If you are struggling with rising energy costs and keeping your home warm, help may be at hand at no cost to you to make your home more energy efficient. Find out about the current schemes available, and how to check your eligibility below.
ECO4
ECO4 is a government-backed energy efficiency scheme designed to both tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions, funded by the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). It is running until March 2026, and is focused on improving the energy efficiency of our worst performing homes through employing a range of (funded) retrofitting measures, such as wall and loft insulation, upgrades to renewable heating systems, new heating controls and solar panels.
Homes with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E - G will be treated, with limited funding available for measures to D-rated properties (as confirmed by the relevant installer).
Eligibility is also linked to the household occupants. You must be in receipt of an income related benefit – such as Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit to qualify through the usual route, although under ECO Flex, local authorities are able to widen out eligibility so additional households can benefit. For Wigan, this means that low-income households (with a gross annual income of less than £31,000) will also be considered, alongside those suffering from a long-term health condition that is affected by living in a cold home.
View the Greater Manchester Combined Authority ECO4 Flexible Eligibility Statement of Intent for the full eligibility criteria and referral routes in respect of Wigan households.
Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)
Whereas ECO4 takes a whole-house retrofit approach, GBIS is focused on single insulation measures such as cavity wall, solid wall, loft, roof and underfloor insulation. Only homes with an EPC rating of D-G, and within Council Tax bands A-D, will be considered, with priority also given to supporting low-income and vulnerable households.
Like ECO4, the scheme will run until March 2026. Insulation measures will be free or discounted; if there is anything to pay, this will be confirmed after a home assessment.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Through the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, you could get a grant to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems (such as oil, gas or electric) with a heat pump or biomass boiler.
You can receive one grant per property, with the following currently available: £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, £7,500 towards a ground source heat pump, or £5,000 towards a biomass boiler. To be eligible for a grant, you must own the property that you are applying for and be replacing a fossil fuel heating system. Your property must have a valid EPC dated within the last 10 years, and cannot be a new build property, although if you have moved into a finished new build with a fossil fuel boiler, you may be able to access a grant towards a heat pump. View Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Overview - GOV.UK (external link) for further details on the scheme, including full eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Check your eligibility online
Through GMCA’s Retrofit Portal (external link) you can easily check your eligibility and apply for the main energy efficiency schemes operating across Greater Manchester. All you will need to hand are basic property and contact details, along with a confirmation of any benefits received (if applicable), household income or proof of long-term health condition, with a tool available through the online form to upload your evidence.
If eligible, your application will then be routed through to the relevant installer, who will make contact and look to arrange a home survey.
If your home does not have a current EPC (this may be the case if it has not been sold or let since 2007), you will not be able to progress with the online application. Contact our LEAD (energy advice) team as they will be able to support you with this.
Further links and support