Getting Help

Funding advice
Keep Herefordshire Warm has advisers who can guide you through all the funding sources available nationally and locally. https://keepherefordshirewarm.co.uk/grants-and-funding/

Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)
The government is providing grants to encourage property owners in England and Wales to install low carbon heating systems through the BUS until April 2025. These grants can help property owners overcome the upfront cost of low carbon heating technologies. Available to homes and businesses the scheme provides a £5,000 grant towards an air source heat pump or £6,000 towards a ground source heat pump or biomass boiler provided they are installed by registered installers. You will need an energy performance certificate (EPC) and sufficient levels of insulation prior to switching to low carbon heating to ensure that you are heat pump ready so we suggest you undertake a whole house retrofit plan first. The grant will not cover the full cost of installing a heat pump or any additional retrofit work that may required to make your home heat pump ready so you will need to consider how you will finance the rest of your retrofit project (see below for ideas).

Read more about the BUS: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-may-be-eligible-for-the-boiler-upgrade-scheme-from-april-2022
Find your EPC: https://www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate
Learn more about whole house retrofit: https://hgnetwork.org/retrofit-resources/

Funding for home improvements
For a limited time, there is funding available for Herefordshire residents to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties with home improvements including heating improvements, insulation and draughtproofing and renewable energy. Funding is offered based on a range of criteria including any of the following; a member of the household has a long-term health condition, receives income-related benefits (including pensions), there are elderly individuals or very young children living in the property or the property has an EPC rating of D, E, F or G.

Find out more at Keep Herefordshire Warm: https://keepherefordshirewarm.co.uk/grants-and-funding/sustainable-warmth/

Future Ready Homes: fully funded home energy assessments and retrofit plans

Future Ready Homes, a HGN BUILDING SENSE collaboration, offers (a limited number of) fully funded home energy assessments, whole house retrofit plans, support through the installation process and access to an invaluable expert panel to provide technical expertise — particularly on the harder to treat properties such as those with solid wall construction. It’s open to all home owners in Herefordshire and Powys who are looking to upgrade their home to make it more comfortable, save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. It’s open to households that can finance their own retrofit, and to ones eligible for support via government schemes.

Find out more and apply: https://futurereadyhomes.org.uk/

Green loans
Just Credit Union is providing green loans at preferential rates to Herefordshire homeowners via Money Box Credit Union. This is a new loan for Money Box not yet on their website. Loans are for up to a maximum of £15,000 which is provided at 5% APR over up to 5 years and can be used for a variety of green purposes. Money Box Credit Union is a Herefordshire not for profit, owned by its Herefordshire members providing unsecured affordable loans along with savings accounts.

Find out more about the green loan: https://justcreditunion.org/loans/preferential-green-loans/
Contact Money Box Credit Union: https://moneyboxcu.org.uk/contact/ 

Green mortgages
The availability of green mortgages is increasing with discounted rates for energy efficient properties and/or additional borrowing available to fund energy efficiency (retrofit) work. Mortgages are available for new builds, existing properties, buy-to-let and renovations. The Green Finance Institute provide an overview of green mortgages in the UK.
https://www.greenfinanceinstitute.co.uk/programmes/ceeb/green-mortgages/

For businesses
The Business Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) program provides an energy survey and some funding toward solutions for predominantly B2B businesses in in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire:
http://www.business-central.co.uk/beep/