Eco Flexible Eligibility scheme

The Energy Company Obligation is an obligation on energy suppliers aimed at helping households cut their energy bills and reduce carbon emissions. This is achieved by installing energy saving measures. Flexible Eligibility is a new approach with a particular focus on households in fuel poverty or with occupants on low incomes or who are vulnerable to the effects of cold homes. The scheme allows for government grant funding to be distributed on behalf of energy companies and is agent led. Torbay Council welcomes the introduction of Flexible Eligibility and intends to utilise it for the purposes of reducing fuel poverty in Torbay.

The grant process explained

1. Clients will need to make contact with an energy agent who can deliver the grant. Clients may have already been contacted by a known company. Customers cannot apply on their own.
2. Once the client has expressed an interest in receiving a grant, the agent will perform a property survey. The survey will involve an agent assessing a number of factors within the dwelling including; heating type, age of boiler, amount of insulation, room sizes etc. The agent will send a report of their survey to an energy company who will come back with a financial offer to raise the efficiency of the dwelling. The council does not see this offer.
3. We will confirm eligibility of the client following completion of the signed application form.
   Eligibility Criteria: Please see Torbay Council’s Flexible Eligibility statement of Intent to identify eligibility criteria.
4. Once the energy agent has received permission to undertake improvement works, an installer will need to provide a quote for the cost of works. This will involve another home survey to accurately price the cost of works. We do not see this costing.
   If the cost of installation is below the financial offer from the energy company, the grant will proceed free of charge to the client. If the cost of installation is greater than the offer from the energy company then there may be a financial contribution for the client to make. The agent will notify the client of this.
   Clients are under no obligation to proceed with the installation.
5. Once an energy agent makes a firm offer, an install date will be arranged with the client. 

Please note that we will not be aware of the grant sum awarded, overall cost of install, the cost of any contribution from clients, the date of install, or if the agent wishes to proceed. Our role is to simply confirm eligibility. For these reasons the local authority are not in a position to write to clients regarding individual applications, even if a declaration has been issued.

To start the process, clients must first identify an energy agent offering the scheme and complete the application form. The agent can then undertake a property survey and, if eligible, we will confirm eligibility of the client. Once we have confirmed eligibility, the energy company can discuss costs of install with the client and undertake works.