Support with heating and insulation (Energy Company Obligation)

Overview

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) are government energy efficiency initiatives.

ECO is in its fourth round (known as ECO4), and runs until March 2025. GBIS is a new initiative from September 2023, and runs until March 2026.

The schemes focus on supporting low income, vulnerable and fuel-poor private households.

They do this by providing home energy efficiency measures such as insulation and upgrading inefficient heating.

Under ECO, insulation, first time central heating and heating upgrades are available.

Under GBIS, households could receive one insulation measure. If the household is on a low income, they may also get upgraded controls on their heating systems.

The measures available are subject to surveys and funding.

As part of the initiatives, larger energy companies must identify and provide funding for energy saving measures in eligible households.

For more information, see:

Eligibility

There are different criteria for the Energy Company Obligation and Great British Insulation Scheme.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO):

There are two groups of eligibility criteria:

Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)

  • General Group
    For people who are in Council Tax bands A to D in England, with an EPC of D or below.
  • Local Authority Flexible Eligibility (ECO4 flex)
    Based on income, vulnerability and whether the Council has published a Statement of Intent setting out flexible eligibility routes 1 to 3.

Help to Heat eligibility

You may be eligible under the Help to Heat criteria if:

  • you're in the 'core group' for the Warm Home Discount scheme, or
  • you receive at least one of the following benefits,and meet the income cap requirement where applicable:
    • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
    • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
    • Income Support
    • Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
    • Working Tax Credit
    • Child Tax Credit
    • Universal Credit
    • Housing Benefit
    • Pension Credit Savings Credit
    • Child Benefit

Under the Help to Heat criteria, you can live in a home that you own or privately rent.

Local Authority Flexible eligibility (ECO4 and Great British Insulation Scheme)

We have published our local eligibility criteria specific to South Tyneside. This is set out in our Statement of Intent (SOI) below. 

ECO4 flex and GBIS are available to private households (home owners and private renters), who can be referred to energy suppliers or their contractors for support.

Suppliers (or their representatives) must apply to the Council for approval, via a declaration signed by the Council. This will confirm  that the customer meets the criteria.

Assistance for measures installation is at the supplier's discretion and is subject to assessment, survey and available funding.

A signed declaration does not guarantee assistance.

South Tyneside's eligibility criteria is based on: 

  • low income
  • where you live
  • certain existing health conditions which are made worse by living in a cold home

Statement of Intent (SOI) - full eligibility criteria

For full details of South Tyneside Council's eligibility criteria, read the Statement of Intent (SOI) (Version 4).

Previous versions

What support you could get

Installers will:

  • determine eligibility
  • survey your property
  • assess the application
  • recommend measures to improve the energy efficiency of your home

Insulation measures will be installed first (if needed). This is known as a 'fabric first approach'.

Energy saving measures that are available include: 

  • installing insulation, including:
    • cavity wall
    • loft
    • loft top up
    • underfloor insulation
  • replacement or repair of broken or inefficient heating systems, including:
    • replacing a non-condensing boiler with a condensing boiler
    • heating control upgrades
    • renewable heating systems

How to apply

Installers may promote the scheme in your area and could contact you directly by letter.

We do not encourage installers to cold call.

If you want to enquire directly, you can:

  • contact one of the installers on the list of approved installers
  • contact South Tyneside Council on 0191 427 7000 to express your interest

Information for installers

You should read the Statement of Intent (SOI) and apply to South Tyneside Council before any marketing activity or issuing declarations.

This is so you can be considered for the list of approved installers. This will be subject to signing agreements and supplying the required information.

For more information or to discuss this scheme,  please contact us: 

Statement of Intent

View the current Statement of Intent:

Statement of Intent (ECO4) - version 4

View previous versions:

Statement of Intent (ECO4) - version 3

Statement of Intent (ECO4) - version 2

Statement of Intent (ECO4)

Statement of Intent (ECO3)

Privacy notice: Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

1. Introduction

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) are central Government energy efficiency initiatives that obligate licenced Energy Suppliers to provide funding and promote and install energy saving measures to UK households that are at risk of, or are in, fuel poverty.

The current phase of ECO is ECO4 and 50% of the overall obligation allows local Councils to access funding by setting out flexible eligibility criteria (ECO4 Flex) outside of the standard ECO4 Help to Heat group. The GBIS scheme provides one insulation measure, and for those on low-income heating control upgrades.

South Tyneside Council (STC) intends to utilise the Energy Company Flexible Eligibility (ECO4 Flex) and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) eligibility criteria, for the purposes of improving energy efficiency and reducing levels of cold-related ill health and fuel poverty in South Tyneside.

In order for you to access the installation of energy saving measures, your personal details will be required, and it will be necessary to share that information with other organisations.

The information that we collect will only be used in line with the ECO4 and GBIS schemes and in accordance with the data protection principles set out in law.

This privacy notice only covers the processing of information by STC relating to ECO and GBIS under the current ECO4 and GBIS and tells you how we will handle your personal information.

2. What information do we collect about you?

  • Contact details, name, address, telephone number(s) and email address (so that STC and / or the ECO / GBIS Company can make contact to discuss eligibility and the next steps).
  • Tenure of the property, i.e., owner occupied or rented, and the Council Tax band - if rented, the Landlord's contact details will be obtained (required in order to obtain permission should any work to the property be recommended).
  • Property type, construction, age of property, insulation levels (if known), heating type and condition.
  • Household member(s) who receive benefits, and what those benefits are, date of birth of the eldest member of the household over 65, or date of birth of youngest child under 16, if they permanently reside with the applicant, or whether a member of the household is pregnant.
  • Vulnerability group, (i.e., Fuel Poor, low income, health or age qualifier) to which the individual household belongs.
  • Household income details to determine whether household income is less than £31,000.
  • Confirmation of whether you or a household member suffers from a long-term health condition exacerbated by living in a cold home together with details of that condition.
  • Details of how data subjects found out about the scheme, to determine the best routes for scheme promotion and those organisations which are proactively promoting the scheme.
  • Recommended measures to be undertaken to the Data Subject's property by the ECO / GBIS Company.
  • ECO4 Flex and GBIS progress, repair events, measures installations relating to the Data Subject's property.

Other than your contact details, the provision of all this information to South Tyneside Council is voluntary. The relevant information you provide will be forwarded to the ECO / GBIS Company in order that they can carry out ECO4 and GBIS eligibility checking and property survey.

However, if you do not provide the ECO / GBIS Company with all of the necessary information required then your ECO4 / GBIS application will not progress. Should this be the case you may withdraw your permission for STC to use your data at any time

3. How do we collect information about you?

We will collect your information if you:

  • make enquiries about ECO / GBIS and contact us by telephone, in person or email STC direct
  • contact us in relation to information requests and complaints
  • complete an online form via our website
  • engage with us when we carry out our regulatory and administrative functions
  • engage with an ECO / GBIS Company
  • Make contact via a third-party organisation to request advice or assistance and they refer you to STC or the ECO/GBIS Company for help

4. Who has access to your data?

STC are joint controllers along with the ECO / GBIS Company for the processing of any personal information in relation to ECO4 and GBIS. Information collected that shows you may be eligible is shared with the ECO / GBIS Company.

The ECO / GBIS Company will manage your application and process your data as necessary to confirm your eligibility for ECO4 and / or GBIS. The ECO / GBIS Company will themselves comply with the legal obligations under the ECO / GBIS legislation and will act in accordance with relevant Data Protection Policy.

5. Special Category Data

STC recognises the significance of special category data and will only process such data if certain conditions are met. These conditions are outlined in guidance from the UK Information Commissioner's Office.

STC may ask you or a health professional to declare some health conditions that are exacerbated by living in a cold home; these may fall within the definition of special category data. If this data is provided, STC will only use this information to confirm eligibility for ECO4 Flex and GBIS, under the Health Conditions criteria, with the ECO / GBIS Company. This data will not be used for any other purpose and will be kept in strict confidence.

Should it be necessary to disclose any other special category data, then prior explicit consent will be obtained from you.

6. Why do we collect your information and how will we use it

We only collect information that we need in order to carry out our functions in relation to ECO4 and GBIS, so that we may:

  • Check eligibility.
  • administer and monitor the scheme.
  • help us avoid and identify fraud.
  • review how well the scheme is working, to help inform future planning.

STC does not use your information:

  • to make automatic decisions
  • for profiling, i.e., automated processing of personal data to evaluate certain things about an individual
  • for marketing purposes

Information that is used for reporting or monitoring is anonymised to prevent identification and to protect your confidentiality.

We will only disclose your personal information in the following circumstances:

  • Sharing with an ECO / GBIS Company to confirm whether you are entitled to ECO4, ECO4 Flex or GBIS and as necessary for the purposes of the administration of ECO4 and GBIS.
  • With the property owner, where their consent is required to carry out ECO4, ECO4 Flex or GBIS works to the property
  • where you give us explicit consent to disclose it.
  • where the disclosure is required by law, statutory direction, court orders, or processing and sharing information with auditors during audits.

7. How is your information held?

South Tyneside Council takes your privacy, and the safety and security of your information, very seriously.

Information is held by South Tyneside Council in both paper, or non-computerised format and electronic, or computerised, format.

  • Paper-based, non-computerised, information is stored securely within access-controlled storage, and is only processed by staff with a need to do so
  • Electronic, computerised, information is stored securely on servers managed by STC

STC has security procedures and an Information Security Policy to ensure that data is handled appropriately and protected from accidental loss or misuse and seeks to comply and align its policies with all parts of the Information Security Standards ISO 27001/27002.

8. Who do we share your personal information with?

STC may share information relevant to the installation of measures in your home with:

  • The ECO / GBIS Company
  • The property owner
  • Anyone else where there is a requirement in law, or we have your prior consent

9. The Lawful Basis on which we process your information

We process your personal information by Consent as set out under Article (6)(1)(a) of the GDPR and Article (9)(2)(a) Consent (for special category data). STC only obtain your information by Consent for the purpose of ECO4 / GBIS and your explicit consent for health information under ECO Flex and GBIS.

Under Article (6)(1)(e) Public Task and Article 9(2)(g) Public Interest, the Council is processing data that has a lawful basis set out in Energy Legislation and which the Council believes will result in a better thermal quality of housing, and economic and health benefits for borough residents. 

10. How long do we keep your information?

We keep your personal data only for as long as is necessary to conclude the purpose(s) for which it was collected and in accordance with our retention schedules.

Your information will be held for no longer than 3 years after the ending of the ECO4 / GBIS scheme, unless there are exceptional circumstances which require STC to retain it for a longer period of time. You will be informed if this becomes necessary.

Data will be securely destroyed when no longer required.

11. Access to information and correction

You have the right to:

  • Be informed about the data we hold about you
  • Access the information we hold about you
  • Have your personal information corrected if it is incomplete or inaccurate
  • Ask us to restrict how we process your information
  • Object to certain ways we use your information

12. Changes to our privacy policy

We will regularly review privacy notices, and these can be found on the Council website.

This privacy notice was last reviewed in August 2023.

13. How to contact us

If you have concerns about the way we are collecting, using and / or processing your personal data and you would like to request further information in relation to exercising any of your rights and / or request information about STC's Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) and Great British Insulation (GBIS) privacy policy, or if you wish to raise the following:

  • an FOI or EIR request.
  • a complaint about data processing.
  • or make a Subject Access Request.

Please contact:

The Domestic Energy Efficiency Team on 0191 4247902, email environmental.healthmailbox@southtyneside.gov.uk

Or Information Governance Team on 0191 424 6539 or email data.protection@southtyneside.gov.uk

Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office at www.ico.org.uk/concerns