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Flexible eligibility allows Local Authorities to refer private tenure households to energy suppliers and installers where they are considered to have low-income, fuel poor or vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold house.
Your Local Authority must be participating in ECO4 Flex for you to qualify.
It is the responsibility of the installer to determine which scheme is suitable for the household.
There are 4 different routes where the household can be referred through to receive FLEX funding please see below.
Household Income Households with a gross annual income of less than £31,000 (including overtime payments and interest earned on savings) This cap applies irrespective of the property size, composition or region and is from all sources of income, including both non means tested and means tested benefits.
This is the combined whole household income, including every person 18+ years living at that address who receive an income from any source, such as lodgers and elderly relatives etc.
Proxy Targeting Households that meet at least two of the following proxies.
Proxies 1 & 3 cannot be used in combination with each other. Proxy 7 cannot be used in combination with proxy 5 or proxy 6.
Homes in England in Lower-layer Super Output Area (LSOA)1-3 on the English Indices of Deprivation 201918, or homes in Wales in LSOA 1-3 on the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 201919, or homes in Scotland in “data zone” 1-3 on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 202020.
A person living at the premises is entitled to a Council Tax reduction on the grounds of low-income.
A person living at the premises is considered to be vulnerable to the cold under the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)Guidance NG6: Recommendation 2, for a reason other than their lowincome21.
A child living at the premises is eligible for free school meals, due to low-income22.
A person living at the premises is supported by a scheme established by the LA/DA that is named and described within their Statement of Intent.
Note: LAs wishing to use this proxy must provide the name of the LA run scheme they wish to use as well as providing a short description as to how the scheme supports householders who are living on a low-income and are vulnerable to the cold under NICE Guideline NG6.
A person living at the premises has been referred to the LA/DA for support by their energy supplier, Citizens Advice or Citizens Advice Scotland because they have been identified by the referrer as struggling to pay their gas or electricity bills.
Households identified through energy supplier debt data. This route enables obligated suppliers to use their own debt data to identify either Non-Pre-Payment meter households (non-PPM), or Pre-Payment meter households (PPM).
Non-PPM customers: These are customers who have been in debt for more than 13 weeks ending with the day on which the declaration is made and are in a debt repayment plan with their energy supplier or repaying their fuel debt through 3rd party deductions.
Suppliers may also identify PPM households who: • have either self-disconnected or received supplier Discretionary/Friendly credit within the last 13 weeks ending with the day on which the declaration is made; or • are in a debt repayment plan with their energy supplier; or • repaying their fuel debt through 3rd party deductions.
Proxy Targeting Households that meet at least two of the following proxies.
Proxies 1 & 3 cannot be used in combination with each other. Proxy 7 cannot be used in combination with proxy 5 or proxy 6.
The person’s severe or long-term health condition must be due to:
Route 4 is for ECO4 Flex only, this route does not apply to Great British Insulation Scheme Flex. Suppliers and LAs can submit a proposal via the Route 4 Bespoke Targeting Application form23 to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (beisecoteam@beis.gov.uk) where they have identified new methods to identify low-income and vulnerable households. The application must be approved by or on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary of State (SoS).
Applications need to demonstrate a number of factors, aside from living in an owner-occupied D, E, F, or G SAP band property or for homes in the private rented sector E, F or G home. Applicants will also need to demonstrate, underpinned by evidence, that the proposed methodology is more effective at identifying households in fuel poverty than the criterion offered under Routes 1 and 2.
Applications should also demonstrate that assistance reaches the majority of households who are not in receipt of any means tested benefits that fall within the help to heat group benefits:
a) over 50% of the premises that meet the criteria are not occupied by a member of the help to heat group, and that
i) at least 75% of the premises that meet the criteria are owner occupied premises occupied by at least one person living in fuel poverty; or
ii) at least 90% of the premises that meet the criteria are private rented premises occupied by at least one person living in fuel poverty.
Owner-occupier D, E, F, and G and private rented sector E, F, and G properties may qualify for ECO4 Flex route 4, providing that the LA is consulted by the supplier prior to completed installation, and that their supporting supplier or LA application has been approved by the Secretary of State, (SoS).
Once the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has approved an application a reference number will be provided, and this should be notified to Ofgem for all relevant projects. The 10% uplift is only awarded subject to all criteria and minimum requirement rules being met.
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