Grant Schemes explained

BUS Grant Scheme

What is it?

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) supports the decarbonisation of heat in buildings. It provides upfront capital grants to support the installation of heat pumps in homes and non-domestic buildings in England and Wales. Acting on behalf of property owners, installers can apply for £7,500 off the cost and installation of an air or ground source heat pump. Taylor’s are MCS accredited so will deal with all the paperwork involved with claiming the grant back.

This grant can be used for both your own home as well as tenanted properties.

Eligibility

Any property which has not had an air source heat pump previously fitted but does have a current EPC is eligible for the £7,500 grant towards the cost of a new heat pump system. There is no means testing on the home's inhabitants. If you don't have a current EPC, our in-house assessor can carry one out for you.

What is the process?

For Woldmarsh group members, we will carry out a free survey and heat loss calculation report for the property. This will show any radiators that need replacing and the specification of the heat pump that our software and expertise recommends. On acceptance of the accompanying quotation, we generally fit within 4-6 weeks. The fitting process takes 3-4 days depending upon how many radiators (if any) need to be installed or replaced.

What's The Cost To The House Owner/Tenant?

After the government grant, the cost of a new air source heat pump system is from around £4,000.

• Air Source Heat Pumps
• Ground Source Heat Pumps

ECO4 Scheme

What is it?

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is a government energy-efficiency scheme in Great Britain, designed to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions. ECO4 measures were able to be delivered from the 1 April 2022. The ECO4 scheme will run until 31 March 2026.

ECO4 focusses on improving the least energy efficient homes and households in fuel poverty, as only properties in bands D-G can be treated. It also aims to deliver a more complete upgrade of those homes, shifting to a multi-measure whole-house retrofit approach, for example, insulation, air source heat pump and solar panels. All measures which are determined necessary by a survey on the property must be fitted - the houseowner or tenant is unable to pick and choose single measures. Taylor’s is the only company in Lincolnshire (that we know of) which is PAS2030:2023 accredited. This means that they can now carry out surveys, design and fit measures required for the ECO4 scheme.

Eligibility

ECO eligibility is assessed using a combination of householder criteria and house makeup. The householder eligibility criteria are assessed using three separate pathways: receipt of eligible benefits, living in social housing with poor energy efficiency, or eligibility under ECO4 Flex.Eligibility for the ECO4 scheme is available to homeowners and private tenants living in properties (houses and flats) with EPC ratings of D, E, F, or G, who receive income-related benefits like income-related employment and support allowance (see the full list of qualifying benefits for the ECO4 grant scheme).

Landlords can encourage their tenants to apply, but both parties must agree.

If a householder does not qualify through our assessment, there are other government energy support initiatives can be explored. Checking with your local authority is a prudent step.

Local authorities may provide access to funding for energy-saving measures through other grant schemes, such as LA Flex – Flexible Eligibility, offering additional support beyond the ECO4 grant for those receiving income-related benefits.

What is the process?

The first step is to see if a property and its householder is eligible. If they are eligible, in collaboration with the home owner or tenant and landlord, we will conduct a free customised survey of the property to develop a personalised package of improvements to enhance the home's efficiency. The specific offerings will depend on the survey results but may include some of the following products: -External Wall Insulation -Heat Pump -Solar Panels -Internal Wall Insulation. A householder, landlord or tenant cannot pick and choose the measures - they are part of a complete package which must be completed to avoid costs being allocated to the home owner.

What's The Cost To The House Owner/Tenant?

As long as all approved measures are completed (i.e. the landlord or tenant do not halt the installation of certain measures once some have been fitted), there is no cost to the home owner.

• Air Source Heat Pumps
• Ground Source Heat Pumps
• Solar PV
• Insulation
• Solar Thermal

Great British Insulation Scheme

What is it?

The Great British Insulation Scheme is a new government energy-efficiency initiative (formerly known as ECO+) administered by Ofgem. It aims to improve the least energy-efficient homes in Great Britain to combat fuel poverty and help lower energy bills.

The scheme complements the ECO4 scheme, but unlike ECO4’s ‘whole house’ approach, it primarily delivers single insulation measures.

In addition to supporting low-income and vulnerable households, the scheme is also available to those living in homes with an energy performance certificate rating of D to G, and within council tax bands A to D in England and A to E in Scotland and Wales.

The scheme places an obligation on medium and large energy companies to implement measures that result in reduced energy usage. It began in April 2023 and is scheduled to end in April 2026.

Eligibility

To qualify, the property must need energy-efficiency upgrades, such as cavity wall insulation. The scheme will provide one insulation measure per home, determined through a retrofit assessment that evaluates how changes to your property could reduce energy use and lower carbon dioxide emissions. In some cases, secondary measures, like room thermostats or boiler programmers, will be available for households in low-income groups. Measures include:

• cavity wall (including party wall)
• loft
• solid wall
• pitched roof
• flat roof
• under-floor
• solid floor
• room-in-roof

What is the process?

Contact Taylor's for a retrofit survey (free to Woldmarsh members). We will then generate a report with measures recommended to be installed and how these would improve the property's EPC rating along with costs covered by the scheme and those payable by the home owner.

What's The Cost To The House Owner/Tenant?

10% of the overall cost of any measures installed are chargeable to the home owner/landlord.