Energy Grant Guide

What we do

We support local authorities in delivering government energy efficiency schemes. Our role includes:

• Qualifying customers for funding

• Coordinating applications

• Supporting the full customer journey

Who we work with

• Local Authorities & Councils

We help councils deliver energy efficiency funding in their communities.

• Trustmark-Approved Contractors

We partner with certified installers to ensure high-quality work.

• Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ)

We work closely with DESNZ to manage and deliver government-backed schemes.

Energy advice services

Our Energy Advice Team offers free, personalised support to help you save energy and money:

• Tailored advice (save up to £500/year)

• In-depth home energy assessments

• Free energy-saving packs

• Simple, effective energy-saving tips

• Income maximisation & benefit checks

• Fuel debt support & gas safety guidance

• Signposting to additional support (e.g. mental health, bereavement, financial hardship)

Advice Line

Email: advicecentre@yesenergysolutions.co.uk

Glossary

• Measures – Improvements that can be installed at the property (e.g. cavity wall insulation, ventilation, solar panels).

• Qualifying route – The individual circumstances that allow a household to be approved as eligible for a scheme (e.g. low income, receiving means-tested benefits).

• TrustMark – A government-endorsed quality assurance scheme. A TrustMark-endorsed business has been thoroughly vetted to meet required standards and has made a commitment to good customer service.

Process timeline

• Opportunity – Confirming scheme eligibility (1 working day)

• Evidence – Collecting required documents for application (10 working days)

• Retrofit assessment – Whole-house survey to establish current condition and potential improvements (18 working days for RA and TS)

• Technical survey – In-depth, measure-specific survey to confirm the property’s suitability

• Funding confirmation – Creating quote for works and obtaining approval from your local authority and DESNZ (10 working days, including customer approvals)

• Customer quote and approval – Confirming funding approval and gaining your consent to proceed to installation (10 working days)

• Installation – Installation of approved energy efficiency measures (15 working days, 30 for EWI)

• Handover – Install quality checks, post-EPC and associated documentation (10 working days)

Initial application

Energy performance certificates

An energy performance certificate (EPC) documents the energy efficiency of a property. A more energy-efficient property uses less energy to run and wastes less energy. For example, a more energy-efficient property wouldn’t need as much energy to heat their home, and that heat would take longer to escape from the property. This, in turn, saves you money on your energy bills.

EPCs are rated from A to G (A being the best, G being the worst). Most schemes require a property’s EPC to be a D or lower to qualify for funding.

EPCs expire after 10 years (or sooner if you have made improvements to the home), so your property may not have one if you have lived there for more than 10 years. If your property does not have a valid EPC, an EPC assessment will be carried out at the same time as the initial survey.

The schemes

When contacting YES to enquire about available funding schemes, our project administrators will be able to advise which scheme/s would be suitable for you and your property. A basic overview of the larger schemes we work on has been included below.

https://www.yesenergysolutions.co.uk/schemes/

Property improvements

Improvements that can be made to the property are known as ‘measures’. We cannot guarantee any measures will be installed at the property until funding approval is gained later in the process.

If you are interested in a specific measure, this will be noted on your file, and we will try our best to meet these expectations where possible.

Evidence

Required evidence

Once we have confirmed your eligibility, you will receive an email stating the evidence required for your application. Please ensure you send these at your earliest convenience to avoid delays in the process.

The specific evidence you will be required to send in to qualify will vary depending on the scheme and qualifying route. Additional evidence may be required for certain local authorities, and for landlords/private tenants.

All applications require the following evidence (please refer to the evidence request letter/email for the additional evidence we will require from yourself):

Council tax bill for current year

Land registry – the YES Projects team will acquire this as part of the application process, but you will be required to provide documentation for proof of ownership if we cannot obtain the land registry.

If we have not received the requested evidence after 5 working days, we will try and contact you to follow up on this. If you have not received a letter or email from us requesting the evidence, please get in touch with YES.

After 3 unsuccessful contact attempts, your application is automatically closed down. Therefore, it is vital that you provide the evidence as quickly as possible to start the process. So long as the scheme is still running, we can re-open the application if you get back in touch and submit your evidence.

How to send evidence

Evidence can be sent in via email, or post.

If you prefer to send us evidence via email, please ensure all 4 corners of the document are included in any photos. If posting, originals or copies of the requested documents can be used for evidence; we will do our best to ensure all originals are posted back to you.

Freepost address:

Freepost RUHA-RYZT-JLGL

YES Energy Solutions

Unit 8–9, Victoria Mills

Stainland Road, Greetland

West Yorkshire, HX4 8AD

(No stamp required, just write this address clearly on the front of the envelope)

Email:projects@yesenergysolutions.co.uk

Retrofit sssessment – what to expect

What is a retrofit assessment?

Once we’ve received all the necessary information from you (and your landlord or tenant, if applicable), someone from YES will be in touch to arrange a retrofit assessment — or let you know that one of our subcontractors will contact you directly.

This is the first survey in the process. A retrofit assessor will visit your property to review its current energy performance and identify areas for improvement. The assessment usually takes around 2 hours, but this can vary depending on the size and features of your home.

Potential improvements may include:

Wall and roof insulation

Windows and external doors

Heating and ventilation systems

Please note: no improvements are guaranteed until later in the process, once funding is approved by DESNZ.

If your property doesn’t have a valid EPC (Energy Performance Certificate), the assessor will also carry out an EPC assessment to confirm eligibility for the scheme.

What Will the Assessment Involve?

The assessor will need access to all rooms in your property. Please make sure they can move around safely and easily.

Here’s what they’ll be looking at:

• Occupancy assessment – How you use your home and your energy habits (e.g. heating, hot water usage).

• Condition survey – A detailed check of your home’s structure, including walls, roof, windows, and insulation. They’ll look for things like damp or drafts that affect energy efficiency.

• Energy report – A review of how energy is currently used and where improvements can be made.

• Ventilation assessment – A check of your ventilation systems (e.g. extractor fans, window vents, door gaps) to ensure they’re working properly.

• Installed building services – A list of your heating, hot water, and lighting systems, including how they’re controlled.

• Floor plan and photos – To document your home’s layout and condition.

• Building construction and physics – Understanding how your home is built helps the assessor make accurate recommendations.

Who will be visiting?

Your retrofit assessor may be from YES or one of our trusted subcontractors. You’ll be told who is attending when your appointment is confirmed.

All assessors must carry photographic ID — please ask to see it before they enter your property.

Technical Survey – What to Expect

What is a technical survey?

After your retrofit assessment, a retrofit coordinator will use the information gathered to create a list of potential improvements for your property.

The next step is to check whether these improvements are technically viable. Because each measure has specific requirements, specialist surveyors may need to carry out follow-up visits to confirm what’s possible.

What’s needed during this survey depends on the measures being considered. You can find more detail in our Measure Guides, but here’s a general overview:

• Building condition check – Are any repairs needed before installation? (e.g. roof strengthening, eaves/gable extensions, asbestos removal)

• Electrical assessment – Are your current electrics suitable for the proposed work?

• System placement – Where can the proposed systems go? We’ll ensure they meet building regulations (e.g. structural stability, fire safety, moisture resistance).

• Access check – Are there any issues with installation or future maintenance access?

All the information gathered so far helps shape the retrofit design, which outlines what will be installed and where. If you have any specific needs (e.g. access requirements), these will be considered in the design. Please contact YES if you have any concerns about your property’s retrofit design.

Arranging the survey

Once the recommended improvements are ready, we’ll contact you to confirm which subcontractor(s) will carry out the technical survey(s).

The subcontractor depends on the proposed measures, so you may need more than one survey.

The subcontractor will contact you directly to arrange the visit. If you’ve been told your application has moved to the Technical Survey stage but haven’t heard from anyone within 10 working days, please get in touch using the relevant contractor contact details.

If you need help arranging the survey(s), feel free to contact YES.

Partner quote & awaiting authorisation

Quoting

Once we confirm that your property is technically suitable for the proposed work, we’ll begin preparing a quote. We’ll contact you to check if you’re happy to proceed if the work is approved by the funding provider.

The quote is then sent to your local authority for approval. This depends on their cost limits and available funding at the time.

Once approved by the local authority, we’ll contact you again to confirm and get your consent before applying for funding approval from DESNZ.

This stage can take some time, as it involves multiple parties. You may not receive updates for a few weeks — but rest assured, we’ll be in touch as soon as we receive confirmation.

Only once we receive funding approval from DESNZ can we confirm what will be installed at your property.

Customer quote and approval – what happens next

Receiving the quote

If you're happy to go ahead with the approved measures, we’ll ask you to sign a customer quote. This document includes:

• A breakdown of the work to be carried out

• Confirmation of any financial contribution required

For most customers, the installation will be fully funded, meaning no payment is needed. However, some schemes — especially those involving landlords — may require a contribution. If you're unsure whether this applies to you, please contact YES for clarification.

Some local authorities may also require additional documents at this stage. The YES team member contacting you will let you know if this applies.

How to sign and return the quote

You can choose to receive the quote by email or post:

By post: You’ll receive a freepost envelope to return the signed document.

By email: We’ll send the quote as a password-protected document to keep your personal information secure.

You can:

• Sign the document digitally (a guide is included below) and email it back to YES

• Or print it, sign it by hand, and return it by post or email (please include all pages in full)

[Separate document with guide]

Installation

Once funding is approved, we’ll contact you to confirm which contractors will carry out the installation at your property.

If you’ve been told your application has moved to the Installation stage but haven’t been contacted within 10 working days, please reach out using the relevant contractor contact details.

If you need help arranging the installation, feel free to contact YES.

You’ll need to be present at the property during the installation. If you’re unavailable, you can arrange for a trusted person to be there instead.

You should have received Measure Guides before the technical survey — these explain what to expect during installation for each specific measure.

After installation – what happens next

Final checks

Once the installation work at your property is complete, it needs to be signed off to confirm it meets the required standards and regulations.

As part of this process, an inspection may be carried out by one of our assessors or an external company. If an inspection is needed, we’ll let you know after the installation is complete.

We’ll also carry out a post-installation Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) assessment. This is important if you plan to sell or rent out your property in the future, as it allows us to compare your home’s energy efficiency before and after the improvements.

Once we’ve confirmed the work is complete, we’ll contact you to arrange the EPC assessment and any other required surveys.

Handover pack

What is a handover pack?

After installation, you’ll receive a pack containing important documents related to the measures installed. These may include:

• Warranties and guarantees

• User manuals

• Regulation and electrical certificates

• TrustMark certificate

The exact contents will depend on the measures installed at your property.

How you’ll receive It

The handover pack will be sent to you by post, as the file sizes are too large for email. If you need any documents urgently, please contact YES — we’ll do our best to send them to you by email.