East Dunbartonshire Council ECO4 Flexible Eligibility Statement of Intent
Local Authority name: East Dunbartonshire Council
Publication Date: 1st January 2023
Version number: V.1.0
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: Households within Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) bands D-G with a gross income less than £31,000. This cap applies irrespective of the property size, composition, or region.
Route 2: Households within SAP bands E-G 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 |
|---|---|
| Proxy 2 | Householders receiving a Council Tax rebate (rebates based on low income only, excludes single person rebates). |
| 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 | A householder supported by a Council run scheme, that has been named and described by the Council as supporting low income and vulnerable households for the purposes of NICE Guideline. |
| 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. |
Proxies 1 and 3 cannot be used together for referrals under this route.
Route 3: Households within SAP bands D-G that have been identified by their doctor or GP as low-income and 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.
The Council has identified a positive correlation between low income households containing individuals who suffer from long-term health conditions and living in poorly insulated homes.
Route 4: Households within SAP band D-G that are referred under bespoke targeting. Suppliers and Councils can submit an application to Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) where they have identified a low income and vulnerable household, who are not already eligible under the existing 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 will be responsible for checking and verifying that declarations have been issued for households that meet the eligibility criteria and associated evidence has been submitted on behalf of the local authority.
Name: Derek Lyon – Programme Manager, Capital Projects.
Name: Julie Isikaiye – Private Sector Housing Officer
Telephone: 0300 123 4510
Email: energyefficiencyenquiries@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Authorised Signatory
East Dunbartonshire Council will administer the scheme according to BEIS’ ECO4 Order and will identify eligible households via Ofgem’s application process.
The eligibility information will be stored securely in line with the Council’s data protection policy, Information Commissioner’s Office Data Sharing Code, and BEIS guidance.
|
Signature |
|
|---|---|
|
Name |
Alan Bauer |
|
Job Title |
Executive Officer – Assets & Facilities |
|
Date of signature |
14th December 2022 |
For any general enquires relating to this SoI, please contact energyefficiencyenquiries@eastdunbarton.gov.uk.