The Council work in partnership with Act on Energy to run the Energy Efficiency Advice Scheme giving free and impartial advice to householders. The advantages to you in making your home more energy efficient are:
- Reduce fuel bills.
- Make your home easier to heat.
- Improve comfort and potential improvements in health.
A free-phone energy advice line has been set up to advise you on
- How to obtain national and local grants for energy-saving measures.
- Local discount schemes for energy-saving measure.
- Advice on approved energy efficiency installers who will help you to save energy.
If you would like to call the free Energy Efficiency Advice Scheme contact details are below:
- Free Energy Efficiency Advice Scheme - 0800 988 2881
- Energy Saving Trust
- Free Energy Check
- Insulation Advice
- Warm Front Grant Information
- pdf Warm Front Repairs & Servicing Scheme Leaflet (318 KB)
Green Homes Grant Funding
Through Government funding which Worcester City Council has accessed, local residents have the opportunity to access fully funded energy efficiency measures for low-income households.
This funding is allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis and so please act today if you may be eligible.
Please read the information below and contact Act on Energy on 0800 988 2881.
What measures are available through this funding?
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Energy Efficient Electric Storage Heaters
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Solar Panels (Solar PV)
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Internal and External Wall Insulation
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Draught Proofing
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Cavity and Loft Insulation
These measures can help you run a more energy-efficient home and save you money on your bills.
Do I qualify for funding?
Homeowners and tenants will qualify for funding if you meet the following two criteria:
- You have a combined gross household income (including any benefits you receive) of under £30,000 and
- Your home has a home energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of E, F or G.
For privately rented properties, landlords must contribute one-third of the cost of the measures.
What if I don’t have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?
Please do still get in touch, an EPC can be carried out as part of the qualifying checks for this scheme.
How do I register my interest?
Please call our charitable energy efficiency partner Act on Energy for free on 0800 988 2881, Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. Act on Energy is a charity that specialises in supporting households through their energy journey by offering free and impartial energy advice and helping households to access energy schemes.
As funding is allocated on a first come, first served basis, please contact Act on Energy for free on 0800 988 2881 as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Alternatively, access the online expression of interest form.
The funding has been secured through the government’s Sustainable Warmth Competition.
ECO Funding
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a government energy efficiency scheme in Great Britain to help reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. The Help to Heat element of the Government's ECO programme, also described as the Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation (HHCRO), focuses on low income and vulnerable householders. These are householders who receive specific benefits and, for tax credits and universal credits, are below a certain income threshold. This eligibility criterion is set by the Government
Flexible element of ECO and Statement of Intent
As part of Help to Heat, ECO legislation is permitting Local Areas to define additional criteria in their area to help those fuel poor households that fall outside the Help to Heat eligibility but are still in need of support. This is called the flexible element or flexible eligibility. This requires a Statement of Intent to be produced.
This statement of intent and subsequent declarations do not guarantee funding and/or the installation of measures for any household. All measures will be subject to a technical survey by the procured delivery partner. Schemes may close suddenly and funding withdrawn if delivery partner targets have been achieved. The delivery of flexible eligibility going forward is subject to government policy.
View Statement of Intent (on Worcestershire County Council's website)
Free advice line
To find out about ECO schemes in the area and to see if you are eligible, please contact Act on Energy on 0800 988 2881.
Warmer Worcestershire
Is your home losing heat? In a typical British home, one-third of the heat produced by central heating systems is lost through the roof, walls and windows which is aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the county and helping residents improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
For a poorly insulated property, this means that £1 in every £3 spent on heating is wasted. The good news is that it's easy to make improvements that will reduce your bills.
We're involved in the Warmer Worcestershire project. This project provides the following services:
- Thermal Mapping of every house in Worcestershire.
- Information about any grants available for insulation and energy efficiency.
- Advice on improving the efficiency of your home.
For information on Warmer Worcestershire please visit the Warmer Worcestershire Website.
Energy efficiency in your home
No cost to you
- Turn lights off when not needed
- Close doors in unused rooms
- Close curtains at night to retain heat
- Clean windows regularly to make the most of daylight
- Turn electrical appliances off at the plug, leaving the TV on standby still wastes money
- Make sure when cooking, the pan fits the ring correctly
- Only fill the kettle with as much water as is required (cover the element of course!)
- Turn down the central heating thermostat by 1-degree centigrade, it can save about 10% of your heating bill.
- Don't put hot food in the fridge or leave the door open
Low cost to you
- Fit energy-saving light bulbs where lights are on for a long time, such as in a hall or children's room
- Fit a flap on your letterbox to stop draughts
- Fix leaking taps
- Draught proof exterior doors
- Radiator foil/shelves are good ways of reflecting heat to the centre of the room
- Replace old appliances, for example, freezers, fridges and washing machines. ‘A' grade appliances will be more expensive but will use less electricity over their lifetime and are usually cheaper in the long run
Some cost to you
- 35% of your home's heat is lost through your walls. Fitting cavity wall insulation is one of the most effective energy efficiency measures. The cost varies depending on the size of the property, but the cost for an average 3 bedroom semi-detached house is around £150
- 25% of the heat is lost from the roof space so fitting 10 inches / 270mm of loft Insulation will stop valuable heat escaping and save money on your heating bill. The average cost for a 3-bedroom semi-detached is £150
- Overhaul your heating system and install a natural gas condensing boiler-the most efficient type of boiler available
- If you are very committed to the environment, then consider solar energy.
Things to remember
It's very important to ensure that any appliance, including cookers or boilers, have enough ventilation to operate safely.
- Do not block up existing air vents or grills, they are there to ensure your safety.
- Make sure any chimneys and flues being used by appliances burning fuel (gas, coal, oil, wood etc.) are regularly swept and checked for blockages. For more information on safety visit the Carbon Monoxide & Gas Safety Society website.
HECA Report
Home Energy Conservation Act Reports set out what conservation measures Local Authorities consider practical, cost-effective and likely to result in significant improvement in the energy efficiency of residential accommodation in the area.
Our first report was published in 2013 and set out how Worcester City Council intended to help householders take advantage of financial incentives such as the Green Deal, Energy Company Obligation (ECO), Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), Feed-in Tariff (FIT) and any other schemes that became available.
Through Worcester City's commitment to energy improvement and partnership working with other agencies such as Act on Energy, we have reduced the number of properties that were in low energy efficient bands such as F and G and increased the proportion of households in more energy-efficient bands such as D.