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FAQs

Browse helpful answers to common questions and information about some of the measures we install.

Overview

  • Who qualifies for the ECO scheme?

    You do not need to be a Utilita customer to benefit from Utilita installing ECO products in your house

    You're eligible for the ECO scheme if you are in receipt of one or more of the qualifying benefits a member of the household is in receipt of one or more or the following benefits*:

    - Income based Jobseekers allowance (JSA)
    - Income related Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
    - Income Support (IS)
    - Pension Credit Guarantee/Pension Credit Savings
    - Working Tax Credits (WTC)
    - Child Tax Credit (CTC)
    - Universal Credit (UC)
    - Housing Benefit


    The EPC rating of your property is D, E, F or G if you are a homeowner or E, F, or G if you are in social or private rented accommodation**

    *Qualifying criteria apply for all benefits and will be checked as part of your application. Some benefits are subject to household income threshold criteria. **If you don’t know the EPC rating of your home - don’t worry. We can determine this when a home survey is carried out.

  • Do I have to be a Utilita customer to apply?

    No you don't have to be a Utilita customer to apply.

  • Are there any costs involved?

    Utilita will provide fully funded installations if available under ECO4.

  • How long will the process take?

    It takes around 8 weeks from applying to the final installation. We’ll keep you updated throughout the process.

Boilers

  • How much could I save?

    You could save up to £380 per year*

    * These are estimated figures based on installing a new A-rated condensing boiler with a programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator controls (TRVs) in a gas heated home from an older boiler with a programmer and room thermostat. Savings will vary depending on the size and thermal performance of your home.

    Figures are based on fuel prices as of April 2022.

    For more, visit the energysavingtrust.org.uk

  • What are the benefits?

    More than just a new boiler.

    Lower energy bills.
    New boilers tend to be more efficient than old ones, so you won’t spend any more money than you need to on heating.

    Better water pressure.
    It can improve your hot water pressure considerably, making a hot shower much more enjoyable.

    Greener choice.
    A new A-rated boiler helps the environment by bringing down your home’s carbon emissions.

  • What type of boiler do you install?

    Combi boilers
    Combi (or combination) boilers are the UK’s most popular type for gas central heating and hot water. They provide heat to your radiators but heat hot water for your taps on demand (when you turn it on or run a hot shower). This means you’re saving energy by not keeping a full cylinder of hot water heated if only a small amount of hot water is required.

    The benefits of Combi boilers:
    - Instant hot water at mains pressure
    - Save room by not needing a separate hot water cylinder
    - Available in a range of sizes to suit your home
    - Recommended by the Energy Saving Trust Ideal for households with low hot water demand

Insulation

  • How much could I save?

    save up to £540 a year on your energy bills.

  • What are the benefits?

    Waste less. Save more.

    Keeping the heat in.
    Insulation helps to prevent heat being lost through the roof, walls and floors and stops cold air coming in.

    Good for your wallet.
    By keeping the heat in your home, you’ll need to use less energy to heat your home - saving you money.

    Greener choice.
    Wasting less energy will be good for your wallet and the planet as your carbon emissions will go down.

  • What type of insulation do you install?

    Cavity wall insulation
    Save up to £285* a year

    Cavity walls are made of two layers with a gap or ‘cavity’ between them. If your home was built after the 1920s, it’s likely to have cavity wall.

    Cavity walls can be insulated by injecting insulation into the cavity from the outside through drill holes in the outside walls. Insulation is usually mineral wool or polystyrene beads or polyurethane foam.

    *Estimates based on a gas-heated home. Figures are based on fuel prices as of April 2022.

    For more, visit the energysavingtrust.org.uk

    Solid wall insulation
    Save up to £390 a year*

    It’s more likely that homes built after the 1920’s have external solid walls rather than cavity walls.

    With solid walls, the walls have no gaps which means they can’t be filled with cavity wall insulation. Because solid walls do not have a cavity that can be filled, they tend to be insulated from either the inside or the outside.

    Internal insulation for solid walls can include the fitting of rigid insulation boards to the walls or a stud wall is built and filled with insulation material. External insulation involves fixing a layer of insulation material to the wall which is then covered with a special type of render (plasterwork) or cladding. There’s loads of finishing options including smooth, textured, painted, tiled, panelled, pebble-dashed or even finished with brick slips.

    *Estimates based on insulating a gas-heated home. Costs may vary significantly depending on level of work required. The savings above are based on a typical install for a Semi-detached house. Prices are based on fuel prices as of April 2022.

    For more, visit the energysavingtrust.org.uk

    Underfloor insulation
    Save up to £75 a year*

    Underfloor insulation can be installed if you have either a timber or concrete floor. It helps with eliminating drafts and prevents heat loss. Plus, it can reduce moisture and helps to keep underfloor piping from freezing.

    If you have a timber floor, solid insulation boards or rolls of mineral fibre are fitted between the flooring joists. This fills any gaps, so heat is unable to escape and drafts are reduced. If you have a cellar or basement, plasterboard can be fitted to the ceiling of the space too.

    If you have a concrete floor, insulation is applied on top of the concrete slab (below any carpet or underlay).

    *Estimates based on a gas-heated home. Costs vary depending on the work required. The savings above are based on a typical install for a semi detached home. Savings are based on fuel prices as of April 2022.

    For more, visit the energysavingtrust.org.uk

    Loft insulation
    Save up to £255 a year*

    Loft insulation is usually glass fibre or renewable wood fibre material that creates a barrier in your roof space to prevent heat from escaping.

    Insulation can either be laid between the joists of your loft floor or between the rafters that support the roof. The latter is typically more expensive and your choice will depend on whether you’d like to keep your loft space warm as well as your living space below.

    *Estimates based insulating a gas-heated home with a totally uninsulated loft (0mm) with 270mm of loft insulation. The recommended depth of mineral wool insulation is 270mm, but other materials need different depths. Figures are based on fuel prices as of April 2022.

    For more, visit the energysavingtrust.org.uk

Solar

  • How much could I save?

    Save up to £415 a year*

    Annual saving/income without the Smart ExportGuarantee in London, South East England.

    t CO2 saved/year = 0.85

    For more, visit the energysavingtrust.org.uk

  • What are the benefits?

    Solar panels deliver a significant reduction in energy bills. There's also the opportunity to earn money from the UK Government's solar incentive schemes.

    Solar energy is a cleaner, greener alternative to fossil fuels. Solar panels emit no carbon dioxide as they operate, helping the planet to minimise its carbon footprint.

    By generating your own energy this also means you won't be so reliant on the National Grid for your energy, because you will be using natural and renewable means to provide energy for your home. You can therefore claim the clean energy cash back scheme as a result. If there is a surplus, this can be sent to the national grid, helping to power other homes as well.

  • How are solar panels installed?

    Our solar panels are installed by roofers and connected by electricians to Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) standards to ensure the highest quality installs.

Smart Home

  • How much could I save?

    saving you up to £202 a year by never heating an empty home[1].

    [1] Savings based on an average annual energy consumption of 10,578 kWh at (7p per kWh). Carbon saved per year: 488.2 Kg CO2e (0.184kg of CO2e per kWh). Actual savings will vary depending on individual circumstances.

    Savings from Hive website

  • What are the benefits?

    Simple easy to use time and temperature controls

    Connectivity to your smartphone, tablet or electronic devices allowing you to change the temperature when you are not at home.

    Geo-fencing allows the smartphone connectivity to track your location to enable the heating system to turn on when returning from work

  • What smart home controls are available?

    Load Compensating smart controls measure the difference between temperature inside the property and what the consumer would like it to be and adjusts the boiler to maximise the fuel efficiency. It will provide heat or reduce output of the boiler to compensate for internal influence which can help save money on heating your home as it reduces the likelihood of overheating your home.

Thermostatic Radiator Valves

  • How much could I save?

    Having thermostatic valves installed in every room can save you up to 40% on your energy consumption

    For more, visit TheGreenAge.com

  • What are the benefits?

    Save money by helping you not heat your house unnecessary

    The environment. They allow you to heat your home more efficiently and in a smart way that is appropriate to each area of the home by setting them up to only heat rooms that you want heated.

    Giving you more control of how your heat your home.

  • What TRVs are available?

    Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) give you much more control over the temperature in your home because they have more advanced features. Like a manual valve, you can set the valve to what temperature you’d like a room to be.

    The thermostatic valve senses the temperature of the air around them and once the temperature you want is reached, it will automatically stop the flow of hot water to your radiator and prevent it from getting any warmer, wasting less heat and energy. You can set a different temperature in different rooms of your home. If the room temperature is lower than the TRV setting, the valve opens, increasing the flow of hot water into the radiator. If the room is warmer than the setting on the TRV, the valve will close a little to reduce the volume of hot water flowing into the radiator.

    You have to remember to manually turn them off when you don’t need them on. Otherwise, you will be wasting unnecessary energy and money on heat that you don’t need.

Heat Pump

  • How much could I save?

    Save up to £1000 a year*

    *When replacing an existing old g rated gas heating system in a typical well insulated four-bedroom detached home with an average ground source heat pump installation using over-sized radiators. Figures are based on fuel prices as of April 2022.

    For more, visit the energysavingtrust.org.uk

  • What are the benefits?

    Air source heat pumps use only a little electricity, so they’re a low-carbon form of heating

    Heat pumps are more efficient than other heating systems because the amount of heat they produce is more than the amount of electricity they use. A heat pump generates about 3.5kWh of heat for every 1kWh of electricity used. That’s 350% efficiency

    Air source heat pumps should last for at least 20 years – longer than the average lifespan of a gas boiler

  • How are Heat Pumps installed?

    Heat pumps are installed by Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) registered engineers assuring the install is completed to the highest quality.

    A heat pump unit is placed outside the house and will be connected to at least one hot water cylinder and a full heating system inside with an intelligent smart controller.

Apply today to start saving

Answer a few simple questions about your home and one of our Utilita Experts will call you back to discuss the best options for you.

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