Financial Assistance For Renovation and Home Improvement
If you're interested in renovating a home in the UK, there are certain financial aids you can apply for. The availability of this aid depends on your local council, as well as which country of the UK you live in, the rules being different between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Read on to find out about the different schemes you can apply for.
Energy Efficiency Funding
The assistance available for carrying out renovation work is at present mainly focussed on improving energy efficiency, and takes the form of interest-free loans and grants, some of which are means-tested, and others are available to everyone equally. The government is trying to make it possible for everyone to access help to make their home use less energy, which will in turn allow people to lower their energy bills, while being more kind to the planet as well. In Scotland, and in some parts of England and Wales, it is possible for those in receipt of certain types of government financial assistance such as universal credit or housing benefit to receive a home energy grant. The value of this can vary depending on which local authority issues the grant, but in Scotland it is generally around the value of £4000. This, in practice, is usually used to have the boiler replaced, as in older properties these are frequently old, inefficient and use a significant amount of fuel. It can also be used for having insulation installed, or having central heating upgraded.
For others, it is possible to have an interest-free loan of a value up to £15,000 for this same purpose. This repayment length depends, and can be up to twelve years. These loans are to be used again to upgrade the energy efficiency of a home, however they can also be used to pay for the installation of renewable energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines and air source heat pumps. These larger works can lead to a home being much more energy efficient. When the loan has been used to install renewable energy generating infrastructure, it is actually possible to be paid to supply energy into the National Grid. This payment is paid quarterly over seven years, and will generally come to a final total of around £7,500. If you own an electric car, you could also be entitled to a grant of up to £1000 in order to have an electric vehicle charging station installed in your home, which synergises nicely with the £35,000 interest-free loan available for purchasing an electric car.
Disability Grants for Home Improvement
If you have a disability, there are also grants available to help you adapt and improve your home to meet your needs. Disabled Facilities Grants are available in England and Wales to provide funding of up to £35,000 and up to £25,000 in Northern Ireland. If you live in Scotland, other housing adaptation funding and grants may be available. These grants are administered by your local council to make adaptations to facilitate the lives of disabled persons, and can be used to finance works such as the construction of ramps, installing stairlifts or ground floor facilities, widening doors, adapting lighting or heating controls for easier use, or upgrading heating systems. You may be eligible to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant if you or another person living in your property is disabled, including if you have a disabled tenant. This type of grant does not have to be repaid, but the conditions to receive them vary between different local authorities, with some of them having more stringent requirements than others, so check with them to see if you could be able to apply.
Are you interested in obtaining financial support for a renovation project in Ireland? Click here to find out more.
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