Local Authority Eligibility Flexibility (LA Flex) is part of the government-backed Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme that aims to help homes in the UK reduce their carbon footprint and lower their energy bills. LA Flex is intended for households that are at risk of fuel poverty due to a low income but are not currently receiving any government benefits.

Usually, this is done by fully or part-funding the of fitting energy saving home improvements, such as different types of insulation, which will help low energy efficiency homes reduce their bills and carbon footprints. Thanks to LA Flex, Local Authorities are now able to draft their own eligibility criteria. In a lot of cases, the eligibility criteria now take into other factors outside of benefits, including illnesses, pregnancy, children in a households, and if the resident are of an age that might make them vulnerable.

LA Flex needs to define criteria that demonstrate residents are either living in fuel poverty or are on a low income and vulnerable. Local Authorities have the ability to use LA Flex to help homeowners and privately renting tenants receive funding for the installation of energy efficient home improvements. However, LA Flex won’t be the right option for everyone as the funding is not applicable for social housing tenants.

Link to official grant website: https://eco4.org.uk/local-authority-flex-delivery-scheme-lads/

LA Flex is aimed at two groups of people that are on low incomes:

  1. Individuals that are living in fuel poverty – defined as homes spending a minimum of 10% of their net income on keeping their property warm.
  2. People who are more exposed and at risk during cold winter weather including:

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These panels are European made and come with a 30-year Performance Warranty. They are the latest half cell technology. Implementing half-cut cells in solar panels can help improve the power output of a solar panel system. Half-cut solar cells are exactly what their name suggests – they are traditional silicon solar cells that have been cut in half using a laser cutter.

Since the cells are physically smaller, they are more averse to cracking.

A half-cut cell carries half the current and a quarter of the resistance of a full cell. So a complete half-cell module has the same current but half the resistance of a regular module. Resistance = wasted power, meaning a half cell solar panel can boost output by around 3%.

A regular panel is made up of 3 rows of cells connected in series with bypass diodes. If one cell is shaded, a third of the panel’s output can be lost. But in a half-cut panel, there are 6 rows of cells. So, if one of the cells is shaded, only a sixth of the output is lost.

With a lower current in each cell, there’s less heat concentration.

 Roof space can be saved using half cell technology.