Could you be entitled to an energy grant?

The Government

The UK Government funds schemes providing up to £2,700 to households on certain benefits (see below for examples of eligibility criteria) to improve their heating and energy efficiency. In England the scheme is known as Warm Front, in Northern Ireland it is Warm Homes, in Scotland it is Warm Deal and the Central Heating Programme and in Wales it is the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme. The eligibility criteria for the schemes differ between countries – with some schemes you need to be in receipt of certain benefits, whilst others are available to anyone over a certain age. Full details can be found on the websites listed below.

Examples of Warmfront eligibility criteria – If you own your own home or rent it from a private landlord and if:

• You are 60 years or older and are in receipt of one or more benefits. Benefits include: income support, council tax benefit, housing benefit, job seekers allowance and pension credit.
  or
• You have a child under 16 or you are pregnant and have been given maternity MAT B1 and are also in receipt of benefits such as income support, council tax benefit etc.
  or
• 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.

Then you could be entitled to a warm front grant

Appliance energy efficiency rating

As a simple guide to efficiency, a scheme has been created with SEDBUK efficiency bands assigned to boilers on an “A” to “G” scale. The band is shown in the database and may be used on product literature and labels, though there is no requirement for manufacturers to do so. The scheme is temporary as it will be withdrawn when a European directive on boiler energy labelling is introduced.

Band	SEDBUK range
	90% and above
	86% – 90%
	82% – 86%
	78% – 82%
	74% – 78%
	70% – 74%
	below 70%

Simple tips

1. Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent. You could save around £40 per year.
2. Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn’t need to be set higher than 60°C/140°F.
3. Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
4. Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
5. Don’t leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances on charge unnecessarily.
6. If you’re not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme.
7. Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you’re using an electric kettle).
8. A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they’re fully turned off!
9. Use energy saving light bulbs. Just one can save you £60 over the lifetime of the bulb – as they last up to 10 times longer than ordinary lightbulbs.
10. Do a home energy check. Just answer some simple questions about your home and we’ll give you a free, impartial report telling you how you can save up to £250 a year on your house hold energy bills.