Do you qualify for a Warm Front Grant?

Diane Mannion - Home Heating Guide - 21st March 2008

If you are entitled to benefits, you may also be eligible for a Warm Front Grant to help with insulation and heating improvements to your home.

Warmfront Government Grants

The scheme applies whether you own your own home or rent from a private landlord. However, since it is designed to combat fuel poverty, which results from a combination of poor energy efficiency, high energy prices and low income, certain criteria must be satisfied to qualify for a grant. These criteria apply to the householder, or to their spouse or partner, providing they live at the same address where the grant is to be used.

Warm Front Grants are awarded by the Government to fund insulation and heating improvements to residential properties. This initiative is administered by EAGA, a Government approved company. Grants are for amounts of up to £2,700 (or £4,000 if oil central heating is recommended) and may be available to people, or their residing partners, who claim the following benefits: -

  • Income Support (that must include a disability premium)
  • Working Tax Credit
  • Council Tax Benefit (that must include a disability premium)
  • Housing Benefit (that must include a disability premium)
  • Job Seekers Allowance (income-based)
  • Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Disability Living Allowance
  • War Disablement Pension (that must include a mobility supplement or a Constant Attendance Allowance)
  • Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (that must include a Constant Attendance Allowance)

To be considered for a Warm Front Grant you must either own your own home or rent your home from a private landlord. Warm Front Grants are only available in England, although other schemes operate in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

You can find out if you are entitled to a grant by ringing freephone: 0800 316 6011 or textphone: 0800 072 0156 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday. If you have previously received a Warm Front Grant in respect of your property, you may still be eligible for a further grant for the balance up to £2700 (or £4000 if oil central heating is involved) less the value of all works previously completed under the Warm Front scheme. You can receive further advice by ringing the freephone number.

You will need to complete an application form before an assessor visits you to survey your property and recommend work. You can do this online by visiting www.warmfront.co.uk, and selecting the yellow bar labelled ‘Apply for a Warm Front Grant’. You can also apply for a grant on behalf of someone who may be eligible.

If you aren’t in receipt of benefits, you might still be able to claim for a Warm Front Grant. You will need to be assessed to see if you are entitled to benefits, and therefore eligible for a grant. You can do this by ringing the Benefit Entitlement Check team on freephone 0800 072 9006.

Once you have been accepted for a Warm Front Grant, your property will be assessed by a Home Energy Adviser, who will recommend improvements to your heating or insulation systems. This work will then be carried out by a fully trained installer, and regular checks will be made to ensure that the work done is of a high standard.