Energy Company Obligation Funding
In this section
Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) Funding 2022-2026
About ECO4:
Three Rivers District Council has access to a new phase of Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding (ECO4) to help eligible residents improve the warmth of their homes and save money on their energy bills.
Under the scheme, eligible households can receive multiple fully funded energy efficiency measures such as wall, loft and underfloor insulation, heating controls, double/triple glazing, energy efficient boilers and low-carbon heating systems.
Funding for measures in the scheme is secured via the Government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme and is delivered by obligated energy companies and grant agents.
ECO4 Projects in Three Rivers
The Council is working in partnership with E.ON – an obligated energy company - to deliver a coordinated ECO4 home upgrade programme locally, but you do not have to be an E.ON energy customer to benefit.
You may have received a letter from Three Rivers District Council and E.ON inviting you to apply for ECO4 funding.
If you qualify for ECO funding, E.ON’s ECO team will help you access the funding, provide end-to-end customer support, and manage accredited installers to ensure works are completed to a high standard.
If you think you may be eligible for ECO4 funding, please contact E.ON to apply:
- Call:0333 202 4422 (free phone line open 9am – 5pm, Mon – Fri)
- Email:EonLedProjects@eonenergy.com
Main ECO eligibility criteria
You could be eligible under main ECO criteria if:
You live in a home with an EPC rating of D, E, F and G for owner occupied homes (or EPC rating E, F and G for social housing and privately rented homes) and receive one or more of the following benefits:
- Income based Jobseekers allowance (JSA)
- Income related Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support (IS)
- Housing Benefit
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Pension Credit Savings Credit
- Working Tax Credit (WTC)
- Child Tax Credit (CTC) *[see Table 1 for child benefit income caps]
- Universal Credit (UC)
*Table 1: Child benefit income caps (before tax and National Insurance)
You may also be eligible for ECO4 funding through the main ECO criteria if you are in receipt of the Warm Home Discount (WHD) and your home has an EPC rating of D, E, F or G if you own your home, or an EPC rating of E, F or G if you are privately renting.
Flexible Eligibility Criteria (for owner-occupied and privately rented households only):
If you are not in receipt of any of the above benefits or Warm Home Discount, then you could still be eligible for ECO funded energy efficiency measures under the Council’s ECO “Flex” criteria if you meet the criteria under at least one of the following Routes:
Route 1: Household Income SAP bands D, E, F, or G owner-occupied households (or E-G for privately rented households) with annual household incomes less than £31,000 qualify for ECO4 funding through Route 1.
Route 2: Proxy Targeting To qualify through Route 2, owner-occupied households and private rented sector households must live in a home with an EPC rating of E, F or G and meet any two of the following proxy criteria:
Proxy: Description:
1* Home is located in Lower-layer Super Output Area 1-3 (LSOA) in England.
2 Householder(s) receives a Council Tax reduction (rebates based on low income only, excludes single person rebates).
3* A householder is vulnerable to living in a cold home as identified in the NICE Guidance. See Table 1 for NICE criteria below.
Table 1: Characteristics/Conditions Which Make People Vulnerable to the Cold
i. people with cardiovascular conditions
ii. people with respiratory conditions (in particular, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and childhood asthma)
iii. people with mental health conditions
iv. people with disabilities
v. older people (65 years and older)
vi. households with young children (new-born to school age)
vii. pregnant women
4 A child living at the property receives free school meals due to low income.
5 A householder 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 Three Rivers, residents may be eligible under this Proxy if they have: - Been supported by the Council’s Household Support Fund OR - Completed a Warm and Well Assessment carried out by the National Energy Foundation’s Home Energy Support Service
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 1 (LSOA) and Proxy 3 (NICE guidance) cannot be used together.
Route 3: NHS Referrals
SAP bands D, E, F, or G owner-occupied households (or E-G for privately rented households) that have been identified by either a person registered in the General Practitioner Register (a GP), an NHS Foundation Trust, or an NHS Trust as vulnerable, with an occupant whose health conditions may be impacted by living in a cold home.
These conditions must fall under one of the following categories:
- Respiratory disease
- Cardiovascular condition
- Immunosuppression
- Limited mobility
Contact:
If you think you may be eligible for ECO4 funding, please contact E.ON to apply:
- Call: 0333 202 4422 (free phone line open 9am – 5pm, Mon – Fri).
- Email: EonLedProjects@eonenergy.com
If you do not qualify for ECO funding, you can contact the Council’s Home Energy Support Service provided by Better Housing Better Health, for free, impartial advice on saving money on your energy bills and improving the energy efficiency of your home.
The Better Housing Better Health team can also help you identify alternative sources of funding for home energy efficiency improvements.
Statement of Intent (Flexible Eligibility Criteria)
The publication of this Statement of Intent (SOI) enables Three Rivers District Council to provide additional eligibility criteria under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Local Authority Flexibility route. Please see the document below for the latest version of the Council's Statement of Intent which details the Council’s ECO Flex criteria in full:
Current SOI (Version 8): ECO4 SOI Three Rivers Version 8 - 4 September 2023 (PDF)
Previous withdrawn SOIs: