According to the Energy Savings Trust, electrically heated homes are one of the most expensive types of heating options in the UK, emitting more carbon dioxide than any other types of heating.

Electric storage heaters are more commonly found in flats, rented homes, and more importantly; homes that have no primary form of mains gas connection. You may already have people living in your local vicinity connected to a mains gas supply. Fortunately for those of you who do currently have electric storage heaters installed at your property, you may unknowingly be entitled to full funding for the installation of a central heating system.

With only 39 weeks until this year’s festivities, it’s worth thinking about your home’s current heating system, and with summer months slowly approaching there is no better time to start preparing for the colder season.

If you are heating your home with electric storage heaters, why not find out if you qualify for a mains gas

connection at your home.  You can discuss this with your Gas Grid or Gas Distribution Network organisation to confirm if you can be provided a connection from the nearest gas meter of your home.

City Energy has already helped thousands of customers connect to their main gas. Central heating has always been the heart of a warm home and every day, more proficient renewable types of heating incentives are being introduced to help lower the cost of energy at home and for those struggling with fuel poverty.

There are several reasons why households are experiencing fuel poverty and many factors for this substantial rise include:

• The price of energy continues to rise, which means we need to spend a greater on taking care of these bills
• A significant number of homeowners live in draughty homes, from which the warmth escapes more easily
• Furthermore, due to ever-increasing energy costs, it is even harder to make our homes more energy-efficient, which would ultimately lessen our heating costs
• The general cost of living is rising, and this is also putting pressure on our finances, so we have less money to go around

There are currently two types of funding options available to give homeowners warmer homes and lower their energy costs; these are the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Eligibility Flexibility (LA FLEX) schemes.

ECO is an energy efficiency scheme in Great Britain to help reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. The scheme was introduced to the UK in April 2013. Over time, it has been updated and the latest policy is ECO3, which commenced on 3rd December 2018 and applies to measures completed from 1st October 2018.

ECO places legal obligations on the larger energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency measures to domestic energy users. Under the rules of ECO, energy suppliers are obliged to help improve the energy efficiency of their domestic customers’ buildings. These rules and eligibility requirements have changed frequently since the start of ECO and will continue to change over time.

LA FLEX operates under the Government’s ECO scheme. Local Authorities have been given the flexibility to define the eligible households living in or at risk of fuel poverty and have some latitude to go beyond that, where they find households vulnerable to the effect of cold homes. The eligibility criteria are defined by your Local Authority. There are two main categories of eligibility for LA Flex:

• Fuel poor households, especially those on low income and not in receipt of ECO eligible benefits; and
• Low-income households that are vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold

We offer a whole-home approach, meaning when our specialist agents visit you at your property, they will ensure your home is given a full energy sustainability inspection, making sure you don’t miss out on the chance of any possible upgrades that could ultimately lower your energy costs and keep your family warmer for longer.

Following our right-first-time approach, all measures are completed in full compliance with the design specifications, ECO standards, and manufacturer’s instructions. This is a value we stand by and we will always do our best to help those living in fuel-poor conditions. Our objectives are simple; fight fuel poverty, combat carbon, and provide warmer homes to our customers.

If you’re interested in any of our services and wish to find out if you qualify for funding, get in touch today. Complete our contact us form or email us, or call us on 02920 499 183.