Frequently Asked Questions

The ECO Scheme, also known as Energy Company Obligation, is a government energy efficiency scheme. It’s designed to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions for homes in the UK. This includes actions that result in reduced energy usage, such as installing insulation or upgrading a heating system.

If you receive one or more of the qualifying benefits, or a member of your household receives one or more of the benefits, you may qualify for funding. Your property’s EPC rating also needs to D, E, F or G.

Funding under ECO4 can cover the cost of insulation, solar panels and heating upgrades. In most cases, no contribution is required. Where a contribution is needed, the installation company will let you know directly of the costs before any work is undertaken.

• Universal Credit (UC)
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income Support (IS)
• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit (PCGC)
• Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)
• Housing Benefit
• Child Benefit (with dependencies)
• Working Tax Credit (WTC)
• Child Tax Credit (CTC)

You’ll be wasting less energy and saving more on heating bills. Insulation helps to keep the heat in that is being lost through the roof, walls and floors and stops cold air coming in. Wasting less energy also reduces your carbon emissions.

Loft insulation, room in roof insulation, flat roof insulation, external wall insulation, internal wall insulation and cavity wall insulation.

This will vary depending on the type of insulation your home needs.

First Time Central Heating Grants are available for both homeowners and tenants in privately rented homes. 

Tenants in council owned homes, in housing association homes and shared ownership homes do not qualify.

In some cases, yes.

You may qualify under the ECO Flex Rules.

Local councils can recommend that you receive a grant if you satisfy their rules regarding fuel poverty.

Generally yes.

If someone is permanently resident in your home and receives one of the qualifying benefits, we may be able to help. The grant application will have to be in their name and you will need to prove that they live with you on a permanent basis. 

 Also, your address must be registered as their address with the Department of Work and Pensions so that their benefit letter have your address on them.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a government grant of £7,500 that helps support the decarbonisation of heating in homes and buildings. The upfront grant supports the installation of heat pumps in homes and non-domestic buildings in England and Wales.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding was uplifted in October 2023, and you will now receive a grant for £7,500 towards the installation of a heat pump.

We will find an MCS-certified installer and they’ll do all the hard work for you. If your home is eligible for the funding, they’ll apply on your behalf and deduct the £7,500 as part of their quote.

No, the funding you receive under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will not need to be repaid.

When you install solar panels on your property, you save money on your electricity bills, protect yourself against rising electricity rates in the future and reduce your carbon footprint.

South-facing roofs with little to no shade are best performing for solar panels. Solar panels on either east or west-facing roofs will still perform at 86% compared to south-facing roofs. Our team will be able to check that the roof space is suitable and how many solar panels your home will need.

Any excess energy you produce can be sold back to the grid under the Smart Export Guarantee, or you can store the surplus in added solar battery storage.

Solar panels are generally tilted at an angle and are self-cleaning, reducing the need for them to be cleaned.

Yes, solar panels produce electricity when they’re not directly exposed to bright or direct sunlight.

If there is a power cut your inverter will switch off. This is a safety feature to protect workers who may be repairing the grid. A backup system can be installed, and this will enable you to use your solar energy in a power cut.

On average, solar panels last for 25 to 30 years.

Solar battery storage tends to be in a cupboard, garage, utility room or somewhere similar as it must be close to your main consumer unit.

Yes, solar panels work without the need for added solar battery storage. The addition of solar battery storage allows you to use more of the energy you generate in your home rather than exporting it back to the grid.

Yes, this is possible if space allows. The new batteries are much lighter and can be placed in a loft.

There are several benefits:

• Lower your energy bills
• Reduce your energy use: unlike traditional boilers (which use fossil fuels), heat pumps use electricity. However, the heat energy delivered to your home is much more than the electrical energy used to power the system.
• Cut your carbon emissions: heat pumps are a low carbon heating source, meaning that your emissions are lower than if you were using a gas or oil boiler.

You’ll need somewhere outside your home where a unit can be fitted to a wall or placed on the ground. It must have some space around it to allow a good flow of air.

Compact heat pumps are specifically designed to heat small, well-insulated modern flats and homes. These only need a cupboard with around 80cm x 80cm floor space in the flat, and this should be near an exterior wall.

A standard heat pump doesn’t provide hot water on demand like a combi boiler, so you’ll need a way of storing hot water for when you need it, like a hot water cylinder.

Hot water cylinders
The size of hot water cylinder depends on the amount of hot water your household typically uses. They can usually fit inside any cupboard that measures at least 80x80cm.

Air source heat pumps are much quieter than you might expect and the ones installed should generate less noise than a conventional gas boiler.

Yes, air source heat pumps work in cold weather and can still generate heat when outside air temperatures are as low as -20°C.

Yes, if sized correctly. The installation company will always consider your heating requirements and make sure the size of the heat pump recommended is perfect for your home.

This all depends on the individual property. Typically, most installations take a couple of days to complete.

There is some maintenance that you can do to maintain the air source heat pump. This includes keeping debris clear of your heat pump. We also recommend that you have a yearly heat pump service to keep on top of any issues that could arise.