Government Insulation Grants For your Home
Insulation is the most effective way to prevent heat loss in your home. If you want to find insulation grants available in the UK, you’re in the right place.
UK Energy Support specialises in fulfilling free cavity wall insulation and loft insulation grants, financed by every major English energy suppliers, to improve energy efficiency measures of low income households.
This is possible thanks to ECO4 scheme funding as well as the Great British Insulation Scheme, which are a government initiated schemes to help low income families that rent or own home lower their energy bills and make their homes more energy efficient.
UK insulation Grants Applications are now open for: November 2024
Do You Qualify for government insulation grants?
To receive government help with insulation in the UK, you will need to meet specific criteria. We may be able to install or replace your insulation for free if you own or rent an electrically heated property and receive the right combination of government benefits. You’re likely to qualify for this program if:
- You are a Homeowner or Private Tenant (no housing association)
- The property you live in is electrically heated
- You claim one of the following benefits
Are government insulation grants still available in the UK?
You may be asking yourself, ‘are there any grants for insulation initiated by the government?’ The answer is yes, but whether you are eligible to receive them depends on insulation grant criteria. You are likely to receive the government energy grant and decrease your energy bills if you rent or own home and your property is electrically heated.
Learn more about eligibility criteria and which benefits qualify for the government funding below.
Free government insulation grant availability:
- Cavity wall insulation
- Loft insulation
- Solid Wall insulation (Internal/external cavity wall)
- Room in roof insulation
UK energy suppliers were obliged to fund insulation grants by the government. They are monitored by Ofgem under ECO4 scheme.
What grants are available for insulation?
In the past, the government offered grants of up to £5,000 towards energy efficiency improvements under the Green Homes Grant Scheme. However, this program has been cancelled and no longer accepts new applications as of March 2021.
There is currently a scheme known as Energy Company Obligation (ECO scheme), which offers grants to help with replacing or installing insulation and making other energy efficiency improvements on propertices with low Energy Performance Certificate rating of D to G (EPC rating). It is a government initiated scheme that has been set up to help tackle fuel poverty across the United Kingdom, lower energy bills of low-income and vulnerable households and make properties energy efficient. The ECO fund is financed by the main energy suppliers in the country and since April last year it’s fourth iteration has been rolled out.
In order to qualify for the free insulation through the ECO grant, certain criteria have to be met, and not every household is eligible to apply.
Homeowners and private tenants can apply for an insulation grant, which will be completed by a registered insulation installer who will analyse your home Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and insulate your property.
There is no need to repay this grant as the cost is covered by energy suppliers, and you will not be required to pay the insulation installer.
Cavity wall insulation grants
Prior to 1926, homes were typically constructed with solid walls that could not be insulated. Insulated cavity walls were required by the Building Regulations for properties built after January 1, 1983. If your house was built between 1926 and 1983 and has external cavity walls, it most likely does not have cavity wall insulation.
It means that you may lose up to 35% of the heat you generate through uninsulated walls.
By installing free cavity wall insulation in a detached house with four bedrooms and gas central heating, you can save up to £275 per year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
In addition, you could save even more if you upgrade your heating that runs on oil, LPG or coal to low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps.
In some circumstances, your cavity insulation can be extracted and replaced if the job was completed incorrectly in the past and your insulation is not efficient. You can learn more about cavity wall insulation removal here.
Loft insulation grants
The roof can lose up to a quarter of your home’s heat, but mineral wool can help limit this loss.
A well-insulated loft, attic, or flat roof will reduce heat loss and reduce energy bills. For those unable to afford the cost, loft insulation grant is available. However, a household must meet specific requirements in order to qualify for these funds delivered through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.
Some properties aren’t suitable for loft insulation, so a survey will be required.
If you’re eligible for free loft insulation under ECO funding, the cost of having it professionally installed will be fully covered by a grant for insulation from the ECO scheme. The funding will be 100% free to you and will not require repayment if you receive a benefit or other government support like tax credit or income support (see full list of eligible benefits).
Room in Roof Insulation grant
The amount of heat that is lost straight through the roof can total up to 25% if you have an attic room or a loft conversion which is not insulated.
With the help of Room in Roof grant insulation, you can insulate your roof area, which would keep it warmer during the winter.
As long as you have an upward staircase leading to your attic room, you may qualify for Room in Roof Insulation Grants, regardless of whether the attic room is used as a bedroom, office, playroom, or any other purpose.
Solid Wall Insulation Grant
You may qualify for a grant for solid wall insulation if you have a brick or stone external wall. This is because a solid wall is bad at retaining heat, allowing twice as much heat to escape in comparison to a cavity wall with insulation installed, and therefore their insulation meets the energy efficiency upgrades improvement criteria aligned in the Carbon Saving Obligation document laid out by the UK government.
Most houses constructed before 1930 have solid walls, which are perfect for insulation of external walls.
In most cases, a solid wall can be insulated either internally or externally using a high-density insulating material.
Internal wall insulation can be installed by cladding the interior of the external walls of your home with rigid insulation. Another option is to construct stud walls and fill them with mineral wool fibre for insulation.
You can apply for a Solid Wall Insulation Grant to help install insulation both internally and externally via ECO funding. The external and internal solid wall insulation installation will be 100% free to the customer and will be fully funded by energy companies.
Step 1
Check your eligibility below to find out if you can apply for the insulation grant
Step 2
One of our Energy Advisors will contact you to book a survey followed by an installation appointment
Step 3
Enjoy lower bills and relax within your improved and energy efficient home!
Why should you consider getting a home insulation grant?
Getting an Insulation Grant can help you insulate your home, improve energy efficiency, and reduce your energy costs.
Since the funding is in the form of a grant, not a loan, it does not need to be repaid and could cover as much as you need to insulate your home.
In England, Scotland and Wales, low-income households can apply for these grants (the ECO4 scheme is not yet available in Northern Ireland) to become more energy-efficient and lower heating bills.
In addition to lowering your electricity bills, insulation also contributes to keeping the environment safe. It does so by reducing the carbon emissions coming from your home. A loft and cavity wall insulation installation is also among the most effective and easiest ways to increase a home’s energy efficiency.
It goes without saying that insulation can substantially reduce your energy costs. However, installation is expensive, which makes it difficult for many people to justify the exorbitant price. In that situation, you start wondering what insulation grants are available.
If you’re one of these people, you’ll be glad to know that it’s possible to insulate your cavity walls at no cost to you! In the UK, the Energy Company Obligation scheme has been introduced to assist homeowners with loft and cavity wall insulation.
So, are there any insulation grants available? Yes, apply today to see if your household qualifies for a grant to install insulation through a Registered Insulation Installer like UK Energy Support or find out more about the ECO4 scheme.
Insulation Grant Benefit Criteria
A homeowner or private tenant can receive free cavity wall insulation, internal wall insulation, loft insulation grant or roof room insulation if they are receiving at least one of the income-related benefits listed below:
- Child Benefits (based on household income)
- Child Tax Credits (CTC)
- Housing Benefit NEW
- Income based Jobseekers allowance (JSA)
- Income related Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support (IS)
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Pension Credit Savings Credit NEW
- Universal Credit (UC)
- Warm Homes Discount Scheme
- Working Tax Credit (WTC)
Eligibility for government insulation grants
Anyone receiving a qualifying income-related benefit or a tax credit is usually eligible for free loft insulation and free cavity wall insulation. Child benefit income limits apply, but generally match the insulation scheme grant criteria.
People receiving qualifying benefits are also entitled to free roof room and internal wall insulation if their property is not connected to the mains gas supply.
Remember, the property must be privately owned or rented and occupied at the time of the survey, with a gas or electricity bill in the occupier’s name for grants insulation application. Private landlords could not apply themselves, but they can encourage their tenants to check their eligibility. Landlord’s permission will be needed in case of private tenants applications, as non-homeowners can only access funding if they have the landlord’s approval.
Am I eligible?
Are you concerned that you do not qualify? Do you wonder what grants are available?
You don’t have to worry about means testing because all grants for saving energy are available regardless of income!
In order to qualify for 100% free insulation, a homeowner must determine if they are likely to qualify for an insulation grant and whether their property can accommodate insulation installation.
Homeowners who receive qualifying benefits may be eligible for a government grant to insulate their properties and make them more energy efficient.
A homeowner who receives income-related benefits, grants for disabled people on low income (eg. Universal Credit as disability benefits no longer apply to ECO4) or tax credits (among other benefits) can receive a grant to cover the entire cost of new insulation or, in some cases existing insulation replacement.
Property ownership or tenancy should be through a private landlord, not through a council or housing association.
Main energy suppliers participating in ECO4 grants
- Bulb
- BritishGass (more about British Gas cavity wall insulation)
- EDF energy
- EON (learn more about EON cavity wall insulation)
- Octopus
- Scottish Power
- Shell Energy
If your energy supplier is not on the list, check your eligibility by answering a few questions. You may still qualify for the insulation grant.
This is a government backed scheme
Why choose UK Energy support?
UK Energy Support is an approved local installer of insulation across North East and England who has helped thousands of customers improve the energy efficiency of their homes and reduce their energy bills by utilising government grants for home improvements.
It is our mission to provide customers with service as efficient as the products we install.
We have a multi-engineer network spread out throughout the UK so that we can ensure that each installation is performed by a reliable and trusted engineer.
All the installations are funded by energy companies through ECO scheme at no cost to you. So if you are a homeowner/tenant and claim a qualifying benefit, don’t hesitate to save money and check your eligibility for installing insulation in your home for free today.