A range of grants, including new and enhanced schemes, are available to help landlords improve the energy efficiency of homes and cut their carbon footprint.
Chichester council is urging landlords and other home owners to check whether they’re eligible for free insulation, solar panels and heat pumps, or funding to help replace an old gas boiler with more efficient heating systems.
"The average household could be losing hundreds of pounds each year because their property isn't energy efficient, and so we're encouraging people to see whether they could be eligible for free home energy grants to help make their homes warmer and their energy bills cheaper" says a council spokesperson.
The 'Great British Insulation Scheme' was introduced by the government last month and offers grants to fund insulation for homes in council tax bands A to D. More details of the Great British Insulation Scheme on the Government website.
The government has also just announced an increase to the amount that homeowners can claim through its Boiler Upgrade Scheme which enables people to apply for a grant of up to £7,500 to cover part of the cost of replacing an oil, gas or electric heating system with a more efficient air source or ground source heat pump. The scheme also offers £5,000 off a biomass boiler.
Another source of support is Warmer Homes, which can provide a range of fully-funded energy efficiency improvements for your home through the government's Home Upgrade Grant. The grants are for properties that do not use mains gas for heating, and for those on low household income or for those in receipt of means tested benefits.
In addition, in that area only, there is the Chichester Warm Homes Initiative which provides financial assistance for residents on a low income living in a property with poor energy efficiency and for landlords with an eligible tenant. It could contribute towards the installation of an efficient heating system, as well as loft and wall insulation. The maximum assistance is £10,000 for homeowners living in on-gas areas, and up to £25,000 for those in off-gas areas. More details on Chichester Warm Homes initiative page.
Meanwhile the Energy Company Obligation scheme offers grants to low-income households and those in vulnerable situations. The scheme can help you insulate your home, or possibly even help with replacing an old, inefficient boiler or other heating system. If your household income is less than £31,000 a year, or you live in a cold home and have: a cardiovascular, respiratory, or mental health condition; a disability; are aged 65 or older; or live in a household with children from new-born to school age, you can contact the Citizens Advice Energy Team on 0800 145 6879.
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I simply cannot envisage that most landlords will be interested in improving the energy efficiency of their properties when control of those properties is being lost to the State. Energy efficiency will not be uppermost in their minds because they are planning their exit from the private rental sector.
On the other hand if all tenancies were common law, then landlords would have to compete with other landlords for tenants, and in order to let their properties they would have to be very attractive to tenants - and being energy efficient would be much more important in those circumstances whatever the legislation was regarding EPC.
Trying to actually get Govt funding is like trying to catch a bar of soap!
I have applied, have had one auto response about a high volume of enquiries and nothing since. Same shame the green homes grant was, string em along ling enough for the scheme to expire and the money evaporates back into central government coffers!
The problem is that many of these initiatives require disclosure of the tenants circumstances and understandably I can't see many wanting to discuss those with their landlord; yes they will have given some information on the original tenancy agreement but if that has changed I can imagine most will not want to say, fearing a rent increase or breach of contract - even though you are trying to improve the property for them. This definitely needs a rethink in respect of tenanted properties.
Precisely that. A person's personal finances are personal and a tenant has no obligation to share that information with a landlord after the tenancy has been granted.
It’s not a landlord Scheme if you’re household income is less than £31k pa you’ll hardly be a landlord or own a second property, not in the South of England. Owning one property means you haven’t Tenants but maybe a couple of lodger’s.
To be over 65 and a landlord can’t see any such landlord qualifying for that.
To have a medical condition as mentioned that will be the majority of false disabled badges holders in London. We had those Schemes years ago in London not for landlords.
Jo, busy yesterday not time to read, you are right about privacy and personal finances it is private matter and looking for too much personal information.
Good to hear from you this seems to be you’re only paragraph or comment yesterday usually you have many column inches to your credit but it’s probably all being said before and Government not listening. I believe you are operating away below your stations if I may say so with the knowledge you have of the industry and surprised you haven’t been head hunted by one of those large Property Companies.
Too much information yesterday I stood in Plant Hire Office for an hour trying to hire a Carpet shampoo machine, question after question even though I had hired from them in the past it’s their IT system has moved on to stupid unbelievable that any Business could have become so inefficient and useless. I had enough ID to choke an Elephant yet it took all this time with them conferring with their Manchester Office, not just for me other Customers had pre booked and suffered the same faith. I know other Companies are equally as bad and want double information and worse than useless and totally inefficient themselves that will be Electric, Water and Gas Utilities with Charity Status.
Spend 10 grand to save 50p over 200 years
Seems legit
I think that I have read someone on here previously saying they were going to get rid of their Biomass system but now the Scheme is offering £5’000 to put one in ?.
I have a biomass wood pellet boiler that is coming out it's rubbish and the pellets are getting very expensive
Normally a waste of time even bothering to apply for these grants
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