Government funding – ECO Scheme

UK government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme is a government energy efficiency scheme in Great Britain designed to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions. 
It requires larger energy suppliers to help households improve their home’s energy efficiency by funding energy efficiency improvements, such as insulation or new heating systems, for eligible, low-income and vulnerable households.

Do you qualify: Check the Ofgem website. Funding is channeled through East Suffolk Council. Economic saving of between 50-60%

ECO4 Government grant scheme. Funded by electricity suppliers.
Eco4hub.com

Big Community Switch Collective Energy Switching. Switching with us means you can benefit from the bargaining power of a large group. Once you have registered, we hold an energy auction where suppliers compete for the opportunity to offer you the lowest energy tariff. There’s no need to compare different tariffs as you’ll receive a personal offer. And what about the switch over? We’ll handle that all for you. It’s hassle-free and the only thing you’ll notice is a lower energy bill.

An Energy Efficiency Assessment – sometimes known as a retrofit assessment – is the crucial first step to fixing this. Suffolk councils are offering free or funded access to the assessment as part of the Warm Homes Suffolk campaign. This voucher can help you and your household reduce your fuel bill and your carbon footprint, helping drive the change towards a Net Zero Suffolk.

Which? Home Energy Planning – Our home energy planning tool gives you the know-how to make the right decisions for improving the energy efficiency of your home according to your means, and for approaching installers with confidence. The estimated costs and savings are based on your property type, size, age and location and on assumptions about the number of people living there and their energy usage, using data from Energy Saving Trust.

Insulation

Great British Insulation Scheme – covers loft insulation, wall insulation.

Suffolk Energy Efficiency Assessment SUFFOLK (Suffolk residents only) You may be eligible for a voucher for a home energy efficiency assessment.

Suffolk Loft insulation Offer
Homeowners get 50% discount up to £200 and free delivery from High Loft (UK’s leading brand)
www.bit.ly/suffolkloft and fill out the short form, or phone High Loft on 01706 248203. According to the Energy Saving Trust, an uninsulated home can lose up to a quarter of its heat through the roof and this offer provides an excellent way for residents to make their homes warmer, reduce their energy bills, and make a positive environmental impact. 

Warm Homes Suffolk loan (0% interest)
Currently paused but may reopen.
0% (0.2% APR) loan up to £15,000 to fund energy efficiency improvements, such as insulation repayable over maximum of 15 years.

(Information from commercial companies for example Home Eco-Grants nathan)

Solar Panels

GOVERNMENT EC04 grant scheme Funded by electricity suppliers. Full or partial cost

Solar Panel Funding
Grants or discounts for qualified persons (claiming benefits, low income)
Uses ECO4 and finance options

Solar panel loans
These are currently suspended due to demand. News about future loans is expected in Autumn 2026.

Green home grants
Government backed scheme providing support for different ways of energy saving

SUFFOLK Solar Together
Solar Together Suffolk is a group-buying scheme to help homeowners feel confident that they are paying the right price for a high-quality installation from pre-approved installers, whilst increasing their independence from the grid and reducing their carbon emissions and energy bills.

Solar Together Scheme for 2025

The Solar Together Suffolk scheme, which has so far installed 32,000 solar panels at 2,651 Suffolk households, is now open for registration for 2025.
Registering is free and there is no obligation to go ahead with the installation. The scheme also includes battery storage and EV charge points, and customer who have already invested in solar panels can get quotes for these too.

The scheme requires householders to register online, and pre-approved solar PV suppliers then take part in a ‘reverse auction’ to bid for the work. After this, registered households will be emailed a personal recommendation which they can choose to accept or not.

Telephone and email helpdesks are available to support residents in making an informed decision. The scheme is run by Suffolk’s councils in partnership with iChoosr, who have been working with UK councils on the Solar Together scheme since 2015.
For more information and to register, visit https://solartogether.co.uk/suffolk/home

Heat Pumps

Government support a grant of £7,500 towards ground and air sourced heat pumps as par of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)(England and Wales only). Covers Homeowners whose homes meet energy performance and insulation standards
Supplier makes funding application

Government Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) Offers all or major portion of cost of all heat pumps to low-income households or those in receipt of certain benefits or households with low EPC (energy efficiency) ratings}
The supplier makes Funding application.

Suffolk Warm Home Scheme (residents only)
Currently suspended but opens autumn? (administered by County Council)
Interest free loan up to £15,000 to improve properties smaller than 98 square metres with an EPC of below C .

Private independent sources
Many Banks, installers and Mortgage Lenders provide special terms to home owners installing heat pumps (and other environment friendly features) Interest-free Loans are also available from Big Issue Invest and Lendology

Wind Turbines

Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) Green-driven businesses looking to lower their carbon impact and progress their journey to net zero emissions.

Loans for pre-planning deposits from owners
100% from specialist lenders
visionassetfinance.com

Great British Energy Community Fund
The Great British Energy Community Fund is a government programme which specifically funds community energy projects to do feasibility and development. £10m was made available through the fund initially in 2023 and the government has recently announced another £5m.  The aim of the fund is to help kickstart projects including small-scale wind farms and rooftop solar partnerships, as well as battery storage, rural heat networks, electric vehicle charging points, and fuel poverty alleviation schemes – all proposed, designed and owned by local people.

The project is administered by the regional Net Zero Hubs. They can offer advice on applying for funding, so get in touch if you are considering making an application. You can find details for your regional Net Zero Hub below:
Communityenergyengland.org