Energy Efficiency Grants

We know that making your home more energy efficient can sometimes be expensive. Click on the expandable boxes to find out more about the grant schemes on offer and other support to help towards your energy bills.

To find out more about how to make your home more energy efficient, visit our webpage on Retrofitting your home.

Household Support Fund

The Government has provided Solihull £1.4m for the sixth round of the Household Support Fund, which will run until March 31 2025. 

In collaboration with partners, Solihull Council is making some of this funding available to support residents with energy costs, water bills, food and wider essentials, and help them to make energy-efficiency upgrades to their home. 

What you could get  

Through our partner Act on Energy, you could receive:  

  • advice on reducing fuel bills and making your home more energy efficient
  • fuel vouchers of up to £147 per household (this is currently available to Solihull Community Housing customers who have biomass heating)

Through our partner Age UK Solihull, pensioners could receive:  

  • support with keeping warm in winter, including the provision of blankets, quilts and warm clothing, plus emergency portable heaters
  • essential white goods
  • fuel debt relief of up to £500 per household for pensioners who are unable to pay their electricity/gas/water bill 
  • £200-300 fuel payment per household for pensioners on low income (extra criteria apply) and not eligible for the Winter Fuel payment

Through Solihull Council, you could receive:  

  • payments of up to £147 per household to help towards your energy costs by either a fuel voucher or energy payment card.
  • essential white goods and furniture
  • a referral to a Food Bank for those in crisis and do not have immediate access to food
  • supermarket voucher for clothing essentials
  • travel pass to support journeys to priority appointments

Further detail is available on the Council’s Here 2 Help page.

Eligibility  

Eligibility for support through the Financial Inclusion Team at Solihull Council is based on ongoing entitlements, income, and who else lives in the household. 

To be eligible for support offered through Act on Energy and Age UK Solihull, you must:   

  • live in Solihull 
  • have a combined annual household income of under £31,000   
  • have no household savings (pensioners can have up to £10,000 in savings per pensioner) 
  • have someone living in the household with a vulnerability*
  • be in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits** 

*Qualifying vulnerabilities include:

  • long term diagnosed and treated health conditions (physical or mental)
  • households with unmanageable debts
  • disabled and in receipt of DLA or PIP
  • in receipt of Carers Allowance
  • in receipt of Housing Benefit only (not as part of Universal Credit)
  • in receipt of Council Tax Support (not single person discount)
  • in receipt of Employment Support Allowance
  • in receipt of Limited capability for work related activities allowance
  • in receipt of State Pension
  • in receipt of benefits related free school meals not universal free school meals
  • referral from a foodbank, school, charity/voluntary organisation including Age UK & health care professionals

**Qualifying benefits include:  

  • State Pension 
  • Income Support 
  • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance 
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) 
  • Universal Credit 
  • Pension credit guarantee 
  • Working Tax credit 
  • Disability Living Allowance 
  • Personal Independence Payment 

How to apply

Act on Energy  

For advice and support through Act on Energy, please contact Act on Energy on 0800 988 2881 or advice@actonenergy.org.uk.  

You can find out more information on Act on Energy’s website.  

Age UK

For support through Age UK Solihull, please contact Age UK Solihull on 0121 704 7844 or partners@ageuksolihull.org.uk. 

Discretionary help

For support at Solihull Council:

Apply for a discretionary grant

If you need to contact our Financial Inclusion Team team, please

You can also contact Solihull Connect on 0121 704 8284.

Applications will be cross-referenced to check what support would be most suitable. 

ECO Scheme (ECO4 and Eco Flex)

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) 4 scheme grants support to low-income households to lower energy bills and improve energy efficiency.   

ECO4 applies to measures installed from 1 April 2022 and will cover a four-year period until 31 March 2026.    

What you could get  

If you own your home, or privately rent, eligible residents can apply to access a range of energy-saving measures, including loft insulation, wall insulation and upgraded heating systems.   

Eligibility  

To be eligible, you must live in a home with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E, F, or G and:  

  • receive means-tested benefits, or  
  • your combined household income is less than £31,000 a year, or  
  • a household member has a health condition or disability that makes them vulnerable to the cold as identified in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidance.  

How to apply  

Energy advice charity Act on Energy is supporting Solihull Council on the ECO scheme and is the main point of contact for enquiries and applications.  

If you want to find out more, please contact  Act on Energy on 0800 988 2881 or advice@actonenergy.org.uk for the next steps, or visit Act on Energy’s website for further information.   

Energy operator E.ON is administering the ECO4 scheme in Lyndon and Olton. If you are a resident in these wards and want to find out more about the scheme and apply, please contact E.ON on 0333 202 4422 for the next steps, or visit E.ON’s website for further information 

Energy suppliers can also refer households under ECO4 Flex, delivering up to 50% of their obligation through this method.   

Under ECO4 Flex, a participating local authority can refer private tenure households that it considers to be living in fuel poverty or on a low income and vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold home.   

Solihull’s ECO Flex Statement of Intent is designed to inform suppliers and contractors on how to fulfil their obligations. View Solihull Council's ECO Flex Statement here.   

Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)

The Great British Insulation Scheme is a government-funded energy efficiency scheme designed to help people insulate their homes and reduce energy bills.   

The scheme is currently available until March 2026.  

What you could get  

Those who qualify for the scheme may be able to get support to install one of the below single insulation measures for free or cheaper:  

  • cavity wall insulation  
  • solid wall insulation (internal or external)  
  • loft insulation  
  • flat or pitched roof insulation  
  • underfloor insulation  
  • solid floor insulation  
  • park home insulation  
  • room-in-roof insulation  

Your home’s suitability for the scheme and suggested measure will be assessed following a free home survey.  

Eligibility  

You may be eligible for support if:  

  • you are a homeowner or rent and have permission from your landlord  
  • your property has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of D to G  
  • your property is in Council Tax bands A to D  
  • if your home isn’t in Council Tax bands A to D, you may still be eligible if someone in your household is in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits  

Qualifying benefits include:  

  • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance  
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)  
  • Income Support  
  • Pension Credit  
  • Guarantee Credit  
  • Working Tax Credit  
  • Child Tax Credit  
  • Universal Credit  
  • Housing Benefit  

How to apply  

Energy advice charity Act on Energy is supporting Solihull Council on GBIS and is the main point of contact for enquiries and applications.     

If you meet all of the above criteria, please contact Act on Energy on 0800 988 2881 or advice@actonenergy.org.uk, or visit Act on Energy’s website for further information.  

Energy operator E.ON is administering the scheme in Lyndon and Olton. If you are a resident in these wards and want to find out more about the scheme and apply, please contact E.ON on 0333 202 4422 for the next steps, or visit E.ON's website for further information. 

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides government grants for eligible homeowners to install low carbon heating systems. 

The grant could cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems with a low carbon alternative such as a heat pump or biomass boiler.  

Fossil fuel heating systems include oil, gas, electric or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). 

What you could get 

You could get: 

  • £7,500 towards an air source heat pump 
  • £7,500 towards a ground source heat pump (including water source heat pumps and those on shared ground loops) 
  • £5,000 towards a biomass boiler 

Eligibility 

To be eligible for a grant, you must: 

  • own the property you’re applying for (including if it’s a business, a second home, or a property you rent out to tenants) 
  • be replacing fossil fuel heating systems 

Your property must also have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation. You can find out if your home has a valid EPC on the GOV.UK website.  

How to apply 

You can find out more information and how to apply on GOV.UK.