The Energy Company Obligation offers alternative routes to qualifying an individual for funding support for energy efficiency improvements. Flexible eligibility is an alternative to being in receipt of a means tested benefit.
Grant Funding
Home Hero strives to make home energy efficiency improvements available to everyone.
Funding On Offer
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is a government energy efficiency scheme in Great Britain in its fourth phase, designed to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions. It was introduced in 2013 and has improved over 2.4 million homes across Great Britain. The current phase runs until March 2026.
The funding comes from energy companies, who are obligated to deliver energy efficiency measures to domestic premises. We’ve partnered with reputable energy companies to bring you the funding you need.
Who is eligible for funding?
The scheme focuses on improving the least energy efficient homes and helping households in fuel poverty. The eligibility for the scheme is measured by these three main factors:
1. That you live in a property that you own or privately rent*
2. That you receive an eligible benefit
3. That your property EPC rating is rated D* – G
*E-G rated EPC for privately rented properties
Private Domestic Property
A private domestic property is a flat/house that pays an energy bill for the postal address that is lived in as a permanent residence.
If you don’t own your property, you will require permission from the Landlord to take the opportunity to improve the home you live in. Eligibility is determined by the tenant of the property, rather than the landlord. So even if you’re a tenant, please fill out our enquiry form.
Our advisors will be able follow this up with you as we know that this can vary for every household.
Household ECO Eligibility
To be eligible for ECO funding you would need to be in receipt of qualifying benefits or meet ‘flexible’ criteria. Before we ask you to dig out any paperwork we'll ask for your permission to run a check through the Energy Saving Trust that will confirm to us if you have an eligible benefit.
If you’re not in receipt of an eligible benefit, don’t worry - we might still be able to help. We have agreements with Derbyshire County Council to make referrals in the North East Derbyshire, Bolsover and Chesterfield local authorities through what is known as ‘flexible eligibility’.
See our simple table of qualification routes for all routes.
Eligible Benefits:
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Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
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Income Support (IS)
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Pension Credit Guarantee Credit (PCGC)
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Working Tax Credit (WTC)
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Child Tax Credit (CTC)
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Universal Credit (UC)
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Housing Benefit
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Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)
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Income based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
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Child Benefit ( Income Caps Apply)
Flexible Eligiblity:
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Household Income Less Than £31,000
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GP Letter For Health Conditions*
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Proxy Route*
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Bespoke Route*
For further details on how these qualify please see below or enquire now.
Learn more
Flexible Eligibility
We have agreements in place to refer customers in the NE Derbyshire, Bolsover and Chesterfield areas.
Our Home Hero friendly and knowledgeable team are committed to guiding you through this process with professionalism and transparency. We’ll talk about what we need in clear simple terms and collate all the necessary paperwork we need to make the referral.
Flexible Eligibility Routes
To explain in more detail there are four main routes to flexible eligibility for ECO funded measures. These essentially replace the need to be on a means tested benefit. (listed under the eligible benefits section).
Route 1
A property where EPC is rated band D-G for owner-occupied households or a property in the private rented sector with an EPC rated band E-G, with a household income less than £31,000.
Route 2
You live in a home with EPC Bands E-G for owner-occupied households and private rented sector households that meet a combination of 2 of the following proxies.
Proxy 1
Homes in England in Lower-layer Super Output Area 1-3 (LSOA), or homes in Welsh provision LSOA 1-3 on the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019, or the Index of Multiple Deprivation for 2020, published by the Scottish government.
Proxy 2
Householders receiving a Council Tax reduction (based on low income only).
Proxy 3
You are considered vulnerable to living in a cold home as identified in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidance. Only one from the list can be used, excludes the proxy 1 “low income”. A member of our team can help.
Proxy 4
You are receiving free school meals due to low-income.
Proxy 5
Anyone in your home that is supported by a local authority run scheme, that has been named and described by the local authority as supporting low income and vulnerable households for the purposes of NICE guideline.
Proxy 6
Your household has been referred to the local authority for support by their energy supplier or Citizen’s Advice due to struggles in paying electricity and gas bills.
Proxies 1 and 3 cannot be used together and proxies 1 and 5 can be used together.
Route 3
EPC bands D to G owner-occupied households and private rented sector EPC bands E to G households that have been identified by either a person registered in the General Practitioner Register, an NHS Foundation Trust, or an NHS Trust as vulnerable, with an occupant whose health conditions may be impacted further by living in a cold home. These health conditions may be cardiovascular, respiratory, immunosuppressed, or limited mobility related.
Route 4
EPC band D to G owner-occupied households and private rented sector EPC Band E to G households that are referred under Route 4: Bespoke Targeting. Suppliers and local authorities can submit an application to DESNZ where they have identified a low income and vulnerable household, who are not already eligible under the exiting routes.
Should you require more detail
This is a service that Derbyshire County Council sign off and is not a council run scheme nor is there any funding available directly from the council.
More details on the Statement of intent can be found here: Derbyshire County Council Web Page
Should you require further information or seek assurances regarding the validity of this process, you are welcome to contact the council using the provided contact numbers.
Alice Sanghera, group manager, contracting and market management
tel: 01629 536919
or visit the website: Derbyshire County Council Web Page
What to do next?
Here at Home Hero we want to help and support your journey to reduce your energy use and make your home a healthier and more comfortable place to live. So please either call 0800 031 5264 or click enquire now or email us enquiries@homehero.co.uk
EPC FAQ
What is an EPC?
The energy efficiency of a property can be determined by an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which goes from a rating of A (most efficient) to a rating of G (least efficient). Our friendly customer advisors will be able to check for a current rating on the public register if one is available.
You may have seen stickers like the one below on appliances around your home or when you look to purchase them in the shops. Your home gets a similar sticker with a rating once an energy assessment has been done.
What does an EPC assessment look at?
An EPC assessment looks at the things that affect the energy efficiency of your home. This will include the lighting, the construction of the walls on your property, and the type of heating system you have in your home. The assessor will also look at the dimensions of your property and take note of the size and layout of your home.
So what does this mean?
When we assess all the various aspects of your property for an EPC it provides an overall energy rating. A property with an EPC rating of D or less could be eligible for ECO funding. The report is freely available to you for review and our customer advisors will be able to help you further once the results are provided.
How do I get an EPC?
If you don’t have an EPC, don’t worry, we can complete a simple assessment on your property. It takes a couple of hours to conduct and we can share the results with you once the assessor completes their paperwork.
How much funding will you receive?
The amount of funding you receive will depend upon your eligibility. While it is unlikely that funding will be enough to cover the full cost of your home energy improvements, any outstanding cost may be paid for via our various finance options on offer to suit you. This will help you to pay for the improvements which will reduce your home energy consumption and improve your home.
The first step to find out more is to fill out our enquiry form which will prompt our customer advisors to review your case. We will then be in touch to be able to indicate if any funding is available. Next, we’ll conduct a home assessment to see how much the energy efficiency improvements will cost. You will then be in a position to make an informed decision for how to fund any remaining amount.
