Home Energy Loan Plan (HELP scheme)
Borrow up to £15,000 for solar panels, heat pumps, glazing or insulation if you are a homeowner eligible for Salford Credit Union membership.
Diese Finanzierungsmöglichkeit ist derzeit auf Englisch beschrieben.
The Home Energy Loan Plan finances work to make your home more energy efficient, including solar panels, heat pumps, double glazing and insulation. Other energy-efficient improvements can be considered: the scheme describes green products and services as saving energy, avoiding toxic compounds, using recycled or reused materials, lasting well, being easy to repair and minimising environmental impact over their whole life.
You borrow money and repay the agreed payments. Salford Credit Union can arrange to pay your installer directly. Each application is assessed individually, with a loan maximum of £15,000. Interest is charged on the amount still left to repay. There are no administration fees or fees for paying the loan off early.
Payments follow your loan agreement, using a standing order, deductions from payroll, wages or benefits, or another method the credit union permits. You cannot pay by credit card. You can repay everything you owe early. A partial early repayment is allowed only exceptionally at the credit union’s discretion; regular payments then stay the same, while the final payment or loan duration is reduced.
If a payment is late, the credit union may charge daily default interest at your agreed interest rate until it is paid, unless your agreement has 0% APR. After proper notice, it may demand the remaining debt immediately if you miss a payment, provide significantly incomplete or inaccurate information, or cancel or fail to complete a payment instruction without consent.
You must pay reasonable recovery costs, including legal costs, and the debt-recovery charge stated in your agreement if your account defaults. Charges may change on reasonable notice. Notify the credit union in writing if your address changes: misleading information or a failure to report an address change can make you liable for reasonable tracing costs. A payment that is too small to cover what is due is allocated first to arrears, then additional expenses and charges, then the monthly payment.
Eligibility
- You must be a homeowner and provide a recent mortgage statement, an income and expenditure form, and a copy of the contract for the home improvement work. The application is subject to a credit check.
- You must be aged 18 or over and eligible for membership by living or working in Salford or the covered parts of North Manchester. Only parts of M25, M8, M9 and M40 are covered; use the membership page’s area map to check the boundary.
- You need credit union membership to receive a loan, but you can apply as a new borrower: membership starts if you receive the loan. Membership includes a savings account, which must retain at least £5. A membership fee and initial savings deposit are required, and the credit union asks members to save regularly. It may close an account if those initial payments have not arrived within two months of opening it.
How to apply
- Status
- Laufende Antragstellung
- Beschränkungen dieser Antragsrunde
- Applications are assessed individually. New applicants can apply and membership starts if they receive a loan.[^c11][^c12][^c20]
Apply using the HELP scheme’s online application link. New applicants can also contact Salford Credit Union through its enquiry form or call 0161 686 5880 between 2pm and 3pm, Monday to Friday, to arrange the application route. The enquiry form accepts a credit union number only if you already know it.
For online membership you need an email address, National Insurance number and bank account details. The credit union confirms successful membership and arranges payment of the membership fee and first savings deposit. If online identity checks fail, contact it to arrange the required identity and residence checks. Bring proof of identity, address and your National Insurance number; if eligibility is through work, bring an employer document showing where you work. Contact the credit union before visiting, as its public office is currently closed.
Provide the homeowner and retrofit documents for assessment, then follow the loan agreement and current lending terms for your payments.