Vale of Glamorgan Council
Cyngor Bro Morgannwg
Cost of Living Support Icon
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Home Energy Efficiency

The Vale of Glamorgan Council supports Welsh Government's aim to tackle fuel poverty and poor energy efficiency in homes.

 

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Homes that are energy inefficient (with an Energy Performance Rating below a C) will be harder to keep warm, have higher energy bills, and pump more CO2 into the atmosphere compared with their more efficient neighbours.

 

Improving your home’s energy efficiency through insulation and renewable energy technologies can deliver a variety of benefits to you as well as our planet.

 

 

  Benefits to you:

  • Significantly reduce heat loss

  • Reduce your energy bills

  • Keep you warm in winter, and cool in summer

  • Lower your carbon footprint

  • Improve your property's Energy Performance Rating (EPC) making it more attractive to buyers

  • Improve the comfort of your home and prevent damp

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Simple ways to use less energy and save on your energy bills:  

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  • Turn your thermostat down 1 degree
  • Switch the lights off in the rooms you don't utilise and use energy saving bulbs
  • Don't leave things on stand-by
  • Only fill and boil the kettle with the water you need
  • Use washing machines and dryers to full capacity unless you have half load settings
  • Don't leave taps dripping, especially hot water taps 
  • Close doors to keep heat in rooms 

For more energy saving tips, go to Help for Households Campaign 

 

Keeping warm is vital, particularly for older people at home.  Age UK recommends layering up and keeping active at home and the Vale of Glamorgan Council has developed a Warm Spaces Scheme with a network of inviting warm community spaces bringing people together this winter at no cost.  What's more, the Council is also providing useful information and advice on Cost of Living Support. 

 

Measures that can be put in place to help you stay warm at home and lower your energy bills:  

  • Insulating your roof, floor and walls
  • Draught-proofing windows and doors
  • Upgrading your heating system to an energy efficient boiler or a heat pump 
  • Installing double or triple glazing
  • Using renewable sources of energy, such as solar power
  • Check the EPC rating for your home or have one carried out to get personalised recommendations
  • Ask your energy provider to fit a SMART meter to help you manage your energy usage and costs
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Project Zero

Project Zero is the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s response to the Climate Change Emergency. It brings together the wide range of work and opportunities available to tackle climate change, reduce the Council’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2030 and encourage others to make positive changes to support Project Zero at home. 

   

Warm Wales 

Warm Wales works with different services to make sure that homes are warm and safe.

They can give you free advice about:

  • energy,
  • water bills,
  • heating,
  • registering for the Priority Services Register, and
  • safety measures in your home.

You can get advice for what is best for your home by completing a referral form, or by phoning them.

  • 0800 091 1786

 

 

Warm Wales

 

 

Welsh Government Warm Homes Nest Scheme 

Help to make your home more energy efficient!

The Welsh Government Warm Homes Nest scheme makes Welsh homes warmer and more energy efficient places to live. Nest provides all households in Wales with free, impartial advice to help you reduce your energy bills, maximise your income, and lower your carbon footprint. You could also be eligible for free home energy efficiency improvements such as free home heating and insulation measures. 

 

Call freephone 0808 808 2244, Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm or visit the website gov.wales/nest to find out more.

 

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ECO4 Scheme (Energy Company Obligation including ECO4 Flex) 

ECO4 is the latest Energy Company Obligation scheme administered by OFGEM. The aim of ECO funding is to help those who are living in fuel poverty and vulnerable to the risk of living in a cold home, and whose house is energy inefficient.  ECO funding pays for energy efficiency measures such as heating improvements and insulation to be installed, thereby helping to reduce the cost of heating the home and create carbon savings which is good for the environment too. 

 

  • Residents may be eligible for ECO funded measures if they are in receipt of one of the following benefits:

    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 Credit (CTC)

    Universal Credit (UC)

    Housing Benefit

    Pension Credit Savings Credit (PCSC)

    Child Benefit (subject to income caps and composition)

  

If none of these benefits are being claimed, the household may still be able to receive funded measures through the flexible eligibility process ('ECO flex' for short), for example if the household has a combined income below £31,000 or someone in the home has a qualifying medical condition.  

 

This Statement of Intent sets out the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s flexible eligibility criteria for ECO4 Flex from 19 May 2023 to the end of March 2026. 

 

How to apply

Residents: If you think you may qualify for ECO funding, please speak to an organisation who can offer you free and impartial energy and bill saving support and assess whether you might be eligible for funding, either from ECO or any other grant programmes to help pay for improvements to your home.  Warm Wales is one provider who offers such assistance for any residents in Wales.

  • 0800 091 1786

 

Installers: The Vale of Glamorgan Council has partnered with E.ON on the delivery of ECO4 flex.  If you are an installation company and wish to enquire about on-boarding with our scheme, please contact E.ON.

 

List of known Eco-flex Agents operating in The Vale of Glamorgan 

 

No Liabilities: The Vale of Glamorgan Council will not be accepting any ECO related requests and accepts no responsiblity or liability resulting from any negative consequence, damage or loss arising from the acceptance of an ECO FLEX grant.

  

Letting a property?

If you are letting a property, you should be aware of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (srs.wales) for Landlords.

 

Additional advice on how to raise EPC standards for a property is available online.  Find ways to save energy in your home - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).