5 Common Health Conditions That Could Qualify You for Free Heating Upgrades as a Tenant
The ECO4 scheme offers undeniable benefits for tenants renting properties, especially if those properties have low energy performance ratings (EPCs) or the tenants in question have certain health or medical conditions that are exacerbated by a poorly-insulated home and the cold weather that often becomes a problem during wintertime in the UK.
Health conditions make many aspects of life harder for many people across the UK, and cold weather and poor insulation doesn’t help. Not only does it exacerbate experienced symptoms, a poorly-insulated, energy-inefficient household results in higher energy bills - and higher stress.
However, help is at hand. If they are eligible, the ECO4 scheme is a fantastic way to receive free heating upgrades as a tenant. So what kind of health conditions are eligible for funding?
Five of the Most Common Health Conditions that Could Qualify You for ECO4 Funding
There are a number of health conditions that affect citizens in the UK that could lead to ECO4 eligibility. Here are the five most common:
- Asthma: Especially in winter, cold and dry air can irritate the airways, causing increased coughing and breathing issues.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Like with asthma, cold air can increase the experienced symptoms of COPD such as coughing and phlegm production.
- High blood pressure: When it is cold, blood vessels narrow in a process called vasoconstriction. This is universal, as this is the process that helps conserve body heat. Seasonal changes affect everyone’s blood pressure, but may cause issues for those people who have high blood pressure.
- Arthiritis: Many of those who deal with arthritis and the accompanying symptoms find that these symptoms are worse during cold weather.
- Heart disease or coronary artery disease: Like with high blood pressure, those who suffer from heart disease or coronary artery disease might feel their symptoms worsen in the cold due to the constricting of blood vessels.
Other Health Conditions Affected By Poor Insulation
We can also group other health conditions which are affected by cold weather and poor insulation by the categories offered by Ofgem:
Cardiovascular
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Stroke
- Congestive heart failure
- Atrial fibrillation
Respiratory
- Emphysema
- Chronic Bronchitis
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Pneumonia
- Pulmonary fibrosis
Immunosuppression
- Cancer treatment
- Autoimmune disease
- HIV/AIDS
- Use of immunosuppressive medication
- Organ transplant recovery
Limited Mobility
- Parkinson’s disease
- Join replacements
- Spinal injuries
- Chronic pain
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Neurological conditions that affect movement
Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and there are many other conditions which could increase the chances of ECO4 eligibility and the subsequent home improvements offered by the scheme.
Such conditions are:
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME)
- Diabetes
- Sickle cell disease
- Chronic obstructive sleep apnea
- Cerebral palsy
- Learning disabilities that may be affected by poor living conditions
Please talk to your GP to receive a proper referral for any of these conditions before applying for ECO4 funding, or to learn more about other conditions which could be affected by cold weather.
Why Is Proper Insulation Important?
If you deal with a certain medical condition, keeping a home warm and comfortable is more than just being able to live in a nice home; it’s actually vital for your personal well-being. Certain medical conditions are exacerbated by the presence of cold weather and a poorly insulated home.
The ECO4 scheme offered by the government can help reduce the impact of cold weather on an affected person by offering funded energy-efficiency improvements for a home. This could mean fully funded solutions such as new boilers, underfloor insulation, cavity wall insulation, and many more. The ECO4 scheme offers ‘whole-home’ solutions, so you could be enjoying the benefits of not just one, but multiple different installations that improve your home and living quality.
If you’re curious about what upgrades could be installed in your home, should you qualify for ECO4 funding, click here to find out more.
Learn About The Ofgem Rulings
The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) has guidelines on what it considers a health condition that would allow someone to qualify for funding. This also applies to the similar scheme, GBIS grants.
Ofgem’s guidelines can be grouped into broad categories of cardiovascular, respiratory, limited mobility, and immunosuppression. However, it is often best to source a GP referral if you have not already, as this will provide a solid basis of evidence to help you qualify.
On top of that, GPs are qualified medical professionals who can properly assess how someone’s condition might affect them and be affected by cold weather or poor insulation. Official Ofgem communications state:
“A person registered in the General Practitioner Register, a Scottish Health Board, a Welsh Health Board, an NHS Foundation Trust, or an NHS Trust, can also participate in ECO4 Flex by referring households where the healthcare professional is sure that their patient is suffering from a severe or long-term ill health and that their health is adversely affected by living in a cold home.”
You can read Ofgem’s ECO4 fact sheet on health conditions here.
Check Your Eligibility in 60 Seconds Today
You can only receive an ECO4 funding grant if you are eligible. There are certain criteria that people who might need funding need to meet in order to receive a grant. This is an important process, as it means that only those who need it - those who are vulnerable to the many issues caused by energy inefficiency or poor insulation - are able to receive it. Eligibility might be gained through multiple criteria, such as:
- Health conditions, like the ones we have mentioned in this article.
- Households on low income.
- Vulnerable households, such as those with elderly residents.
Do you think you might be eligible and see energy efficiency upgrades as a life-improving benefit? Contact us today, and we will have our in-house qualified assessors evaluate your property to see what energy efficiency installations could be available for you.
