Home energy help for residents
National support schemes
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme and Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) are national Government schemes aimed at improving the energy efficiency of eligible domestic properties to help reduce fuel poverty levels and lower carbon emissions. These schemes are currently open until 31 March 2026.
If you live in a property with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of Band E-G and you meet certain eligibility criteria, you may be able to benefit from a range of energy efficiency upgrades including insulation and heating upgrades.
Households eligible to apply include people who are:
- classed as living on a low household income, or
- vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold home, or
- in receipt of qualifying benefits
Our preferred delivery partner for this scheme, Grant Store, has ceased delivering the ECO scheme and are no longer accepting applications.
Other providers are available in the area, please contact homeenergy@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk to request a list. Please note that the Council does not have a contractual obligation with any of these firms and you will need to engage with them directly.
Further information
More information on the national ECO scheme can be found on the Ofgem website.
Previous Statements of Intent:
Note to ECO4 Flex installers: we are not on-boarding any additional installers at present.
Warm Homes Grant
Warm Homes Grant funding is expected to be available until 31 March 2028 in west Cheshire for home insulation and renewables such as heat pumps and solar panels. The grant has been made possible by funding from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.
Grants are available for homes which have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) that is Band D, E, F or G. You can check on the Energy Performance Certificate Register for your address. If your property doesn't have a certificate, we can help you to arrange one if you qualify for this scheme.
The amount of grant you can apply for varies depending on your property and the type of work that is needed. Homeowners are typically not expected to pay anything towards the scheme unless building repairs are needed before the insulation or renewables can be installed. In private rented properties, the landlord is expected to make a minimum 50 per cent contribution to the scheme after the first property.
Typical improvements to your home that may be carried out using the grant, include:
- solid wall insulation (internal or external)
- cavity wall insulation
- loft, room-in-roof and flat roof insulation
- under-floor insulation
- heat pump
- solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for electricity generation
- high heat retention electric storage heaters, where a heat pump isn't suitable
- heating controls.
The target is for the energy efficiency measures to improve your EPC rating by at least two bands - for example, if your home is Band E, it should reach Band C or above with the planned improvements.
To qualify, you must be a homeowner who is living in the property as their main residence, or a private tenant, and meet the income criteria listed below.
- You receive an income related benefit (for example, Universal Credit, Pension Credit Guarantee, Council Tax Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or Tax Credits), or
- Your total household income before tax, National Insurance and other deductions is no more than £36,000, or
- Your total household income before tax, National Insurance and other deductions is no more than £20,000 after your housing costs have been deducted (by housing costs, we mean mortgage payments, rent payments and Council Tax).
When we calculate your household income, we will ignore any disability benefits (such as Personal Independence Payment or Attendance Allowance) so this will not count towards your household income.
If you think you may be eligible please contact: homeenergy@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
A member of the Council’s Climate Change Team will contact you to confirm your eligibility (we will ask you to provide us with documents to confirm your income) and explain the next steps.
Applications are now being accepted for the Warm Home Discount scheme for eligible park home residents. The scheme, which is administered by Charis, offers £150 towards energy costs for eligible park home residents.
To be eligible you must meet the following criteria:
- be a permanent park home resident
- pay your electricity bill directly to your park owner
- be in receipt of a means-tested benefit or have an annual household income of £19,978 or less (before tax and deductions)
There is limited funding available and it is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information see Charisgrants.com.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme opened in April 2023 and will run until 2025. There is £4.5m available in grant funding for the installation of heat pumps and biomass boilers for both domestic and non-domestic properties, as part of the Government’s efforts to decarbonise heat in buildings.
The scheme is administered by Ofgem on behalf of the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The grant provides upfront capital:
- £5,000 off the cost of installing a biomass boiler
- £7,500 off the cost of installing either an air-source or ground-source heat pump
More information for property owners can be found on the Ofgem website.
The Priority Services Register is an industry-wide free support service that offers additional help to people in vulnerable situations. Energy suppliers and Network Operators both keep registers.
There are many benefits to registering, such as getting priority support with heating and cooking facilities if your supply is cut off, get advanced notice of power cuts and an identification and password scheme if you need to be contacted or are expecting a home visit.
You are eligible to join the priority services register if you:
- are of pensionable age
- have young children under 5
- are living with a long-term health condition
- rely on electrical medical equipment
- have reduced mobility
- are visually impaired
- have extra communication needs (such as if you don’t speak or read English well)
- have poor or no sense of smell
- would struggle to answer the door or get help in an emergency.
Contact your energy supplier to find out more and to register. If your gas and electricity is provided by different energy companies, you will need to contact both.
Your energy supplier can notify your Network Operators on your behalf. In Cheshire West, the Network Operators are SP Energy Networks (electricity) and Cadent (gas).
A similar service is offered by water companies in Cheshire West; United Utilities and Dee Valley Water. For more information on what support is available, visit your water company website.
If you're a property owner, you can use this service to see what recommendations may be suitable for your property to help make it cheaper to heat and keep warm. For each recommendation you will be provided with an estimate of how much the improvement will cost, how much you could save on bills and what the next steps would be if you decide to make the improvement.
More information about this service can be found on the GOV.UK website.
