What is ECO4 Flex?
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a government energy efficiency scheme. It aims to reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty by improving the energy efficiency of homes occupied by residents on low incomes who are vulnerable to the cold, and/or live in homes that are hard to heat. ECO is funded by large private energy suppliers and delivered by private PAS2030/2035 installers who are Trustmark accredited.
What is the Councils role?
Our role is to assess the eligibility of a household. We are not involved or responsible for issuing the funding, appointing contractors or installing the works.
ECO Flex is run by private companies (installers) and the funding for the improvements are awarded by the energy suppliers.
What improvements are available?
Your chosen installer(s) will carry out a survey and identify a package of improvements suitable for your property.
If eligible, you could qualify for any of the improvements listed below. This is not the full list and other improvements might be available depending on the installer.
- Loft insulation
- Pitched roof insulation
- Flat roof insulation
- Room in roof insulation
- Cavity wall insulation
- External wall insulation
- Internal wall insulation
- Floor insulation (solid or suspended floors)
- Air source heat pumps
- Ground source heat pumps
- Gas boilers
- Electric boilers
- Biomass boilers
- Heating controls
- Electric storage heaters
- Solar PV panels
- High performance external doors
- Window glazing
- Draught proofing
Am I eligible for ECO4 Flex?
To qualify, properties must be an occupied private domestic premises (either owner-occupied homes or private rented sector homes). Both the property and the household must meet the eligibility criteria set out in at least one of the three available routes outlined below (Definitions: EPC = Energy Performance Certificate, SAP = Standard Assessment Procedure):
Route 1: EPC/SAP bands D-G owner occupied households and private rented sector E-G households with a gross income less than £31,000. If you are not sure what your energy performance rating is, you maybe able to find it information on the UK Gov website here
Route 2: EPC/SAP bands E-G for owner occupied households and private rented sector households that meets a combination of two of the following proxies:
* Note proxies 1 and 3 cannot be used together.
Route 3: EPC/SAP bands D-G owner occupied households and private rented sector E-G households that have been identified by their doctor or GP as low-income and vulnerable, with an occupant whose health conditions may be cardiovascular, respiratory, immunosuppressed, or limited mobility related.
How can I access ECO4 Flex?
You will need to contact an approved installer (please see approved installer list on our website). Your chosen installer will discuss with you the energy measures available to you and ask you to complete an application form and provide supporting evidence of your eligibility. This will then be sent by the installer to Monmouthshire County Council for us to confirm your eligibility. Once we have confirmed eligibility, we will provide a written declaration to the installer, who will then pass that to their preferred energy supplier.
We charge an administrative fee of £75 for each application made by the installer. This charge covers our checking, processing and approval procedures and is paid by the installer. An installer must not charge you for the decalaration, if they do please let us know.
How do I find an installer?
The Council has put in place a list of approved installers and you will need to select an installer from this list. We cannot recommend or endorse any particular installer and the contractual relationship will be between you and your chosen installer.
We recommend you request to see their company ID when they visit your property. Make sure they leave you with their contact details in case you want to check on the status of your application after they leave because we will not have access to this information.
What else should I check?
It is your responsibility to carry out the following checks:
- Do you need planning permission or building regulations approval: Certain types of insulation such as external wall insulation might need planning permission and building regulations approval and as a homeowner/landlord it will be your responsibility to apply for this.
- Make sure they are Gas Safe registered. By law all engineers installing gas boilers must be on the Gas Safe Register.
- Check if they provide any guarantees or warranties on the installation and make sure you are provided with these and any other associated paperwork upon completion of an install.
What if I am not happy with the installation?
Initial complaints about an installation should firstly be made to the company who installed the measure. If problems persist, you should contact Citizens Advice Consumer Services for free impartial advice.
I have further questions
ECO4 Flex Approved Installers for Monmouthshire. – You will only be contacted by these companies.
| Company | Website | Contact Details |
| A & M Energy Solutions Ltd | Cavity Wall Insulation and Loft Insulation in Cardiff – A M Energy (am-energy.com) | Mark.thomas@amenergy.com 02920 461802 |
| Broad Oak Properties Eco Ltd | Home | Broad Oak Properties | hello@broadoakproperties.com 01782 550371 |
| Everwarm Ltd | https://everwarmgroup.com | enquiries@everwarmgroup.com 0800 1977755 |
| Heatforce Wales Ltd | Heatforce | Heat Pump Installers | Cardiff | neal@heatforce.co.uk 02920 763622 |
| Zing Energy | Energy Saving Solutions | Zing Energy (wearezing.com) | martin@wearezing.com 0330 8084365 |
Ofgem have produced information for homeowners and tenants that you can find here