Home insulation grants: frequently asked questions

It's still open. ECO4 did NOT close on 31 March 2026 — the government extended it by nine months (confirmed in the response published 23 January 2026), so it now runs to 31 December 2026. Any site telling you 'ECO4 closed in March 2026' is wrong. Note that suppliers may stop taking new referrals before the legal end date as they finish their obligations.

No. GBIS closed on 31 March 2026 and the gov.uk eligibility checker is shut — it now reads that the service to check for free or cheaper insulation has closed. Don't trust any site presenting GBIS as open. Depending on where you live, look at ECO4, the Warm Homes: Local Grant (England), Warmer Homes Scotland/Home Energy Scotland, Nest (Wales) or Affordable Warmth (NI) instead.

No. The November 2025 Budget confirmed there will be NO successor supplier obligation after ECO4 — there is no 'ECO5'. Future support in England moves to grant funding under the Warm Homes Plan (mainly the Warm Homes: Local Grant), not a new supplier scheme. Sites advertising 'ECO5' or 'new grants from April 2026' are inventing it.

It depends on the scheme and the measure. Some are effectively free (Warmer Homes Scotland; qualifying Affordable Warmth in NI). ECO4 is often fully funded, but installers can request a top-up for high-cost measures like solid wall. GBIS was explicitly 'not a grant scheme' and general-group households often part-paid. The Home Energy Scotland Grant funds 75% of cost (up to £7,500), not 100%. Always get the funding and any contribution in writing before agreeing.

Your nation decides. England: ECO4 + Warm Homes: Local Grant. Scotland: Home Energy Scotland Grant & Loan, Warmer Homes Scotland, Area Based Schemes (ECO4 too). Wales: Nest (ECO4 too). Northern Ireland: Affordable Warmth and NISEP — ECO4 and GBIS do NOT operate in NI. Never rely on an England-only article if you're in Scotland, Wales or NI.

Not always. Benefit-gated routes include ECO4 (benefits route), Warmer Homes Scotland and Affordable Warmth. But there are non-benefit routes: ECO4 Flex (council referral), the Warm Homes: Local Grant income route (household income usually ≤£36,000) or its low-income-postcode route, and the Home Energy Scotland Grant which has no benefits test at all. And even if you don't qualify for a grant, insulation installation is currently 0% VAT in Great Britain.

Most insulation grants target less-efficient homes, typically EPC bands D-G (ECO4 owner-occupiers D-G, tenants E-G; Warm Homes: Local Grant D-G). Get or check your EPC first — it's usually the deciding factor. The Home Energy Scotland Grant instead needs the specific measure to be recommended in your EPC or a home energy report.

It's an England scheme delivered by your council at no cost to you. Reputable sources report up to around £30,000 per home (roughly £15,000 for insulation/efficiency plus £15,000 for low-carbon heating), but the official gov.uk apply page doesn't state a maximum — so treat £30k as indicative and check current gov.uk guidance. You qualify with EPC D-G plus one of: income ≤£36,000, a means-tested benefit, or an eligible low-income postcode.

One phone call does it: Home Energy Scotland (0808 808 2282) triages you across the HES Grant & Loan (up to £7,500 for insulation at 75% of cost, no benefits test), Warmer Homes Scotland (effectively free if you're 75+ with no central heating, terminally ill, or on a passport benefit) and council Area Based Schemes. Don't use England's 'Warm Homes: Local Grant' — it doesn't apply in Scotland.

Yes, several schemes cover private renters — ECO4, the Warm Homes: Local Grant (England), Warmer Homes Scotland and Affordable Warmth (NI) — but your landlord usually has to give permission and may need to contribute to the cost. Housing-association and council tenants are generally excluded from these and should go through their landlord (e.g. the Social Housing Fund).

Typically loft, cavity wall, solid wall (internal and external), underfloor/floor, flat-roof, room-in-roof and park-home insulation, plus draught-proofing as a secondary measure — and many schemes also fund heating upgrades. ECO4 takes a whole-house 'fabric first' approach. Note spray-foam loft insulation is excluded from the Home Energy Scotland Grant and is a common mis-selling trap.

Roughly (Energy Saving Trust, 2026): loft ~£900 (GB) / ~£1,100 (NI); cavity wall ~£2,700; suspended-timber floor £1,400–£2,500; room-in-roof £1,500–£10,000; solid wall internal ~£12,000; external ~£18,000. That's exactly why grants matter most for solid wall and least for loft — and why, for cheap measures, a 0%-VAT self-funded install can beat waiting for a grant.

Possibly worth checking. The National Audit Office found in October 2025 that around 98% of external-wall-insulation jobs under ECO4/GBIS had defects, which triggered free TrustMark 'Find & Fix' audits. If your EWI was grant-funded, check whether it qualifies for an audit and that your installer was TrustMark-registered and worked to PAS 2035.

No — neither operates in NI. Your routes are the Affordable Warmth Scheme (via the Housing Executive; total household income under £23,000; grant up to £7,500, or £10,000 with solid-wall insulation) and NISEP (delivered by electricity Scheme Managers). A new Warm Healthy Homes Fund is planned to replace Affordable Warmth from March 2028, but it isn't open yet. Apply for Affordable Warmth via NIEAS on 0800 111 44 55.

There's no single UK form; it depends on the scheme and nation. England WH:LG: gov.uk online checker, then your council. ECO4: an obligated energy supplier/installer, or your council for the Flex route. Scotland: Home Energy Scotland (0808 808 2282). Wales: Nest. NI Affordable Warmth: NIEAS (0800 111 44 55); NISEP: the relevant Scheme Manager. You never apply to Ofgem directly, and you should never start work before written approval.

Be sceptical of cold calls, texts and doorstep sellers promising 'free grants' — real schemes are applied for through gov.uk, Home Energy Scotland, NIHE or an accredited installer. Insist on TrustMark and PAS 2035/2030, never pay upfront or start before written approval, get funding and any contribution in writing, and avoid anyone pushing spray foam. If a claim sounds too generous ('everyone qualifies', 'ECO5'), it's a funnel.

In Great Britain, installing qualifying insulation in a home has been at 0% VAT under the Energy-Saving Materials relief — a real saving even if you don't get a grant. Check the current rate and any end date in HMRC VAT Notice 708/6, and note that Northern Ireland's treatment can differ. This isn't tax advice — confirm for your circumstances.

No. This is an independent guide and eligibility checker — we install nothing and we don't run any grant. We tell you honestly which live scheme fits your nation and situation and, if you want, route your enquiry to an accredited installer. Applying to the actual schemes through the official channels above is always free.