Three little-known schemes can cut the cost of your energy bills

Three-little-known schemes could cut the cost of your energy bills despite using more gas and electricity in winter and Ofgem announcing another price rise coming in January. The Eco Experts National Home Energy Survey found that a quarter of UK adults are unaware of any renewable energy schemes.

Eco Experts Editor, Roland Ellison, said: “With so many different government funding schemes available in different parts of the UK, applying can be a complicated area for consumers to navigate. More needs to be done by the government and scheme administrators to make low-carbon technology funding easier for consumers to understand and apply for.

"If the government wants people to take advantage of these funding schemes, they should ensure that they are simple to access and to adopt.”

Managing Director of Project Solar UK, Tom Armstrong, said: "There remains a clear gap between awareness and widespread adoption of low carbon technologies. The challenge for government, industry leaders, and businesses alike is to bridge this gap—by effectively communicating the benefits, and simplifying the process for consumers to transition to cleaner energy.”

Three little-known schemes that can cut your energy bills

Smart Export Guarantee

This scheme ensures that people who feed energy into the National Grid from solar panels, wind turbines and other low-carbon technology can receive payments from energy companies.

Doing this can help offset the installation costs of solar panels and other clean energy sources, moving forward your breakeven point by a few years.

Solar panels work by converting sunlight into electricity, but they can still work on cloudy days, meaning you could save money on energy bills even if you don’t live in a sunny area.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

The Energy Company Obligation ECO4 is run by energy suppliers and can cover the cost of installing energy efficiency improvements.

Applicants must receive one of the following benefits to be eligible for the ECO4 scheme:

• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income Support (IS)
• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit (PCGC)
• Working Tax Credit (WTC)
• Child Tax Credits (CTC)
• Universal Credit (UC)
• Housing Benefit
• Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)
• Child Benefit

Anyone with additional Department of Work and Pension (DWP) benefits will also have access to ECO4, regardless of whether they receive Universal Credit. You’ll need to live in a home with an energy rating of D to G (or E to G in some cases).

Home Upgrade Grant

The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) is a government-backed scheme that provides energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating via local authority funding. The scheme helps to cover households in England that meet the specific criteria.

Homes that qualify for HUG will have at least 60% of insulation costs covered, and landlords of rented properties will be entitled to a grant of up to £16,000 to improve the property. HUG is also available for people looking to receive grants for solar panels.