Discount and Energy Efficiency Grant Schemes
If your home has inadequate heating or is lacking insulation, the Council may be able to assist through grant funded schemes. These schemes are focused on helping residents on a low income with a vulnerability to living in a cold home due to age/health conditions or in receipt of certain benefits.
For more information please email energy@dover.gov.uk, or call 01304 872414.
The type of measure and the amount of financial assistance available for qualifying households is dependent on the results of surveys of your property.
This grant is intended to reduce the number of cold homes occupied by older people with long-term health conditions. It will pay for heating or insulation (normally replacement boilers) where the applicant is over 60 and has a long-term illness. The maximum grant is £7,000. In some long-term health conditions, the applicant can be under 60. Confirmation is required from a health professional that the applicant has a long-term health condition. Please call 01304 872397.
The Council can also provide financial assistance to help towards the cost of heating, insulation and other works to your property.
The Domestic RHI is now closed to new applicants (1 April 2022), and is being replaced by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).
If you are already accredited for Domestic RHI, the support for accredited installations will not be affected by this closure, providing you continue to meet all your ongoing obligations under the scheme rules. The Duration of your RHI payments will remain the same and will be in line with your date of accreditation.
You can find out more about your ongoing obligations in Chapter 3 of the Domestic RHI: Essential Guide.
From the 1st April 2022 the boiler upgrade Scheme (BUS) will launch.
BUS is a government funded scheme that will provide grants to encourage property owners to install low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps. These grants will help overcome the upfront cost of low carbon heating technologies.
The Scheme will be open to domestic and small non-domestic properties in England and Wales. It will run from 2022 to 2025.
Please click here for more information about the scheme.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme Voucher Application Form is available on Ofgem’s website at:
https:/ https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/boiler-upgrade-scheme-voucher-application-form
Government funded. If you were born on or before 25 September 1956 you could get between £250 and £600 to help you pay your heating bills. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’.
The amount you'll get includes your ‘pensioner cost of living payment’. This is between £150 and £300. You’ll only get this extra amount in winter 2022 to 2023. This is in addition to any Cost of Living Payment you get with your benefit or tax credits.
Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off discount of £140 on your electricity bill (usually between October and March).
You should automatically qualify if on 4 July 2021 you were getting the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, your electricity supplier is part of the scheme, and your name (or partner’s) was on the bill. You should receive a letter, if not contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme on 0800 731 0214.
You may also qualify if you’re on a low income/ get certain means-tested benefits - check with your supplier to see if you’re eligible.
You may be able to get the discount on your gas bill instead if your supplier provides you with both gas and electricity. Contact your supplier to find out.
The discount won’t affect your Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment.
The 2021 to 2022 Cold Weather Payment scheme has now ended. Next year’s scheme will start on 1 November 2022. You’ll be able to check if your area is due a payment in November 2022.
You may get a Cold Weather Payment if you’re getting certain benefits. Payments are made when your local temperature is either recorded as, or forecast to be, an average of zero degrees Celsius or below over 7 consecutive days.
You’ll get a payment of £25 for each 7-day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March. Payments will be paid within 14 working days into the same bank/ building society as your benefit payments.
The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free service provided by suppliers and network operators (UK Power Networks, SGN) to customers in need (each supplier and network maintain their own register). The PSR is available to residents who are of pensionable age, disabled or chronically sick, have a long-term medical condition, have a hearing or visual impairment or additional communication needs, are in a vulnerable situation. To be added to the Priority Services Register contact your energy supplier/ network provider
The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) is launching a Cold Weather Priority (CWP) Initiative for the off-grid sector this October. This initiative has been developed to identify those most at risk and ensure delivery to these customers can be prioritised during periods of extreme cold, or fuel shortages. Check if your local supplier is involved visit cold weather priority or contact your nearest Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) member – find your nearest supplier.
A new fund to help vulnerable customers who may be struggling financially or need additional help in some way, such as with repairs in the home or white goods.
- Up to 50% one-year bill reduction for customers who have hit temporary hard times.
- Debt write-off of up to £2,000 for customers who have managed to get back on track with payments but will never be able to repay their debt.
- Grant of up to £1,000 to make improvements to a customer’s home (this might be the purchase of white goods that a customer cannot afford to replace, repairs to heating or water systems that they cannot afford, etc.)
Email: cs_affordabilityteam@southernwater.co.uk
Call: Southern Water Affordability Team on 0800 027 0800
Some utility companies offer help to customers who are struggling to pay their energy bills. See if your energy provider can offer you some help: -
Dover District Council has extended its successful town centre business grants scheme to help small businesses who want to reduce their carbon footprint, become more energy efficient, and cut their costs. Small businesses with up to 10 employees can benefit from a Green Energy Grant for up to 50% of their project costs, up to £10,000.
Contact us
Tel: 01304 872414
Email: energy@dover.gov.uk