Local Authority Flex Grants for ECO4
You may still be able to get an ECO4 home energy grant for free, EVEN if you aren’t claiming a means-tested benefit thanks to Local Authority Flex (LA Flex for short). EnergySnap staff have seen hundreds of people receive new boilers, insulation, heatpumps or solar panels absolutely free despite not being on benefits – thank you LA Flex!
What is Local Authority Flex?
LA Flex is an additional way that homeowners and tenants may qualify for valuable home energy upgrades under the ECO4 scheme, such as free boilers and insulation.
The difference is, rather than being on benefits, Local Authority Flex allows councils to identify more households that are vulnerable or on low incomes, helping them access the valuable grant funding even if nobody in that household is receiving a benefit.
It’s a little more complicated this way, but Local Authority Flex adds at least 2 really important pathways to a grant:
LA Flex Route 1: Low Income, LA Flex Route 3: Medical Grounds and the slightly mysterious Route 2: Proxy combination route.
At EnergySnap we’re happy to explore Route 2 applications, but in our experience most people qualify under route 1 or 3.
Is my Council's Local Authority Flex open?
Not every council as opened up their Local Authority Flex scheme yet, while others have their own rules about which companies can submit to them. You can find more information about how Local Authority Flex may be working in your council below. If you don’t see your council there, it’s because we haven’t heard about that council’s scheme at the time of writing.
OPEN SCHEMES WE HAVE CONFIRMED:
[Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and you should check your local council website too: Last updated 10.02.2024]
Merseyside LCR LA Flex schemes
- St Helens Local Authority Flex Scheme
- Sefton Council Local Authority Flex Scheme
- Knowsley Council Local Authority Flex Scheme
- Halton Council Local Authority Flex Scheme
- Wirral Council Local Authority Flex Scheme
- Liverpool Council Local Authority Flex Scheme
Greater Manchester GMCA LA Flex schemes
- Bolton Council Local Authority Flex Scheme
- Salford Council Local Authority Flex Scheme
- Wigan Council Local Authority Flex Scheme
Welsh LA Flex schemes
- Conwy Council Local Authority Flex Scheme
Midlands LA Flex schemes
- Stoke Council Local Authority Flex Scheme
Who qualifies under local authority flex?
Just like ECO4, LA Flex is open to both homeowners and private renters who live in councils with an open LA Flex scheme. Both will need to prove they either own or rent their house with things like tenancy agreements, land reg entries, mortgage deeds and supported by council tax bills to show they are still resident at the property.
Local Authority Flex has 3 routes open, however from speaking to various councils in the North West throughout 2023 and 2024, only two of them appear to be in regular use:
LA Flex Route 1: Low Income
Is your gross annual household income below £31,000?
If so, then your household could be classed as ‘Low Income’, making you eligibile under Route 1 of Local Authority Flex.
Of course, you’ll be asked to evidence this as part of your application. When calculating your annual gross (before tax) income, you will need to take all working age adult’s income in the household into account, as well as any benefits or pensions that are coming in.
Then depending on your particular council’s rules, you may need to submit SOME of the following types of evidence where applicable:
- 3 Months recent bank statements
- 3 month’s recent pay slips
- Most recent P60 (needed for each source of income if not evidence elsewhere, excluding bank statements)
- Most recent Tax Returns (if self-employed)
- Annual pension statements
Route 1 is a great way to help working households or retiree households who often feel they can’t get help because they aren’t receiving income-based benefits, but involves a lot of gathering paperwork to put their case across.
LA Flex Route 3: Medical Grounds
Does somebody living in your household suffer from medical conditions made worse by living in a cold home?
Depending on the severity and NHS sign-off, if somebody in your home has a medical condition that fits into one of these 4 ‘umbrella conditions’ you might be able to claim a free boiler or insulation under Route 3 of Local Authority Flex on medical grounds:
- Cardiovascular conditions
- Respiratory conditions
- Mobility issues
- Immunosuppression
In any case, NHS sign-off using the templated letter, usually emailed directly from the NHS to your council is vital for signoff down this route.
There are 317 local authorites in the UK, and each one of them has been given autonomy over how it conducts LA Flex. This has meant that some councils have been very fast to open their schemes, while others may have struggled or seen it as less of a priority.
We try to keep our list of LA Flex schemes as complete and up to date as possible, but if you don’t see your council here then you should contact them directly, or do an internet search for the name of your council, plus ‘local authority flex ECO4’. This should hopefully bring up the relevant page on your council’s website if they have one.
If you do qualify for a free boiler or insulation grant through LA Flex then who does the installation will largely depend on the rules setup by your council.
Some councils have left the choice up to the customer and encouraged competition, leaving installation up to any companies who are capable and qualfies to conduct the work (usually the installer who helped you find out if you qualified and processsed the application).
Others may have tendered out for contractors and now have a list of a select few installers who they will work with.
In other cases such as in Lancashire, multiple Borough Councils may have put their heads together and decided to select a single program installer for their Local Authority flex.
Route 2 of Local Authority Flex is a bit complicated, and we know that as of January 2024, some councils haven’t processed a single application down this route.
At first glance, Route 2 looks to offer lots of different ways to qualify, however when you drill into it, you need to qualify under at least two of the seven ‘Proxys’ available, but many cannot be used in conjunction with others. Ticking some proxies would mean that you probably don’t need LA Flex at all, as you are likely recieving a means-tested benefit.
EnergySnap hopes to see more households qualifying under Route 3, but we suspect it needs a re-think to start working for most applicants.
Tenants of council homes or other social housing schemes have a completley different route to go down to get energy saving measures in their homes. Talk to your housing provider directly about your options with the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund or HUG2.
In terms of what you can receive for your home, there is no difference between a main ECO4 applicant and a LA Flex applicant. Assuming that you qualify under any route, your home will be assessed for suitable upgrades, which may include but are not limited to:
- Free boilers
- Full central heating systems (if the property has never had one)
- Loft insulation
- Internal or External wall insulation
- Cavity wall insulation
- Underfloor insulation
- Smart programmers and zoning
- Smart Heating Controls
- Room-In-Roof insulation
- Solar Panels
- Air Source Heat Pumps
- Windows and Doors (only with some installers)
ECO4 and LA Flex aren’t the only schemes available that might be able to help you out with home heating and insulation.
Contact Us directly and we will listen to the particulars of your situation, making sure we leave no stone unturned.