Central Heating Grants from the ECO Scheme

Central Heating Grants in Newcastle approved by the Government's ECO Scheme and Newcastle Council

Central heating grants in Newcastle are available to pay for the installation of gas central heating 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 central heating for the first time.

Central Heating Grant Application Form

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  • 1. Your Details

  • We need this to confirm that you qualify for a central heating grant
Central Heating Grants in Newcastle

Central heating grants in Newcastle are available to home owners and private tenants and there are two ways to qualify:

For home owners and private tenants:

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, Newcastle 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.

Central Heating grants in Newcastle are available for the installation of gas central heating into homes which do not have, and have not previously had a central heating system.

Your home must have a mains gas supply to qualify for a central heating grant.

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 central heating for the first time.

Qualifying State Benefits for the Central Heating Grants in Newcastle Scheme are:

For home owners and private tenants:

To qualify for Central Heating Grants in Newcastle, either you or someone living permanently in your home must receive at least one of the following State Benefits, Tax Credits or Other Allowances unless you qualify under ECO Flex Rules:

  • Pension Credit – Guarantee Credit
  • Pension Credit – Savings Credit
  • Universal Credit
  • Child Tax Credit
  • Working Tax Credit
  • Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Income-Based Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • Income Support
  • Child Benefit (subject to maximum household income thresholds)
  • Housing Benefit

ECO Flex Rules allow Newcastle Council to recommend that a householder qualifies for a central heating grant even if they don’t receive one of the qualifying benefits. Funding for the grant still comes from the Government’s ECO Scheme and you can see the qualifying criteria by clicking HERE.

Central Heating Grants in Newcastle FAQs

1. Do I have to live in Newcastle to qualify for central heating grants in Newcastle?

To qualify for central heating grants in Newcastle you must live within the

Newcastle Council Boundary and pay your council tax to Newcastle Council.

Newcastle central heating grants are funded by the Government’s ECO Scheme and Newcastle Council can recommend that their residents qualify.

If you don’t live in Newcastle you may still qualify for a grant to install central heating under the Government’s ECO Scheme. You can apply HERE.

2. Who can apply for central heating grants in Newcastle?

To qualify under ECO Scheme rules or LA Flex rules you must be a home owner or a tenant in a privately rented home.

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 Newcastle.

3. My home has had central heating but it has been removed, will I still qualify?

To qualify for first time central heating grants in Newcastle your home must never have had a central heating system fitted before.

If it has had a central heating system fitted but it has been removed, you will not qualify.

4. Do I need to receive benefits to qualify?

There are two ways to qualify for first time central heating grants in Newcastle:

For home owners and private tenants:

You, or someone who lives permanently with you, receives one of the qualifying state benefits, tax credits or other allowances.

You do not receive any benefits but you may qualify if you need to pay a substantial part of your household income to keep your home warm. This is referred to as the ECO Flex or LA Flex scheme where Newcastle Council can recommend that you qualify for a grant to install central heating even though you don’t receive benefits.

5. Are all property types included in the scheme?

All property types are included in the central heating grants in Newcastle scheme as long as you meet all of the other requirements of the scheme.

6. My home doesn't have a mains gas supply, can I still have a central heating system fitted?

Unfortunately no.

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 central heating for the first time.

7. How long will I have to wait to have central heating installed?

If you apply for the central heating grants in Newcastle scheme today and you qualify, you could have central heating installed in your home in as little as two to three weeks.

Obviously this will take longer if your home needs to a have a mains gas supply installed first.

8. My home has a heating system but it's not central heating, will I still qualify?

To qualify for the central heating grants in Newcastle scheme your home MUST have no heating at all OR one of the following heating systems:

  1. Electric room heaters, including direct acting room heaters, fan heaters or inefficient electric storage heaters
  2. Gas room heaters; including fixed mains gas room heaters
  3. Gas fire with back boiler
  4. Mains gas warm air system
  5. Solid fossil fuel fire with back boiler
  6. Electric underfloor or ceiling heating (not part of an electric boiler)
  7. Bottled LPG room heating
  8. Solid fossil fuel room heaters
  9. Wood/biomass room heating
  10. Oil room heaters

The heating system used to check your eligibility for Central Heating Grants in Newcastle is the one which appears as the ‘Main Heating’ system on the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for your home. You can see your EPC HERE by entering your post code.

9. I would like to apply for a central heating grant, what do I do next?

Firstly, to apply for the Central Heating Grants in Newcastle 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 LA Flex forms with you to apply for approval by Newcastle 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.

10. Which areas are included in the LA Flex Central Heating Grants in Newcastle Scheme?

You may qualify for a grant under LA Flex to install central heating in your home if you live in one of these areas or boroughs:

Benwell and Scotswood, Blakelaw, Byker, Castle, Dene, Denton, East Gosforth, Elswick, Fawdon, Fenham, Kenton, Lemington, Newburn, North Heaton, North Jesmond, Ouseburn, Parklands, South Heaton, South Jesmond, Walker, Walkergate, Westerhope, Westgate, West Gosforth, Wingrove and Woolsington

11. Will central heating be installed in my home free of charge?

In most cases, having a new central heating system installed under the central heating grants in Newcastle scheme does not require a contribution from you and it is installed free of charge. Also, if you need to have a mains gas supply connected, that if quite often done without charge.

However, we will not know whether a contribution is required until your free survey has been carried out. If a contribution is required, it will be explained fully and you will have the option to withdraw your application if you are not happy to pay it. You do not have to continue with the application if you don’t want to and there will be no charge for the survey.

11. What does the central heating grant cover?

Central heating grants in Newcastle cover the cost of all materials and installation including a new mains gas central heating boiler, central heating radiators, all the necessary pipework and thermostatic heating controls.

If any plasterwork is damaged during the installation it will be repaired but the grant does not cover the cost of redecoration.

11. Where does the money come from for central heating grants in Newcastle?

Funding for central heating grants in Newcastle comes from the Government’s ECO Scheme and there are two ways of qualifying:

  1. If you receive one of the qualifying benefits your new central heating system will be paid for by the Government’s ECO Scheme. Electricity suppliers place a levy of around £30 per year on every domestic electricity bill in England, Scotland and Wales. This money is paid into an ECO Fund and payments are made out of it directly to installation companies after they have installed your central heating system
  2. If you don’t receive one of the qualifying benefits you may qualify under the ECO Flex or LA Flex Scheme. In this case funding still comes from the ECO Scheme, it is just another way of qualifying.
Central Heating Grants in Newcastle From the ECO Scheme
Central Heating Grants in Newcastle from the Government's ECO Scheme and Newcastle Council
Apply for Central Heating Grant