Fuel Poverty Information

Help to keep warm and well

Find information about how to keep warm and well at home in East Sussex on the Keep warm and well website.

Warm home check service

Our Warm Home Check service is available all year round. It offers advice and support to anyone who struggles to keep warm at home. If you are on a low income you may also qualify for a free home visit which includes:

• advice on getting help to pay for heating
• an assessment of your home to identify how to keep warm
• small works such as improving insulation or repairing boilers
• emergency temporary heating.
• Installation of replacement boilers, central heating systems or home insulation is also possible subject to eligibility and limited availability.

This service is provided by RetrofitWorks and Citizens Advice East Sussex. To find our more enquire online, text WARM to 81400 or call 03444 111444.

Who can apply

For the home visit offered by this free service you need to:

1) Own your own property or rent it privately (in East Sussex) and have the owner's permission to do the work
and

a) be on a low income and be:

• either living with a long term health condition
• or living with a disability

(the income threshold for eligibility will depend on the size of your household. Please contact us to find out more)

or

b) be receiving one of the following benefits:

• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit
• Pension Guarantee Credit and/or Pension Savings Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• If you claim Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit your eligibility will depend on your income.

Other ways to get help

• Welfare benefits helpline
• Discretionary East Sussex Support Scheme
• coldAlert Sussex
• Heating and housing benefits - GOV.UK
• Keeping warm and well - NHS website
• Energy Saving Trust
• Get ready for winter - Met Office
• Stay well this winter

Energy Company Obligation (ECO) flexible eligibility

ECO is a Government initiative provided by the big six energy suppliers to help people keep their homes warm. ECO can provide funding for heating and insulation improvements for low-income and vulnerable households - social housing tenants are not eligible and there are eligibility criteria for this means-tested scheme.

Local authorities in East Sussex have all signed up to a Statement of Intent on the use of ECO funding which includes locally agreed 'flexible eligibility' criteria. This is version two of the statement taking into account the changes brought about by ECO3. This most recent statement of intent can be found here:

• Eco Flex Statement of Intent

This Statement of Intent replaced the previous Version one which can be found here.

• Eco Flex Statement of Intent Version 1.0 - December 2017