Home Energy Efficiency Equity Loan pilot - call for evidence on potential national rollout: analysis of responses

Annex B: Equity Loan Pilot eligibility

Eligibility Criteria for the Equity Loan Pilot

The property that work is to be carried out on must be in Perth & Kinross, Stirling, Dundee, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, Argyll and Bute or the Western Isles council areas. The following people can apply:

• Owners of properties in council tax bands A - C, or owners (or permanent occupiers, like partners or children) who receive the qualifying benefits. (see below)
• Private landlords with no more than two properties to rent that are in council tax bands A - C, or whose tenants receive the qualifying benefits. A landlord must be classed as a 'natural person' (meaning they're not registered as a business) and cannot own more than two properties.

List of qualifying benefits

If any of the permanent occupiers (including homeowner, their children or partner, or their tenants) receive any of the qualifying benefits listed below, then they can apply for the HEEPS Equity Loan. The qualifying benefits are:

• Guarantee element of the Pension Credit
• Attendance Allowance
• Universal Credit
• Any of the benefits replaced by Universal Credit, like income-based Job Seekers' Allowance, Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Housing Benefit
• council tax Reduction (excluding the 25% discount for single occupancy)
• Carer's Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• War Disablement Pension
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

Equity Loan Pilot Eligible Measures

Energy Efficiency:

• Repairs that reduce heat loss through the building fabric and/or reduce damp or moisture penetration
• Insulation (including external wall, internal wall, cavity wall, lofts, rooms in roofs, flat roof, under floor and primary pipework)
• Gas, oil or LPG boiler
• Solar (PV, thermal and PVT)
• Warm air unit
• Draught proofing
• Electrical storage heaters
• Hot water tanks
• Heating controls
• Double glazing (new or replacement) and secondary glazing
• Radiator panels
• Gas connection (to the mains or to a district heating system)
• Repairs to existing systems (if this is more cost effective than a full replacement)
• External doors
• Biomass boilers and stoves
• Low energy lighting
• Heat pumps (air source, ground source and water source)
• Works that improve water efficiency

Repairs:

• Roof structure, coverings and flashings
• Rainwater goods
• Chimney stacks and heads (including removal)
• Work to eradicate rising and penetrating damp External wall repairs including finishes
• Work required to make god plaster and/or decoration after a repair
• Active and passive ventilation systems
• Repairs considered essential to allow an approved measure to be carried out, for example if re-wiring is needed to allow electrically powered energy efficiency measures to be installed
• Wet and dry rot
• Other repairs to be considered on a case by case basis (not including purely cosmetic)