Energy Company Obligation (ECO) - Print version

ECO4

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a government energy efficiency scheme designed to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions.

Large and medium energy suppliers are required by the government to install a number of energy efficiency measures such as insulation and heating upgrades to support vulnerable, fuel poor and low income households to heat their homes.

Eligibility for ECO is based on receipt of eligible benefits [https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/energy-company-obligation-eco/homeowners-and-tenants]. Local authorities however are able to widen the ECO4 eligibility criteria to enable more vulnerable and low income households, who are not in receipt of benefits, to be eligible for this support. This eligibility route is called ECO Flex and the details of this eligibility route for Coventry residents can be found in our statement of intent [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/home-energy-warmth/energy-company-obligation-eco/2].

Please note however that ECO4 is due to end on 31 March 2026, therefore it is unlikely you will be offered ECO4 funding at the current time due to the limited time available left for approvals and installs to take place.

Our privacy notice [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/home-energy-warmth/energy-company-obligation-eco/3] describes how Coventry City Council will use your personal data as part of the ECO Flex scheme.

If you have any queries about ECO4 please contact eco@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:eco@coventry.gov.uk]

If you need to, you can also access any previous versions of our Statement of Intent [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/4902/coventry_city_council_statement_of_intent] (now superseded).

Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme

Email: eco@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:eco@coventry.gov.uk]

Great British Insulation Scheme and ECO4 Statement of Intent

Publication Date: 12.10.2023
Version number: V.2
Publication on website: Statement of intent [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413072328/https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/4902/coventry-city-council-statement-of-intent]

This statement sets out Coventry City Council’s flexible eligibility criteria for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) and Great British Insulation schemes which run until March 2026.

The ECO4 scheme will focus on supporting low income and vulnerable households. The scheme will improve the least energy efficient homes helping to meet the Government’s fuel poverty and net zero commitments. The Great British Insulation Scheme will support the ECO4 scheme in the delivery of predominantly single measures targeted at a wider range of households.

The flexible approach for Local Authorities (LAs) to identifying fuel poor and vulnerable households who may benefit from heating and energy saving measures is referred to as “ECO4 Flex” and “Great British Insulation Scheme Flex”.

The Council is publishing this Statement of Intent (SoI), on 12/10/2023 to confirm that each of the households declared will adhere to at least one of the four available routes outlined below. The tick boxes can be used to indicate to households which routes the council is using:

â Route 1: Owner-occupied and private rented sector households with a gross annual income less than £31,000. This cap applies irrespective of the property size, composition, or region.

â Route 2: Owner-occupied and private rented sector households that meet a combination of two of the following proxies:

Proxy 1) Homes in England in Lower-layer Super Output Area 1-3 (LSOA)[1] [#1]
Proxy 2) A person living at the premises is entitled to a Council Tax reduction on the grounds of low-income.
Proxy 3) 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 low-income[2] [#2]*
Proxy 4) A child living at the premises is eligible for free school meals, due to low-income[3] [#3]
Proxy 5) 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 and established to support people living on a low-income and considered vulnerable to the cold under NICE Guideline NG6.
Keeping Coventry Warm (Stream 1 and 2) –scheme to support residents on low income and vulnerable to the affects of living in a cold home/at risk of being admitted to hospital due to living in a cold home. Scheme provides grants for heating and insulation measures. Residents must have a long term health condition or vulnerability affected by living in a cold home and must be on a low income/be in receipt of benefits to qualify for support.
Proxy 6) A household referred to the LA for support by their energy supplier or Citizens Advice, because they have been identified as struggling to pay their electricity and/or gas bills.
Proxy 7) [Please note, proxy 7 is for supplier owned debt data and is listed here for information only]. 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.
- PPM customers: 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.*

* Note proxies 1 and 3 cannot be used together.

* Proxy 7 cannot be used in combination with proxy 5 or proxy 6.

â Route 3: Owner-occupied and private rented sector households that have been identified by either a person registered in the General Practitioner Register, a Scottish Health Board, a Welsh Health Board, an NHS Foundation Trust, or an NHS Trust as vulnerable, with an occupant whose health conditions may be adversely affected by living in a cold home. These health conditions must be cardiovascular, respiratory, immunosuppressed, or limited mobility related.

â Route 4 [applicable to ECO4 Flex only]: Owner-occupied and private rented sector households that are referred under Route 4: Bespoke Targeting. Suppliers and LAs can submit an application to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero where they have identified new methods to identify low-income and vulnerable households. Applications need to demonstrate a number of factors, including that the proposed methodology is more effective at identify households in fuel poverty than the criterion offered under Routes 1 and 2.

Scheme eligibility

All potentially eligible households should apply through one of Coventry City Council’s approved ECO / Great British Insulation Scheme installers or managing agents, to see if they can either benefit from the scheme or be assessed for eligibility under any other relevant programme.

An LA officer (not a 3rd party working on behalf of an LA) will be responsible for checking, and verifying evidence, and issuing declarations. For any general enquiries relating to this SoI please contact:

Name: Jade Clarke or Jenny Bowker
Job Title: Climate Change Officer
Email: eco@coventry.gov.uk [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413072328/mailto:eco@coventry.gov.uk]

CEO or dedicated responsible person mandatory signature

Coventry City Council will administer the ECO4 Flex scheme according to the Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2022 (ECO4 Order).

The Council will administer Great British Insulation Scheme Flex according to the Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2023 (ECO4A Order).

The dedicated responsible person of the Council will oversee the process of identifying eligible households under ECO Flex and Great British Insulation Scheme Flex. The Council will notify Ofgem of households that declarations have been issued for via the declaration notification template.

All personal data collected or processed by Coventry City Council for the purposes of ECO4 Flex or Great British Insulation Scheme Flex will be processed and stored in accordance with: the Council’s obligations under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, the Council’s data protection policy, the Information Commissioner’s Office Data Sharing Code and other guidance, and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero guidance.

Signature: R. Palmer
Name: Rhian Palmer
Job Title: Dedicated responsible person - Strategic Lead Green Futures
Date of signature: 12/10/2023

For any general enquires relating to this SoI, please contact: eco@coventry.gov.uk [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413072328/mailto:eco@coventry.gov.uk]

You can also download a copy of our Statement of Intent [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413072328/https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/4902/coventry-city-council-statement-of-intent].

You can view previous versions of our Statement of Intent on our ECO4 webpages [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413072328/https://www.coventry.gov.uk/home-energy-warmth/energy-company-obligation-eco].

[1] Published at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019 [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413072328/https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019]. The deciles are published in “File 7: all ranks, deciles and scores for the indices of deprivation, and population denominators”.

[2] https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng6/chapter/1-Recommendations#recommendation-2-ensure-there-is-a-singlepointofcontact-health-and-housing-referral-service-for [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413072328/https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng6/chapter/1-Recommendations#recommendation-2-ensure-there-is-a-singlepointofcontact-health-and-housing-referral-service-for]

[3] Under section 512ZB(4) of the Education Act 1996 or section 53 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980

Coventry City Council Privacy Notice for Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)

Coventry City Council complies with the Data Protection Act and the UK GDPR and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a Data Controller.

This Privacy Notice explains how personal information is going to be used, what for, who it will be shared with and why.

Why we collect and use Personal Data about you

We collect and hold personal information relating to your participation in the Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO4), delivered by different energy companies. The scheme is administered by Ofgem (the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets) on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

We use your information for:

Confirming and reporting on your eligibility for the scheme under ECO Flex or GBIS
Funding compliance and reporting on the Scheme to the funding provider DESNZ
Auditing and to detect fraud and multiple grant claims

We process personal data because it is necessary to comply with our legal obligations and our lawful basis is public task. Our lawful basis for processing special category personal data is substantial public interest.

What information do we collect about you?

In order to confirm eligibility for the scheme, it is necessary for us to process the following personal information:

Address and details of property receiving measure(s) under the Scheme
Energy efficiency measures being applied for
Reason for eligibility (eligibility route as outlined in our Statement of Intent [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413170826/https://www.coventry.gov.uk/home-energy-warmth/energy-company-obligation-eco/2])

Where relevant, we may also process the following information:

Name, address and contact details
Address and details of property receiving measure(s) under the Scheme
Household income which may include tax returns, payslips, benefit entitlements and bank statements
Ownership evidence
Health information
Utility debt information

Who we share your personal data with

We will share data with:

the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem)
Relevant installers/energy suppliers/managing agents and their subcontractors/installers
Other Coventry City Council departments

We will not normally share your information with organisations other than our partner organisations without your consent, however, there may be certain circumstances where we would share without consent such as where we are required to do so by law, to safeguard public safety, and in risk of harm or emergency situations. Any information which is shared will only be shared on a need to know basis, with appropriate individuals. Only the minimum information for the purpose will be shared.

View Ofgem’s ECO4 privacy notice [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413170826/https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/eco-privacy-notice].

How long will we keep your information?

We will only keep your information for as long as we need to so we can give you the service you need unless we must keep it for legal reasons. We will store your personal data for 7 years after the end of the scheme.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

Ask to see the personal information we hold about you
Withdraw consent (see below)
Ask us to change information we hold about you if it is wrong
Ask us to delete the information we hold about you
Ask us to limit the way we use your personal Information
Ask for human intervention regarding decisions made about you by a computer
Data portability (have your data transferred to another Authority)
Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

To exercise any of these rights please contact the Climate Change and Sustainability Team and/or email eco@coventry.gov.uk [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413170826/mailto:eco@coventry.gov.uk]

Complaints

You have the right to submit a complaint if you are unhappy with the way your request is handled or disagree with a decision made by the council regarding your data. In these circumstances, you can contact the Data Protection Team (DPO) and request a review of the decision. dpoteam@coventry.gov.uk [https://web.archive.org/web/20250413170826/mailto:dpoteam@coventry.gov.uk]

If you are not satisfied with any outcome from the DPO you may wish to apply to the Information Commissioner’s Office at:

The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF.

Date of last review: October 2024

ECO4 FAQs

What is ECO4?

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is a government energy efficiency scheme. It obligates large and medium energy suppliers to provide funding towards the cost of insulation and energy efficient heating solutions. These funds all contribute to a warmer, more efficient home whilst tackling issues of fuel poverty.

Who is involved?

Large and medium energy suppliers are required by the government to fund and install a number of energy efficiency measures such as insulation and heating upgrades to support vulnerable, fuel poor and low-income households to heat their homes. Ofgem has been appointed the scheme administrator for ECO4 on behalf of the government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Any installer, who has access to ECO4 funds from energy suppliers, may choose to offer ECO4 in Coventry, for this reason you may be approached by multiple installers offering this funding. Unfortunately, the Council cannot recommend specific installers or control which installers choose to operate in Coventry. We would therefore advise speaking to a number of installers to understand which installer suits your requirements. Things you may wish to take into consideration are; the measures they are able to install, the amount of funding they can offer you, level of customer service, and quality of previous works.

What is the Council’s involvement in ECO4?

In line with Ofgem’s guidance, local authorities have the option to widen the ECO4 eligibility criteria within their area. Coventry City Council has opted to extend the eligibility criteria to enable more vulnerable and low-income households, who are not in receipt of benefits, to be eligible for this support. This eligibility route is called ECO Flex and the details of these eligibility criteria can be found in a local authority’s Statement of Intent [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/home-energy-warmth/energy-company-obligation-eco/2]. The Council will sign off applications from installers for households who meet the ECO Flex criteria. The Council does not have oversight over this scheme, nor can it guarantee the quality of work from your chosen installer or that an installer will choose to offer you ECO funding, even if you meet the ECO4 eligibility criteria.

Are there any costs for me as a resident?

In some cases, you may be asked to contribute to the cost of the works where the ECO funding available to your installer is not able to fully fund them. This is because different installers may provide different levels of support towards the installation of energy efficiency or heating measures. If you are asked to contribute to the cost of the installation, we would advise speaking to a number of different installers to ensure you are satisfied with any offer made.

The Council receive no payment for the ECO4 scheme nor do we offer ECO4 funding to residents.

What should I consider when choosing an installer?

You may be contacted by a number of installers looking to offer you ECO4 funding. Unfortunately, not all of these companies are necessarily legitimate or able to deliver the works to a high standard. It is important to choose a supplier that you are confident can deliver the works to your requirements. Some things to consider when choosing an installer are:

Does the installer have good reviews?
Has the installer completed satisfactory work for neighbours nearby?
Does the installer have the appropriate credentials for example, gas installers should be Gas Safe registered. Insulation installers should by Trustmark registered.
Is the installer able to offer you ECO funding or is there an owner contribution?
If you are eligible through ECO Flex, is the installer listed on our website to be able to process these applications?

How do I know my home is suitable for this scheme?

It is important to note that eligibility for ECO doesn’t necessarily mean that an energy supplier or installer will decide to install energy efficiency measures in your home. A home survey/retrofit assessment will be needed to assess your home’s suitability for the scheme.
Moreover, you must own your own home or have permission from your landlord, including if the property is owned by a social housing provider or management company.

Is there any other support to help me with my home and/or to tackle fuel poverty?

You can also check which energy efficiency grants and support you may be eligible for using our online grant checker [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/warmhome].

If you have any more questions, please email eco@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:eco@coventry.gov.uk] or visit Energy Company Obligation (ECO) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/home-energy-warmth/energy-company-obligation-eco].

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