Statement of Intent for ECO4 - Superseded

Statement of Intent for ECO4

 

East Dunbartonshire Council ECO4 Flexible Eligibility Statement of Intent

Local Authority name: East Dunbartonshire Council

Publication Date: June 23

Version number: V.2.0

Publication on web site: www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk

 

This statement sets out East Dunbartonshire Council’s flexible eligibility criteria for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme from April 2022 – March 2026. The scheme will improve the least energy efficient homes helping meet the Governments fuel poverty and net zero commitments. The flexible approach for Local Authorities (LAs) to identifying fuel poor and vulnerable households who may benefit from heating and energy saving measures is referred to as “ECO4 Flex”.

The Council welcomes the introduction of the ECO4 Flex eligibility routes as it helps the Council achieve its plans to improve the homes of those in fuel poverty or vulnerable to the cold.

The Council is publishing this Statement of Intent (SoI) to confirm that the each of the households declared will adhere to at least one of the four available routes outlined below:

Route 1: SAP band D-G owner-occupied households and private rented sector E-G households with a gross income less than £31,000. This cap applies irrespective of the property size, composition, tenure type or region.

Route 2: SAP band D-G owner-occupied households and private rented sector E-G households that meet a combination of two of the following proxies:

Proxy 1	Homes in Scotland on  the Index of Multiple Deprivation for 2020, published by the Scottish Government [opens in a new window]
Proxy 2	Householders receiving Council Tax reduction (reduction based on low income only, excludes single person reduction).
Proxy 3	Householders vulnerable to living in a cold home as identified in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidance. (Only one from the list identified in the NICE Guidance can be used, and the proxy ‘low income’ is excluded).
Proxy 4	A householder receiving free school meals due to low-income.
Proxy 5	This route is currently not in use.
Proxy 6	A household referred to the Council  for support by their energy supplier or Citizen’s Advice Scotland because they have been identified as struggling to pay their electricity and gas bills.

Route 3: SAP bands D-G owner-occupied households and private rented sector E-G households that have been identified by either a person registered in the General Practitioner Register, a Scottish Health Board, a Welsh Health Board, an NHS Foundation Trust, or an NHS Trust as vulnerable, with an occupant whose health conditions may be impacted further by living in a cold home. These health conditions may be cardiovascular, respiratory, immunosuppressed, or limited mobility related.

Route 4: SAP band D-G owner-occupied households and private rented sector E-G households that are referred under Route 4: Bespoke Targeting. Suppliers and LAs can submit an application to  The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ) where they have identified a low income and vulnerable household, who are not already eligible under the exiting routes.

Declaration and evidence check confirmation

All potentially eligible households should apply through Home Energy Scotland or an ECO installer to ensure  they can either benefit from the scheme or be assessed for eligibility under any other relevant programme.

The final decision on whether any individual household can benefit from funding for energy saving improvements under ECO Flex will be made by the appropriate ECO supplier and their contractors/agents. Eligibility does not guarantee funding and the final decision of whether measures will be undertaken will depend upon

• Surveys carried out by an ECO contractor/agent of properties and household circumstances and the installation costs calculated
• The energy savings that can be achieved the property.
• Whether suppliers have achieved their relevant Affordable Warmth targets or require further measures to meet such targets.
• Where the assessment process identifies that a household are required to pay a proportion of the cost of potential measures themselves, this which would be the subject of agreement between the parties.

The Council’s Housing Investment Team, as listed below will be responsible for checking and verifying declarations and associated evidence submitted on behalf of the local authority

Name: Derek Lyon – Programme Manager, Capital Projects.
Name: Julie Isikaiye – Private Sector Housing Officer
Name: Elaine Anderson – Private Sector Support Officer
Telephone: 0300 123 4510
Email: energyefficiencyenquiries@eastdunbarton.gov.uk

Authorised Signatory

East Dunbartonshire Council will administer the scheme according to the Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2022 (ECO4 Order) and will identify eligible households via Ofgem’s application process. The Executive Officer will oversee the process of identifying eligible households under ECO Flex.

The eligibility information will be stored securely in line with the Council’s data protection policy, Information Commissioner’s Office Data Sharing Code, and ESNZ guidance.

Signature:

Name: Alan Bauer
Job Title: Executive Officer – Assets & Facilities
Date of signature: 01/06/23

 

For any general enquires relating to this SoI, please contact energyefficiencyenquiries@eastdunbarton.gov.uk.