Low-income homeowners with electrically heated homes will find it easier to upgrade their heating system from next year, after the Department of Energy & Climate Change plans to change to the way in which the Energy Companies Obligation scheme scores properties with electric heating.

Under its Affordable Warmth Obligation, the means-tested ECO scheme uses funding from energy suppliers to offer heating and insulation improvements for low-income and vulnerable households.

Electric heating manufacturer Dimplex argues that disproportionately few homes heated by electric have been awarded funding to date because the initial eligibility criteria, which were based on SAP 2009 calculations, were not appropriate for non-gas homes – including more than 2 million homes still heated by outdated storage heaters in the UK.

As part of the changes which come into force from April 2015, under Affordable Warmth the savings from repair or replacement of a qualifying electric storage heater will be scored in the same way as a qualifying boiler, and in doing so will receive a higher notional bill saving for the customer. Any storage heater that is broken and cannot be economically repaired, or with a responsiveness of less than 0.2 according to SAP 2012, could be replaced, along with other heaters in the property.

Chris Stammers, marketing director for Dimplex, said: “DECC has recognised that the scoring system was not conducive to electric heating systems and has taken steps to change it. It means thousands of homes with outdated storage heaters will be eligible for funding towards a heating upgrade – and the Dimplex Quantum off-peak heater, with a responsiveness of 0.8, has already proved a popular choice for such properties.

“Dimplex contributed to the DECC consultation on these improvements to make sure that the new system works for every individual household and we welcome the change. It will mean a fairer system and a better means of assessing eligibility of electrically heated homes. Crucially, it means low-income homeowners will find it easier to upgrade their heating system with modern, high-efficiency electric appliances.”