Energy grants –are you eligible?

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by: Sarah Maple
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Government energy grants go under various different names depending on where you live in the UK.

England = “Warm Front”
Ireland = “Warm Homes”
Scotland = “Warm Deal” & “Central Heating Programme”
Wales = “Home Energy Efficiency Scheme”

These schemes allow residents of each country to get up to £2,700 towards improvements in their homes as long as the households applying for the grant fit certain criteria.

The improvements proposed must be ones that are designed to make the household more heat and energy efficient. In an effort to cut carbon emissions from the UK the loan scheme was put in place to encourage people in older houses or with lower incomes to make changes to reduce the amount of energy they used by updating insulation in their houses.

Many people live in older houses with less effective standards of insulation and just simply can’t afford to make the improvements necessary to modernise their homes. The Government is offering these grants to people who they believe need them the most.

These are the criteria as outlined on www.energysavingtrust.org

• You must own your own home or rent from a private landlord

• If you are 60 years of age or older and in receipt of at least one of the following benefits: income support, council tax benefits, housing benefits, job seekers allowance and pension credit.

• If you have a child under 16 or you are pregnant and have been awarded maternity MAT B1 and are also in receipt of benefits such as income support, council tax benefit etc.

• You are in receipt of one or more benefits such as disability living allowance, child tax credit with an income of less than £15, 460, housing benefit and disability premium etc.

Not everyone who applies will be eligible for the full amount.
Formerly in charge of energy efficiency targets the Government’s Energy Efficiency Commitment has been replaced with the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT). This is the body responsible for achieving set targets in the improvement of home energy efficiency in Great Britain.

You are free to take up any competing offers from any energy provider even if they are not the same company who supply your gas and electricity.
Local authorities also usually provide grants and offers to local residents to encourage them to install energy efficient measures within their homes i.e. cavity wall insulation or free loft insulation.

Visit http://www.warmfront.co.uk/do-i-qualify.htm for more information if you live in England and would like a free energy grant.

About the Author

Sarah Maple. For free insulation grants & cavity wall insulation grants see the Heat Project.

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