Free Boiler Grants in St Helens
Do YOU qualify for a FREE BOILER GRANT?
ECO4 boiler and insulation grants are already live in St Helens and beyond…
Can you get a free boiler grant in St Helens?
If you live in St Helens then EnergySnap has got some great news for you…
ECO4 Home Energy Grants are open in St Helens, releasing a huge amount of funding for energy-saving tech, like FREE boilers, insulation, solar panels, smart controls and even air source heat pumps!
Not just a free boiler grant, ECO4 government backed funding is designed to help households that struggle with their energy consumption to completley change their home’s energy performance. In some cases, ECO4 funding has help households insulate their walls, loft spaces and floors, AND still let them claim a completely free boiler, all under the grant scheme – amazing!
Even better, while many councils are yet to get their ECO4 Local Authority Flex program off the ground, St Helens is ahead of the curve, opening up even more ways to claim free boiler grants.
Have you checked your eligiblity for a free boiler grant yet? Use our ECO4 eligibility checker to find out for free if you can make a claim.
Who qualifies for a free boiler in St Helens?
At EnergySnap we want to see as many people receive free boilers and insulation as possible, and thanks to ECO4 Local Authority Flex being open in St Helens, more people than ever should qualify for these valuable energy grants.
ECO4 funding is complex and every claim is a little different from the last, but you may be eligible if your household ticks these 2 BIG BOXES:
BOX 1: People In Your Household
If your household are the homeowners and if one or more of these statements is true, then you may be able to tick this box pretty quickly:
- Somebody in your household claims an income based benefit, such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, or Child Tax Credit.
- Somebody in your household has a medical condition that is made worse by living in a cold home. A doctor will need to sign and send a letter to verify, and it's usually either a Cardiological, respiratory, immuno or mobility related condition.
- Your total household income is below £31000 gross per year.
- Other factors may include things like being over 65 years old, living in a designated LSOA, receiving free school dinners or receving PIP, however, there usually needs to be a few of these smaller factors together to build up a case.
BOX 2: Your Home, Existing Boiler and Insulation
Most homes will qualify if it can be shown that the energy performance is low, especially if the boiler is very old. Is one of these statements true?
- Our boiler is an old, non-condensing boiler from before 2006, or we have never had a gas boiler installed.
- Our most recent energy performance certificate rates our home as a low D or below.
- We don't have an energy performance certificate, and our house feels very cold and poorly insulated.
Reckon you might qualify for FREE BOILER GRANT?
If you think you may be able to tick both boxes, EnergySnap would be happy to confirm it for you, before connecting you with an approved local installer around St Helens.
What kind of boilers qualify for a free repalcement?
Finding out if your home qualifies for a free boiler grant replacement is one of the biggest questions you can ask, potentially saving your thousands!
While it will be up to the funders and installers to decide for sure if you qualify for a replacement, there are a few things to look out for to check your boiler’s eligibility. If you get stuck, use our contact us page to get free help deciding if your boiler qualifies.
Non-condensing boiler grants
Non-condensing boilers often qualify for replacement under the ECO4 free boiler grant scheme not just because they are old, but because they are inefficient by modern standards.
These non-condensing boilers might be combi boilers, regular boilers or system boilers, but they all lack the same thing: the high efficiency brought about by having a condensing system. Some will run on oil but most will run on mains gas.
Ways you can tell if your boiler is a non-condenser may be if:
- It is missing a condensate pipe or pump
- There is no mention of HE or High Efficiency
- It was installed before 1st April 2005 when condensing models became mandatory on all new gas installations.
Important Note! Some early condensing models of boiler from around 2006 and 2007 are still very inefficient, and may be able to be treated as a non-condenser under ECO4, so don’t forget to check with a professional!
Back boilers replacements
Back boilers are pretty old-school but there are plenty of them dotted around homes in St Helens, hidden behind old fireplaces.
Back boilers haven’t really been installed for decades, but they nearly always qualify for full or partial funding under ECO4.
You can tell if you have a back boiler by where it is positioned: usually behind a gas or electric fireplace.
Under the scheme, eligible back boilers would be completely removed, and you would usually then need to find space for a new combi boiler somewhere else in your house.
Although it’s unusual, some backboilers work on a 1-pipe system. For a modern combi to be installed you’d have to upgrade to a 2-pipe system, however the grant doesn’t always cover this.
First Time Central Heating Grants
If your home:
- Doesn’t have a gas central heating system and never has had one
AND
- has a mains gas connection and a meter installed before April 2022
Then you may be able to claim a First Time Central Heating Grant in St Helens.
This is where an installer will fit a full new gas central heating system including pipework, radiators and controls, or a renewable energy system such as Air Source Heat Pump and/or solar.
In homes that don’t have a gas connection then ASHP and solar will be the only choice.
What else can I get with a free boiler grant in St Helens?
Assuming that your home qualifies, it is likely that you will get more than just a free boiler grant in St Helens.
ECO4 grants are designed to maximise the increase to your homes energy efficiency, meaning that if suitable, your installer may offer to fit:
- First Time Central Heating Grant (a whole new central heating system in homes that have never had one) (FTCH)
- Loft Insulation (LI)
- Cavity Wall Insulation (CWI)
- Internal Wall Insulation (IWI)
- Room In Roof Insulation (RIRI)
- Underfloor Insulation (UFI)
- Smart Controls (SC)
- Zoning (TTZC)
St Helens Free Boiler Grant FAQs
We understand that you’re full of questions right now, so here are some answers to as many as we can think of!
Nope!
Funding for ECO4 regardless of what route it comes down comes via the Government and the Big Energy Companies. St Helens Council might have a role to play in your free boiler grant claim if you are qualifying under Route 1 (Low income) or Route 3 (medical conditions) of Local Authority Flex. In which case, the application for approval will go to the council, but the funding will come from the same source as any other claim anywhere in England or Wales.
If somebody in your household receives an income-based benefit then the council may not be involved at all.
ECO4 started in April 2022 and St Helens Council opened to Local Authority Flex applications in 2023.
Politics is a funny game as we all know, but all being well the scheme should run well into 2025 and beyond, however it may change as it goes along.
We should certainly hope so!
If you live in the UK and receive a means-tested benefit then you should qualify, however if you don’t and wish to apply for Local Authority Flex routes such as Low Income or Medical Grounds, then it will depend if your local council is setup to take and process applications. As of writing this, Sefton, Knowsley and Halton councils are all open for LA Flex, but Liverpool and Warrington seem to be closed (last updated January 2024).
If you qualify for a free boiler in St Helens then the type of boiler you get will depend on many factors including:
- Your existing pipework and system, and its condition
- The size of your house, how many showers you have etc
- Whether you want to add some of your own money.
In most cases, your new boiler will be completely free of charge, however if you want to opt for a more ‘premium’ brand then you may be asked to contribute.
Yes! Although we operate all over the North West, our founder lives and works in St Helens.
If you look like you might qualify for a free boiler, we will arrange for a Retrofit Assessment through one of our installers. They will send out a qualified surveyor to inspect your home (and the boiler) to ensure it is suitable for the grant. At this point, you will have some paperwork to sign to make the application.
Assuming the application is successful and the survey doesn’t find any problems, then your installer will arrange a date with your for installation. If for any reason you decide to back out, that’s ok up to 2 working days before the installation is set. Anything after that may incur charges due to loss of earnings on the part of the installer.
No, EnergySnap act as an introducer to a number of installation firms. If it looks like you qualify and you consent, we will try to match you up with a suitable installer with the correct qualifications and clearance to install the measures under ECO4.
You can find out more the Partners page.
We get this a lot, but ECO4 grants are very real. Check out our main ECO4 Information page for more details