Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert is calling on anyone earning under £31,000 to claim themselves a ‘freebie’ worth an average of just under £1,500 a year back into your energy account.
The money guru’s MSE team has shone a light on free insulation initiatives issued by the government.
The Great British Insulation Scheme has been launched by the government with a free online eligibility tracker. If you fill out the form and you’re eligible, you’ll be contacted by your energy supplier within 10 days to arrange an assessment of your property.
Under the scheme, you could get free insulation or a new boiler.
To qualify under the ‘low income’ group, you need to own your own home, have an energy performance certificate of D or below and someone living in the property needs to claim a qualifying benefit such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Child Benefit or Income Support and Housing Benefit.
The MSE team added: “You live in social housing, or are considered by your local council as being on low income (total household income under £31,000 a year) and vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold home,” then you can also qualify this way,
In the general group, you’re not eligible for a free boiler but you could still qualify for free insulation.
It adds that you need to own your own home or rent it, and be in council tax band A to D in England and with an EPC of D or below.
Insulation can save up to £1,500 on energy bills, while the average cost of a boiler is £2,000, meaning that those on low incomes could claim £3,500 of freebies while those in the general group could still benefit to the tune of about £1,500.
MSE added: “Once you’ve been approved as eligible, your energy firm will contact an installer on your behalf. The installer will then do a home survey to check which measures are appropriate. The installer has to be accredited by TrustMark.”
