Energy Improvement Grants Available for Plymouth Landlords

Posted on September 21st, 2022

Plymouth energy community – Future Fit Programme

Future Fit is a local partnership between Plymouth Energy Community (PEC) and Plymouth City Council which has one key aim – to help our local community stay warm and save money by upgrading their homes.

Plymouth Energy Community is a charity and a social enterprise that want to make a better future for our local community, and the planet. So, by helping your tenants to have warmer homes and lower their heating costs, we’re also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and working towards climate change.

how does it work

• We can help you to access funding from the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy’s Sustainable Warmth Fund.
• There are two elements to the funding, one for properties to the gas grid (LAD) and one for properties off the gas grid (HUG).
• LAD funding will be able to provide up to £5,000 in grant funding with a landlord contribution of up to £2,500 equalling a £7,500 total. The contribution table can be seen below:
• HUG funding will be able to provide up to £20,000 in grant funding with a landlord contribution of one third. So, for example, you would contribute just over £6.5k and the grant would fund the rest. The same principle as LAD (above) applies, if the measure costs less, you pay less but it will still equate to a third.
• If you are awarded funding, we will help you to find the right installer for the job.
• We are a registered charity, so we are not here to make money, we want to fight climate change and help Plymouth residents stay safe and warm.
• Our approach seeks to get you a better deal and make public money go further by grouping together people who are seeking similar work and asking installers to quote for delivering the group of upgrades.

Am I eligible?

Our eligibility criteria is as follows:

• The property has an energy performance certificate (EPC) of a D or an E for LAD (on-gas) or an E for HUG (off-gas)
• The tenant/s have a total household income of £30,000 or below before tax. This includes any disability benefits, pensions etc

 

What happens Next

Organising these schemes working with multiple funding sources and different installers can get complicated, so this process helps us to keep things ordered.

1. We will confirm that your tenant/s are eligible through evidence you/they provide
2. The property/properties are added to a batch of homes awaiting a home assessment
3. A retrofit assessor is sent out
4. Once the assessment is complete, we give you a summary of the measures we would like to install and ask if you are happy to proceed
5. We ask our trusted installers to provide quotes and let you know which quote we recommend
6. You choose which quote you would like to go for. If you choose to go with a different quote or Trustmark registered installer, we will only fund up to the amount of our recommended quote
7. Once you’ve chosen, you sign a grant agreement and enter into a contact where the installer will take a deposit. This could be the whole cost of the landlord contribution
8. The grant is released by Plymouth City Council to cover the rest of the costs
9. The installers complete the work
10. Shortly after the installation we will contact you for feedback about the service you’ve been provided with

 

WHAT KIND OF HOME IMPROVEMENTS?

There are lots of ways we can help improve your property. It all depends on what your property needs and what eligibility criteria you meet. Some of the improvements we may be able to make are:

• Insulate the walls, floors, lofts, and attic rooms
• Rid the property of draughts
• Install solar panels
• Replace the off-the-grid gas heating system

PEC’S ROLE:

PEC is acting as an advisory and support service, helping homeowners to identify experienced and competent installers who can undertake the works for them.

PEC is not acting as a broker or an agent in this process and is not procuring services on the Council or customer’s behalf.

 

PEC will: 

1. Explain the scheme to applicants and advise them on eligibility (this does not include advising on any financial or legal matters)
2. Provide whole house retrofit advice to the customer through PAS 2035 Retrofit Assessments and Retrofit Coordination.
3. Assist the customer in identifying support needed to access measures including basic repairs, ventilation, clearance work or temporary relocation
4. Create a database of approved installers who have been vetted for their experience with the retrofit measures in question, have all the required accreditations to undertake installation and have demonstrated a high level of commitment to excellent customer service.
5. Undertake a fair and transparent assessment process of quotations from approved Installer Partners that relate specifically to the needs of the homeowner as specified in the PAS 2035 Retrofit Assessment.
6. Provide details about the Installer Partner’s services to customers and make a recommendation based on the assessment of quotations
7. Assist you as landlord to apply for grant funding from Plymouth City Council once an installer has been identified to undertake the retrofit works.
8. Work alongside PCC (Plymouth City Council) to ensure that the installer’s terms of contract with the customer are in compliance with the conditions of the Sustainable Warmth Fund grant
9. Appoint a Retrofit Coordinator to oversee works taking place within the property.
10. Evaluate works taking place in the property within 60 days of installation.

For more information see the Plymouth Energy Community website; https://plymouthenergycommunity.com/