Your most ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ answered by Home Energy Experts:
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is a government energy efficiency scheme set up to tackle fuel poverty, reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency in UK homes.
ECO is an obligation placed on the ‘big six’ energy companies to deliver funding for energy efficiency measures to the domestic properties of people who are in receipt of qualifying benefits. It is not a grant scheme and it is up to the energy companies themselves to determine which retrofit projects they choose to fund, the actual level of funding they provide, and the retrofit coordinator and installers that they opt to work with. The ECO4 scheme is set to run until 31st March, 2026.
The aim of the ECO4 scheme is to improve the least energy efficient homes (bands D-G) and those households who unfortunately find themselves in fuel poverty, with the result of reducing energy bills for customers and also having a positive impact on communities and the environment.
If your property has an Energy Performance (EPC) Rating of D, E, F or G then you may well be suitable for the scheme.
There is a new Minimum Requirement (MR) to improve the energy efficiency of homes currently in bands D and E, up to at least a band C; while the homes that are in bands F and G the Minimum Requirement is to lift those up to at least a band D.
And don’t worry if you haven’t your home’s EPC rating to hand, Home Energy Experts are here to help!
ECO looks to deliver a sustainable upgrade by adopting a whole-house retrofit approach, which includes improving the energy efficiency of properties that have an inefficient heating system and/or inadequate insulation.
Whether you rent or own your own home, you can gain access to the free and fully-funded ECO4 scheme if you or someone in your household is on a DWP or Government benefit such as:
No, it is 100% free. That’s because the ECO4 scheme is fully funded by the ‘Big Six’ utility companies.
Our Home Energy Experts team will help guide you through exactly what you can apply for through the ECO4 scheme.
If you meet eligibility requirements then the answer to that is, yes!
To be eligible for Solar PV panels then your home needs to meet the following requirements:
Most homes are suitable for solar panels. To get the maximum performance solar panels need to face south, but solar panels will still generate even if they’re not facing south, it just won’t be as much.
You will need to own the roof (so no ground floor flats with a first floor flat above), and the roof will need to be free from any shading.
The roof will also need to be structurally sound and there needs to be sufficient capacity within the National Grid in your home’s location to connect back to the grid. Homes Energy Experts will assess all these aspects during our survey of your home.
Home Energy Experts can assess whether an air source heat pump is the right choice for your home.
Air source heat pumps are seen as an excellent option if you are looking to replace your old inefficient heating system with a new, much more efficient heating system, not connected to the mains gas grid, or have no central heating system at all.
An air source heat pump transfers heat from outside air to water. This in turn heats your room via radiators or underfloor heating. Air source heat pumps can also heat water that is stored in a hot water cylinder, for hot taps, showers and baths.
One of the main advantages of air source heat pumps is that they are much more energy efficient than traditional gas boilers, which means that you could save money on your energy bills, and they have lower carbon emissions, therefore reducing your carbon footprint and helping the environment.
One of our Home Energy Experts can talk through the process and help choose and explain the best set-up to meet your requirements.
There are a number of significant benefits to ensuring your home is as energy efficient as possible.
They include:
The two main ways to increase your property’s energy rating is by either adding quality insulation or improving your current heating system.
Insulation will help reduce the amount of energy you need to heat your home, giving you greater piece of mind – and hopefully a better bank balance – in a world where rising energy prices can bring stress and anxiety to a household. Quality insulation can also lead to an improved appearance and look to your house, and can also increase the value of the property.
Another way to improve your home is to utilise renewable technology, such as solar panels. This will allow you to generate your own energy, to offset the price of drawing electricity from the grid.
Following on from you filling in the online enquiry form, a member of the Home Energy Experts team will be in touch to advise whether or not you could be eligible for funding. You will then be offered the opportunity to further explore the possibility of improving your home via energy efficiency improvements, which is when we will propose for you to agree a suitable time and day for one of our Home Energy Experts to come and carry out your energy assessment.
The Homes Energy Experts team will assess both the inside and outside of your property. To produce an accurate assessment, the HEE assessor will need full access to all rooms inside the home, including the loft, and the outside of the property. The assessment is purely visual and will cause minimal disruption to you and your household.
Please note that our assessor will also need to take photos in your home, of all the things relating to the energy assessment, such as windows, doors, boiler, loft insulation etc.
The assessment will identify the ways your home uses energy, and identify ways that it could use energy more efficiently. Any measures that are recommended following the assessment will therefore reduce the amount of energy used, providing you with a more efficient and comfortable home to run.
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will also be produced.
A property’s energy efficiency can be determined by an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). An EPC goes from a rating of A (the most efficient rating) to a G rating (least efficient. Home Energy Experts will be able to check for your property’s current rating on the public register if one is available.
After your property’s energy assessment has been carried out, we will supply you with our findings, along with our recommendations. You will then have the opportunity to decide whether you would like to proceed with the proposed works. Our Home Energy Experts team will be able to advise if you aren’t sure about anything.
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Westdale Services Ltd, Doncaster Rd, Askern, Doncaster DN6 9JD