Grants & Schemes
The ECO 4 scheme (the government’s Energy Company Obligation) is the fourth, and likely final, entry to the scheme to help qualifying households receive funding
October 3, 2023 No Comments
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Yes, insulation grants are available to eligible households under the government-backed ECO4 and Great British Insulation Schemes (formerly ECO+), with funding coming from the UK’s main energy providers.
The schemes provides funding for households to help them improve the energy efficiency (EPC) of their homes, reduce their carbon footprint, and make savings on their heating bills.
Eligibility is based on a number different criteria, with some on income-based benefits likely to qualify for ECO4 funding, while low EPC households in lower Council Tax bands may qualify for GBIS funding.
No, you do not have to be pay anything back. As long as you are eligible under the terms of the relevant scheme, an installer will carry out the work and the grant will be used to cover the cost of the installation. Under the ECO and ECO+ schemes, the main energy suppliers, including British Gas, E.ON, Npower, Scottish Power, SSE, EDF plus others, have an obligation to provide the grants that pay for insulation in qualifying domestic households.
There have been some changes to eligibility, meaning that some people who were previously excluded, as they didn’t receive benefits may now qualify for a home insulation grant, especially if they are a low income household. Grants are also targeted at homes whose Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) puts them in the bands of D, E, F or G and they are in a lower Council Tax property.
Since insulation can make a significant difference in heat loss in the home, it has the potential to save you hundreds on your energy bills – particularly when the colder weather sets in! According to the Energy Saving Trust, an uninsulated detached property could enjoy annual energy bill savings of up to £415 once the loft or roof space has been insulated.
As much as 25% of heat loss in the home can be through an uninsulated loft or roof space.
Annual savings that could be enjoyed by previously uninsulated properties having loft insulation installed for the first time have been estimated by the Energy Saving Trust as follows:
Estimated savings are based on insulating a gas-heated home with a totally uninsulated loft with 270mm of loft insulation and based on fuel prices as of October 2023.
The savings don’t just end there, as a typical loft insulation could also save many kilograms of CO2 emissions. Estimated annual savings (kgCO2/year) are as follows:
One of the most straightforward ways to make savings on your energy bills is through loft insulation which can make a significant difference…
*Annual saving based on a detached gas-heated house insulating a previously uninsulated loft with 270mm of loft insulation (based on fuel prices as of October 2023).
To be eligible for loft insulation under the ECO4 scheme, you need to either own your home or privately rent it and have the landlord’s permission to make the necessary changes. Energy suppliers will require access to your loft for the work to be completed. They will have to be able to insulate at least two-thirds of your loft space, meaning households that already have more than 100mm of loft insulation will be excluded from the scheme.
If you meet the criteria, you should be eligible for a free grant that does not have to be paid back. Even if you are not entitled to a 100% grant, it is still worth enquiring as you could get a subsidy to save you money on your payment for loft insulation.
There have been some changes to the ECO scheme meaning that some low-income households were previously excluded, as they didn’t receive benefits. Grants are also targeted at those homes that would most benefit from insulation and whose Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) puts them in the bands E, F or G.
Social housing tenants should contact their council or housing association as they organise their own schemes to help improve energy efficiency in low-income households. If you own 50% or more of a housing association home, you can still apply for a grant.
Tanks and pipework are added on as part of the scheme, as well as fitting draught excluders around the hatch and a walkway to any tanks that are further than 1m from the hatch. Keep in mind that the insulation needs to cover 60% or more of the property. Extensions don’t usually qualify for grant funding for this reason.
The Climate Change Act has committed the UK to achieving net zero by 2050, compared to the previous target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050.
Also, to qualify for free loft insulation under ECO4 , you need to be a household with an income of £31,000 or less, or someone in your household needs to be receiving one of the benefits listed below.
To qualify for free insulation under Great British Insulation Scheme funding you will need to be a low-income household, but not necessarily on benefits.
Applying is easy with our quick online form. Here is how you can apply for free loft insulation grant:
The work will be completely free of charge if you receive certain income-related benefits, with the grant covering the entire cost of installing loft insulation. However, in certain cases, if the insulation installation is complex, then you may be required to make a small contribution.
Even if you do not qualify for a full house insulation grant it is still worth applying as you may be able to get a subsidised grant to partially cover the cost of your new insulation. You may also be able to claim a heat pump grant (see here) or a solar panel grant (see here).
Alternatively you can visit Insulation Advisor to get an insulation quote.
By adding insulation to your home you will improve your energy efficiency, reduce your carbon footprint and reduce your energy bills. This allows low-income households to not only have the initial cost covered but to continue to save on their monthly bills.
There is significant funding for insulation grants available to people just like you in your area. See if you are eligible for free funding to improve the insulation in your home.
With multiple different funding opportunities available to you depending on where you live, there’s a good chance you could qualify for an insulation grant…
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme was introduced by the UK government in 2013 with the aim of reducing carbon emissions in domestic homes across the country. The scheme is now in its fourth iteration, ECO4, and obligates the large energy companies with the responsibility of supplying grants to qualifying households to cover the cost of energy efficient home improvements such as insulation.
By providing free grants for home insulation, those who are eligible can save hundreds of pounds on their energy bills, see improvements to the level of heat being retained in their properties, and they will become more environmentally friendly with lower carbon emissions. The latest and last version of the scheme, ECO4 was launched in autumn 2022.
Read more about ECO4 grants here.
The £1 billion Great British Insulation Scheme (formerly known as ECO+) is due to run until March 2026 and extends support to hundreds of thousands of households in energy inefficient homes in lower Council Tax bands, in an attempt to help some of the most vulnerable bring down their energy costs.
GB Insulation Scheme funding will help households who may not previously have been eligible for government support to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes. The GBIS scheme builds on the existing £6.6 billion ‘Help to Heat’ energy schemes, including the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Home Upgrade Grant and Local Authority Delivery Scheme.
Some of the main details of the GB Insulation Scheme/ECO+ scheme are as follows:
Read more about the Great British Insulation Scheme grants here.
Households in Scotland could take advantage of the available grant funding for home insulation through the Warmer Homes Scotland programme. This provides funding and financial assistance to homes that are considered most likely to be struggling with the cost of heating their homes.
The scheme aims to help improve the energy efficiency of properties by covering the cost of installing a range of different home improvement measures, including insulation. The Scottish government grant is available to homeowners and private tenants who meet the eligibility criteria and have resided at the property for at least 12 months.
The Welsh Government Warm Homes programme funds energy efficiency improvements and impartial advice to eligible households to help them receive free or substantially subsidised insulation to make their property more energy efficient.
Improvements are delivered through the Nest scheme, and had previously been through the Arbed scheme. The aim is to help fund energy efficient home improvements for low-income households and disadvantaged areas across the region to make their homes warmer and reduce energy bills.
The Green Homes Grant was created to fund eco-friendly installations to help UK households with the goal of reducing carbon emissions and to reduce their energy bills. The government established the voucher scheme, with these able to be redeemed for these energy-saving improvements, including insulation and low-carbon heating systems. The scheme was originally meant to run until March 2022, but was cancelled in March 2021.
The funding wasn’t limited to low-income households, but typically would have covered around two-thirds of the overall cost of any improvement, unless someone in the household received certain benefits, in which the full cost of the improvement would have been covered, up to a max of £10,000.
Various grants are available at a local level to help with the cost of insulating the home. The availability of grants will depend on the area you live in as there are different funding initiatives for insulation and other eco measures across the country.
Examples include London’s Warmer Homes Grant programme which provides grants of between £5,000 and £25,000 for free heating, insulation, and ventilation improvements for low-income households; Nottingham’s Healthy Housing Service funding a range of energy efficiency improvements for those over the age of 60, or families considered at risk due to cold-related illnesses; and York’s Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) that funds home improvements, including insulation and draught-proofing, for low-income households.
Insulation grants are available for many different types of home insulation, providing you with the opportunity to get your home insulated for free, or at the fraction of the cost.
All private homeowners that are eligible can claim a cavity wall insulation grant, as long as the house is occupied and not having renovation work completed. Brick-built properties made between 1924-1982 are usually suitable for cavity wall insulation, although properties that were built up to 2005 without insulation can also receive help.
With energy costs rising year on year, cavity wall insulation is one of the best ways to reduce your heating bills. Research has shown that un-insulated cavity walls can cause up to 35% of the heat within a property to escape, and homes with cavity wall insulation can save up to £455 each year (based on a detached property and fuel prices as of October 2023).
For more information visit our cavity wall insulation grants page.
To be eligible, the house must be owned or privately rented and currently occupied. If you are getting one of the benefits listed above, you should be entitled to a grant to cover the cost of loft insulation.
In order to qualify for loft insulation grants, the property should be uninsulated or have loft insulation of 100mm or less. Usually, this will be level with or below the joists. If it is over this level, you could have a survey and a quote to top up your insulation to 270mm.
If you are receiving one of the qualifying benefits and you are the homeowner or private tenant, you should be able to get free room in roof insulation. To be able to have this type of insulation put in place, the home needs to have roof rooms from when it was first built or have undergone a loft conversion. There should be minimal or no insulation in the walls and ceiling and the property must have a fixed staircase to access the loft.
For more information visit our room in roof insulation grants page.
If someone in your household is claiming a benefit, you might be entitled to free internal wall insulation for your home, if you are the owner of the property or are renting it from a private landlord. The building must have walls that are of solid construction type for you to be able to have internal solid wall insulation put in.
For more information visit our internal wall insulation grants page.
For an external wall insulation grant, you can claim up to 25% of the cost. Prices for installing external wall insulation can normally range from £7,000 to £15,000. It is usually installed in properties that have solid brick or concrete walls, but it can also be fitted to homes with cavity walls that are not suitable for cavity wall insulation.
For more information visit our external wall insulation grants page.
There are many different types of insulation available to suit any home.
Insulation will reduce heat loss in the home reducing your demand for heating.
A better insulated home means huge savings on your heating bills.
Be a greener household by reducing the environmental impact of your household.
There has never been a better time to take advantage of insulation funding grants
Common questions about loft insulation answered for you
One of the biggest benefits of having the full recommended levels of loft insulation installed is the cost-saving it can offer to homeowners each year.
Whilst the exact amount of money you can save if you install loft insulation in your home will vary based on factors such as the type of insulation used and the size of your property, you can expect to save at least £245 a year on energy costs (assuming your loft was previously uninsulated).
Depending on the size of your home, those with lots of heat lost through the roof can expect to save even more, in the region of up to £455 a year for a larger detached property because quality insulation can prevent up to 25% of heat from being lost through the roof.
If installed correctly, loft installation should last around 40 years before it is likely to need replacing.
For an average size loft, it can take 1-1.5 hours to complete a loft insulation fitting. Your loft will need to be free of clutter so that our installers can have easy access to complete the installation.
Check out some of the latest insulation advice and news to help reduce your heating bills
The ECO 4 scheme (the government’s Energy Company Obligation) is the fourth, and likely final, entry to the scheme to help qualifying households receive funding
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