Energy efficiency

Energy gained from the sun or wind is a renewable energy source and can help you save money in the long term. The ECO and BUS government grants help with the cost of installing or swapping to renewable or low-carbon options. There are various options available for renewable sources of energy which include the following:

Solar Panels (PV)

Solar panels are fitted onto a south-facing roof and generate electricity from the sun, they are low maintenance and on a sunny day you generate “free” electricity. Not every property is suitable for solar panels, the roof must be roughly south-facing, structurally strong enough to take the extra weight of the panels and not be obstructed by shade. The Centre for Sustainable Energy website has downloadable leaflets on solar panels PV and battery storage where you can read further information. 

Heat pumps

Heat pumps can be ground-source or air-source and are a newer type of heating, so they are not very common. They work like a fridge but in reverse, making the air warmer not cooler. They need to be planned into a property but are much more efficient in the longer term, so over time they will help reduce high energy costs. For a heat pump to work efficiently, your home must be well-insulated and have a hot water cylinder. The Centre for Sustainable Energy website has downloadable leaflets on air-source heat pumps and ground-source heat pumps where you can read further information.

The energy efficiency of homes in England is measured and published as an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).  

All domestic and commercial buildings need an EPC when a property is built, sold or rented. The highest and most efficient rating is band  A, the lower the rating, the less energy-efficient the home is. If your home is rated D, E, F, or G you may be eligible to receive government help to improve its EPC rating.  

View your home's EPC on the government website.

Maintaining a warm and comfortable living temperature in an energy-inefficient home can be difficult. Common issues for poor energy efficiency could be due to the following:

• too little insulation in the roof, walls, and floor
• windows that are single-glazed
• faulty or broken boilers
• drafts through windows, doors, chimneys and floorboards

You can find out more information about  Energy Performance Certificates on the Energy Saving Trust website.

If you live in an energy-inefficient home

All EPC's include recommendations to improve a home’s energy efficiency and the approximate cost of making the change. If you live in a lower EPC property you may be eligible to receive a grant to help pay for improvements. These grants often update so contact us for the latest information.

Scams about energy efficiency and new schemes for solar/heat pumps and boilers can come in the form of door-knocking, letters, emails, flyers and phone calls.

If an energy efficiency installer contacts you, they may promote the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme. To deliver this scheme they must be working in partnership with an energy company or be registered with the National Energy Foundation's (NEF) installer list. You can check that they are on the list by contacting the Citizens Advice West Sussex Energy Team on 0800 145 6879.

We recommend you ask the contractor which energy supplier they are working with and to double-check this by contacting the supplier directly. To find contact details of trusted energy suppliers see Ofgem's list of energy suppliers website page.

If you have been approached by installers to do work in your home or are looking for installers, we advise you to check that the company is registered with Trustmark (Government Endorsed Quality Scheme) before any work starts.

If you are looking to install renewable energy (heat pumps or solar panels), check that the company is registered with the MCS Accreditation Scheme or if you are looking for companies to provide insulation in your home they should be registered with the National Insulation Association (NIA).  

Being warm enough should not be a luxury but if you are on a low income and experiencing financial difficulties sometimes it can feel that way.  Please see the useful advice below that may help.

Reduce your outgoings by:

• making sure you are on the cheapest energy tariff available
• knowing where and when your energy is spent
• ensuring your home is fully insulated (loft, cavity wall, walls, windows, doors and drafts excluded)
• reducing the energy you consume see energy-saving tips from the Energy Saving Trust website

Increase money coming in by:

• ensuring you claim all the benefits, savings and discounts you are entitled to
• earning as much as possible using the resources you have

Maximise anything free by using:

• local food banks and community fridges that give away food for free and prevent food waste
• free activities that are available in your local area such as museums, libraries and events at community centres

Getting help towards paying a fuel bill is sometimes available via a one-off fuel voucher from ourselves or Arun & Chichester Citizens Advice.  If you are struggling to pay your bill, please contact us for free advice.  

A range of energy grant help is available but it often changes rapidly. The energy grants available below are current as of April 2024. For advice or help in completing any grant application or funding enquiry, please contact Arun and Chichester Citizens Advice Energy Team in the first instance.

Residents on a low income and who live in Bognor Regis or the surrounding area may also be eligible for SSEN Enabling Works funding. This can help pay towards clearing lofts, moving furniture or other work that enables the grant measures to be installed where the homeowner is unable to do this themselves. The funding application must be submitted by the installer or the organisation processing the grant application.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme - BUS

Grant description

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant provides £7,500 towards the purchase and installation of an air source or ground source heat pump, or £5,000 grant towards a biomass boiler. This grant provides a substantial contribution towards the costs of installing a heat pump or biomass boiler but does not cover the full costs involved.

Who can apply

All homeowners can apply for this grant.

Who is eligible

The homeowner must have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (ECP) which can not have any outstanding recommendations for loft and cavity wall insulation. If you need insulation check to see if you are eligible to get free or reduced-cost insulation.

Application process

The application process is as follows:

• the heat pump installer must be MCS certified you can find accredited installers on the MCS website
• the heat pump installer is to be responsible for applying the voucher
• this scheme operates on a first come first served basis
• the voucher for an air-source heat pump will be valid for three months and the voucher for a ground-source heat pump will be valid for six months
• this grant replaced the Renewable Heat Incentive which closed to new applicants in March 2022, if you successfully applied for the Renewable Heat Incentive, your payments will keep coming through as normal and will continue until the end of your contract (a total of 7 years)  

How to apply

Please apply via the Boiler Upgrade Scheme 

Warmer Homes (Home Upgrade Grant) HUG

The Home Upgrade Grant is only available to properties that do not use mains gas for heating and provides energy-efficient upgrades and low-carbon heating such as solar panels/heat pumps.

Who can apply

Who is eligible

You are eligible for this grant if:

• your home has an EPC rating of D, E, F or G, and you have one of the following:
  • total household annual income of £36,000 or less (before housing costs/bills)
• total household annual income of £20,000 or less after housing costs (mortgage/rent and council tax)
• receive a means-tested benefit
• if your home is within an LSOA (Lower Super Output Area) 1-3 postcode area you may qualify even if you do not have a low household income, letters have been sent to properties in these areas 

Please note: you can check your home's EPC rating on the government's find an energy certificate service web page. Landlords with a property portfolio of more than 4 houses are not eligible for the Warmer Homes Home Upgrade Grant and park homes are no longer eligible due to the government quota for park homes already being met.

How to apply

To apply please use the Warmer Homes website.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme

ECO4 Flex and Great British Insulation Scheme Statement of Intent 

We work in partnership with other councils in West Sussex to deliver the Energy Company Obligation and Great British Insulation schemes. The Statement of Intent sets out our flexible eligibility criteria for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme from April 2022 to March 2026 and the Great British Insulation Scheme until March 2026. 

Grant description

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a government scheme. This scheme requires some energy suppliers to help with the cost of improving a home's energy efficiency. These suppliers will provide grants to pay the whole cost or some of the cost towards these improvements, which can include wall insulation and boiler replacements. 

If you are contacted directly by an installer promoting this scheme, check they are registered with the National Energy Foundation which is helping us to administer this scheme. You can check whether an installer is on their approved list by contacting their Better Homes, Better Health helpline on 0800 107 0044 .

Who can apply

You can apply for this grant if the homeowner's annual household income is below £31,000 and someone in your house is vulnerable.

Who is eligible

The eligibility criteria for ECO is quite complex. The scheme requires a household to be on a low income and experiencing vulnerability or fuel poverty.  You may be eligible if you meet one of the following criteria:

• have a household income of less than £31,000 or you receive means-tested benefits 
  • and the property has EPC rating of D, E, F or G (E, F or G only for rented properties)
  • and  someone in your household is vulnerable (under 4 or over 65 years of age; has a health condition that makes them vulnerable to the cold)
• or  you may be referred by your energy company or by the CAB if you are struggling to pay energy bills  

How to apply

You can apply directly through your energy supplier, see the Ofgem website for a list of ECO suppliers  or contact the Citizens Advice Energy Advice Service 

Great British Insulation Scheme

Grant description

The Great British Insulation Scheme is a new government scheme designed to insulate homes across the country. It aims to tackle fuel poverty, reduce energy bills and support low-income and vulnerable households.

If you are contacted directly by an installer promoting this scheme, check they are registered with the National Energy Foundation, which is helping us to administer this scheme. You can check whether an installer is on their approved list by contacting their Better Homes, Better Health helpline on 0800 107 0044 .

Energy suppliers deliver the Great British Insulation Scheme. They will assess your home, either through a desktop assessment or by arranging a visit to your home. What the energy supplier can offer you will depend on this assessment.

You'll find out after the assessment if you need to pay anything. You can decide not to go ahead if you do not agree with the evaluation or costs.

The most common measures installed under this scheme are loft insulation or cavity wall insulation, which may require a financial contribution. Other insulation measures such as solid wall insulation may be available, but the energy supplier is only likely to offer them to you with a substantial financial contribution.

Who can apply

All homeowners and tenants with permission from landlords can apply for this grant.

Who is eligible

Homeowners whose properties are in Council Tax bands A-D with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D-G. You can check your home's EPC rating on the government's find a energy certificate service webpage. Those on low incomes may get insulation for free. Those not on low incomes may be asked to contribute dependent on earnings. 

How to apply

Please apply via the government website for the Great British Insulation Scheme 

Solar Together Sussex

Grant description    

Solar Together Sussex is a council-supported group buying scheme for solar panels. It aims to help residents generate clean electricity at home and reduce their impact on the environment. It provides high-quality solar panels and battery storage systems from accredited installers at a competitive price.

If no active scheme running, you can register your interest on the Solar Together website to be notified when the next scheme is launched. When you register online, you will be asked questions about your house, roof, and electricity usage. Once a scheme goes live you will be provided with a quote for solar panels for your property. You can ask for a no-obligation quote for battery storage too if you have, or plan to have an electric car charging point. There will be a deadline by which you must accept the quote to take up the offer. 

Who can apply

Homeowners and landlords can apply for this grant.

How to apply

You can register your interest on the West Sussex County Council webpage. 

Our heating repair or replacement (Safe, Suitable Warm grant – SSW)

Grant description

Funding is available for a whole-house, efficient heating system where no working central heating system exists and the applicant has exhausted every other possibility of funding a new system in addition the the applicant must also be experiencing fuel poverty. we do not support funding for maintenance of the system, this is the responsibility of the homeowner.

Safe, Suitable, Warm Homes Grant does not apply to renewable energy systems, for example, heat pumps or biomass.

Who can apply

All homeowners who live in Arun District can apply.

Who is eligible 

Homeowners who live in the Arun District and are in receipt of means-tested benefits or that have completed and qualified under a preliminary means test; and are experiencing fuel poverty.

How to apply

To apply for this grant please contact us

Phone: 01903 737755 
Email: energy.efficiency@arun.gov.uk

Emergency help for home owners

If you own your home and have a heating/hot water system that is broken, you may be eligible for emergency help which is the loan of one or two oil-filled radiators. Contact our home energy visitor without delay. You can call us

Phone: 01903 737755

or apply online

Request home energy help

If the total annual income of all working adults in your household is less than £36,000, or you are in receipt of a means-tested benefit, you may be eligible for:

• Energy Company Obligation (ECO) grant
• Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)
• Warmer Homes (Home Upgrade Grant - HUG) - only available for homes that do not use gas for heating
• our heating repair or replacement grant (Safe, Suitable Warm grant – SSW)

If the total annual income of all working adults in your household is over £36,000 and you are not eligible for full grants, you may wish to consider the following:

• Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) – this is a government grant to provide financial support towards the installation of a heat pump when replacing a gas boiler
• Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) can provide free or reduced-cost insulation to properties in council tax bands A-D
• Solar Together - a West Sussex group-buying scheme for renewable solar panels and batteries

Landlords are required by law to ensure their rental properties have an energy performance certificate rating of at least E. This means that F and G-rated properties cannot be let.

Please see further information on Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES).

Privately rented

If you live in a privately rented property the following options could help: 

• your landlord can get funding towards the installation of a heat pump when replacing gas boilers through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)
• if you meet the low-income eligibility criteria, your landlord may also be eligible for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) grant or the Warmer Homes Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) -if the property does not use gas for heating

Landlords applying for grants can be required to contribute up to 50% of costs. The part-funding contribution is still a significant help towards installing measures that will make the property more energy-efficient.

Please note landlords with a property portfolio of more than 4 houses are not eligible for the Warmer Homes Home Upgrade Grant.

Both you and your landlord must give permission and provide evidence that the eligibility criteria are met.

Social housing

If you live in social housing you can:

• contact your housing provider to find out what they are doing to make their properties more energy efficient
• see if you are eligible for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) grant if your rent is above the market rate (if so it would be considered as private-rented sector and you or the landlord may be required to contribute 50% of costs)

Please note that you will not be eligible for most grants because the government has a separate grant for social housing providers.

Shared ownership  

If you live in a shared ownership property and do not have responsibility for the maintenance of your property, you will not be eligible for most grants. However, you could be eligible for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) grant if your rent is above the market rate. In this case, it would be considered as private-rented sector and you or the landlord may be required to contribute 50% of the costs.

If you are responsible for the maintenance of your property, you may be eligible for some of the grants listed on this page. Please enquire directly to the contact details provided for each grant/scheme for further clarification.

We have a Landlord Accreditation Scheme which provides support and recognition to landlords who are meeting standards relating to the condition and management of their properties.