identify either non pre-payment meter households (non-PPM), or pre-payment meter households (PPM)*.

  • Non-PPM customers: These are customers who have been in debt for more than 13 weeks ending with the day on which the declaration is made, and are in a debt repayment plan with their energy supplier or repaying their fuel debt through 3rd party deductions.
  •  PPM customers: Suppliers may also identify PPM households who: have either self-disconnected or received supplier Discretionary/Friendly credit within the last 13 weeks ending with the day on which the declaration is made; or are in a debt repayment plan with their energy supplier; or · repaying their fuel debt through 3rd party deductions.*

* Note proxies 1 and 3 cannot be used together.

* Note Proxy 7 cannot be used in combination with proxy 5 or proxy 6.

Route 3

Owner-occupied or privately renting tenant, that have been identified by either a person registered in the General Practitioner Register, a Scottish Health Board, a Welsh Health Board, an NHS Foundation Trust, or an NHS Trust as vulnerable, with an occupant whose health conditions may be adversely affected by living in a cold home. These health conditions must be cardiovascular, respiratory, immunosuppressed, or limited mobility related

Route 4

Owner-occupied and private rented households that are referred under Route 4: Bespoke Targeting. Suppliers and LAs can apply to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero where they have identified new methods to identify low-income and vulnerable households. Applications need to demonstrate several factors, including that the proposed methodology is more effective at identify households in fuel poverty than the criterion offered under Routes 1 and 2.

All potentially eligible households should apply through an EC04 supplier to ensure that they can either benefit from the scheme or be assessed for eligibility under any other relevant programme.

An LA officer (not a 3rd party working on behalf of an LA) will be responsible for checking, and verifying evidence, and issuing declarations. For any general enquiries relating to this SoI please contact:

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council will administer the ECO4 Flex scheme according to the Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2022 (ECO4 Order).

The Council will administer Great British Insulation Scheme Flex according to the Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2023 (ECO4A Order).

The dedicated responsible person of the Council will oversee the process of identifying eligible households under ECO Flex and Great British Insulation Scheme Flex. The Council will notify Ofgem of households that declarations have been issued for via the declaration notification template.

All personal data collected or processed by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council for the purposes of ECO4 Flex or Great British Insulation Scheme Flex will be processed and stored in accordance with: the Council’s obligations under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, the Council’s data protection policy, the Information Commissioner’s Office Data Sharing Code and other guidance, and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero guidance.

  • Signature:Jane Grant
  • Name: Jane Grant
  • Job Title: Assitant Director for Strategic Housing
  • Date of signature:12/11/24

If you do not qualify for ECO funding, you can contact Act on Energy , for free, impartial advice on saving money on your energy bills and improving the energy efficiency of your home.

The Act on Energy team may also be able help you identify alternative sources of funding for home energy efficiency improvements.

The publication of this Statement of Intent (SOI) enables Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and North Warwickshire Borough Council to provide additional eligibility criteria under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Local Authority Flexibility route. For more information visit ECO4 FAQs.