First-time central heating grants are available to help homeowners who do not have or have never had central heating installed in their homes.
The system must provide space heating via a boiler to be eligible for the ECO Scheme and first-time central heating grants.
First Time Central Heating Grants Qualifying Criteria require that the central heating system be installed in a domestic property which has never had one.
Unless you are eligible under ECO Rules (please see below), you must also receive one of the qualifying state benefits, tax credits or other allowances.
Qualification Criteria for First-Time Central Heating Grants
- You must either be the homeowner or a tenant in privately rented homes.
Housing association residents and householders renting their homes from local councils or housing associations are not eligible for central heating grants.
With the introduction of ECO4 in April 2022, your home must have a mains gas supply to be eligible for a First Time Central Heating Grant. This is consistent with the Government’s plan to eliminate gas boilers over the next few years.
You must have one of these heating systems or no heating in your home:
- Electric room heaters include fan heaters and direct-acting room heaters.
- Gas room heaters; including fixed mains gas room heaters; or
- Gas fire with the back boiler;
- Solid fossil fuel fire, with a back boiler or
- Heating system for mains gas and warm air
- Or electric underfloor heating or ceiling heating
- Heating rooms with LPG in bottles;
- Room heaters using solid fossil fuels
- Wood/biomass heating in a room;
- Oil room heaters
- You must either receive one of the Qualifying Benefits or be eligible under ECO Flex Rules
- Unless you are eligible under ECO Flex Rules, you must have received at least one of these State Benefits, Tax Credits, or Other Allowances to qualify for First Time Central Heating Grants.
- Pension Credit – Guarantee Credit
- Pension Credit – Savings Credit
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Credit for working tax
- Income Support
- Income-Related Employment and Support (ESA),
- Income-based Job Seeker’s Allocation (JSA).
- Child Benefit (subject to maximum household income)
- Housing benefit
- You must insulate your home.
First Time Central Heating Grants are only available to homes with sufficient loft insulation and cavity walls.
The installer of your central heating system might arrange for it to have one of these installed by the time you apply.
First-time central heating grants fund the installation of these central heating systems:
First-time central heating grants are available to finance the installation of the following types of central heating boilers and pipework and heating control systems.
- Mains Gas Boiler
- Biomass Boiler
- LPG Boiler
- Air Source Heat Pump
- Ground Source Heat Pump
- Electric Boiler
