Central heating grants in England are available to pay for the installation of gas central heating or an air source heat pump in homes which have never had central heating before.
Under new rules introduced with the start of ECO4 on 1st April 2022, homes must have an existing mains gas supply to qualify for a grant to install gas central heating for the first time. If you have no gas supply then you can apply for a central heating grant to install an air source heat pump.
To qualify for the central heating grants in England scheme you need to satisfy one of the following conditions:
You or someone who lives permanently with you must receive one of the qualifying benefits (please see the list below),
OR
You may qualify under ‘LA Flex‘ rules where, although you do not receive any of the qualifying benefits your local council may recommend that you qualify for a grant to install central heating. This may apply if you have to pay a substantial portion of your income to keep your home warm.
There are two ways to qualify for Central Heating Grants in England:
Either you or someone living permanently in your home must receive at least one of the following State Benefits, Tax Credits or Other Allowances:
(Over one million pensioners are entitled to Pension Credit but don’t claim it. To check whether you are eligible click HERE go to the Government website.)
OR via ECO Flex Rules
You may qualify under ECO Flex rules where, although you do not receive any of the qualifying benefits your local council may recommend that you qualify for a grant to install central heating. This may apply if you have to pay a substantial portion of your income to keep your home warm.
To qualify under the ECO Scheme you must be a home owner or a tenant in a privately rented home.
To qualify under the ECO Flex Scheme you need to satisfy your Local Authority’s rules. Every council can set it’s own rules. Some councils do not take part in the scheme and of those that do, some exclude private tenants.
Householders who live in council owned homes, shared ownership homes and homes owned by a housing association do not qualify for central heating grants in England.
Unfortunately, no.
The full name of the central heating grants in England scheme is ‘First Time Central Heating Grants Scheme’, which means that it is a grant to install central heating for the first time. If your home has had central heating before, even if it has been removed, you will not qualify.
If your home doesn’t have a mains gas supply, you will not qualify for a first time central heating grant to install gas central heating. However, you may qualify for a first time central heating grant to install an air source heat pump. This rule was introduced as part of ECO4 which started on 1st April 2022.
If your gas supply has been capped off you need to get a “Live / Dead” check carried out by Cadent (or the relevant supplier for your area).
If Live, you may need to arrange for a gas meter to be installed, if dead, this means that you will not qualify for a grant for gas central heating but you may qualify for a first time central heating grant to install man air source heat pump.
Cadent live/dead check number is 0845 835 1111.
Not necessarily.
There are two ways to qualify for first time central heating grants in England:
Firstly, to apply for the Central Heating Grants in England Scheme you need to complete the form on this page of the website and it will be automatically emailed to us.
We will telephone you to confirm all of the information on the form and to arrange a free survey of your home and any heating system it currently has.
If you receive one of the qualifying benefits, with your permission we will carry out an automated check with the DWP that you do qualify. We don’t see any information about your benefits, we simply get a Yes / No answer as to whether you qualify.
If you are a home owner and you don’t receive benefits, we will complete the ECO Flex forms with you to apply for funding from your local council.
Once the relevant permissions have been granted, your new central heating system can be installed and the installer won’t be paid until it is complete and you are happy with it.
Initially you must qualify by either being on qualifying benefits or through their local Council (Local Authority Flexibility) also known as LA Flex.
EPC Rating
For homeowners, homes must have an EPC rating of D, E, F or G to be eligible for Central Heating Grants. However, some homes in the higher part of band D will not qualify.
For private tenants, homes must have an EPC rating of E, F or G to be eligible for Central Heating Grants
Qualifying Benefits
Number of children 1 2 3 4 and over
1 adult household £19,900 £24,800 £29,600 £34,500
2 adult household £27,500 £32,300 £37,200 £42,000
If you do not claim any qualifying benefits, there is a second route which you may qualify under, this is called Local Authority Flexibility (LA Flex or ECO Flex) and is through your local council who we would apply for on your behalf.
Eligibility Route – Local Authority Flexibility (LA Flex)
LA Flex is a second qualifying criteria for any client who does not receive qualifying benefits.
LA Flex consists of three qualifying routes, these are listed below:
LA Flex Route 1 – Household Combined Income
Households living in an EPC rated E, F and G home, with a combined gross income under £31,000. (LA route only).
LA Flex Route 2 – Proxy Targeting
Households in SAP bands E, F or G and meeting a combination of two proxies outline as below.
LA Flex Route 3 – NHS Referrals
Households living in band E, F and G homes and identified by either a general medical practitioner, a Health Board in Scotland, a Local Health Board in Wales, an NHS foundation trust, or by an NHS trust as suffering from a severe and /or long-term health condition that could be severely impacted by living in a cold home. (LA route only).
These health conditions may fall under one of the umbrella conditions:
Central Heating Grants in England from the Government’s ECO Scheme or your Local Council