Qualifying homes
Qualifying homes are those that would qualify for measures under conventional energy efficiency programmes such as Warm Front and EEC (i.e. households claiming certain “passport benefits” ) together with vunerable households in fuel poverty.
Vunerable households are defined for this activity as pensioner households or households with children under the age of 16.
A household is classed as in fuel poverty when 10% or more of its income in order to meet fuel costs. Therefore homes likely to qualify are those with low income and debt, those running an inefficient or expensive heating system, under occupied homes with a lack of access to a choice of affordable fuel such as gas.
Poor quality housing, housing in a poor state of repair, a lack of household insulation and ventilation standards also contribute to being fuel poor and can cause major health problems.
Other homes that may qualify are those occupied most of the time, including older people, those with long-term illnesses or disabilities, the unemployed and households with young children. These households tend to be lower incomes, although not necessarily on benefit, and at the same time may have less access to finances to improve their situation through improvements to their homes or appliances.
How do Homes Qualify ?
In addition to the renewables and/or mains gas extension activities, a full package of measures is available consistent with the eradication of fuel poverty in vulnerable households and securing affordable warmth for all homes in each community.
This package is tailored to the prevailing project funding and community circumstances, based around the households of greatest need that qualify for entirely free measures and those ‘non-qualifying’ households that are assessed as being in a position to make a financial contribution to the measures.
The packages of measures for both qualifying and non-qualifying homes are as follows:
Qualifying Homes
- Connection from feeder main (where appropriate)
- Meter installation (where appropriate)
- Installation of insulation measures (cavity wall and/or loft insulation)
- Central heating system
- Benefits check
- Energy efficiency advice
- Community-based renewable technologies (where appropriate)
Non Qualifying Homes
- Development of a finance package
- Connection from feeder main at cost (where appropriate)
- Meter installation at cost (where appropriate)
- Installation of insulation measures (cavity wall and/or loft) at discounted rates
- Central heating system at cost
- Benefits check
- Energy efficiency advice
- Community-based renewable technologies (where appropriate)