Free Cavity Wall Insulation Grants: Upgrade Your Home and Maximise Savings

A cavity wall consists of two thin walls, usually made of brick, with a gap or cavity between them. An insulation scheme can use materials like mineral fibre wool, polystyrene granules, beads, or polyurethane foam to fill this gap. This creates an effective insulating barrier that can reduce heat loss through the walls by up to 35%. 

Yes, it can be free for qualifying households under government schemes such as the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) and Great British Insulation Scheme. You may qualify if your home falls into the right EPC rating (D, E, F, or G) and you meet certain income or benefit-related criteria. Those with a low household income or considered to be living in ‘fuel poverty’ are likely to qualify.

To get cavity wall insulation for free, your home must meet specific criteria. Typically, homes built between 1924 and 1982 that haven’t had their cavities filled may qualify. Home earlier than that are likely to have solid brick walls.

Eligibility often depends on your income, benefits, or the property’s energy efficiency rating. If you’re unsure, you can check the Energy Performance Certificate for your home in England and Wales, or Scotland to see if cavity wall insulation is recommended or already installed.

The major energy suppliers – including British Gas, EDF Energy, E. ON Next, OVO Energy, ScottishPower, and Octopus Energy – are obligated to provide funding for the insulation work. In most cases, this means you will get your insulation installed entirely for free. However, there may be instances where you may have to contribute towards the cost, depending on the size and EPC of your property.

Once you complete the online form, we will connect you with an approved installer who will assess if your property is suitable for cavity wall insulation grants. If your home has unfilled cavity walls, we will use materials like glass fibre or mineral wool to insulate them and retain more heat. We’ll schedule the installation, and if you qualify for the Energy Company Obligation grant, you won’t have to pay. Even if you don’t qualify, we offer a free survey and a customised quote.  

Government cavity wall insulation grants are available to those who own their property or rent it from a private landlord. Unfortunately, they are not available to Local Authority or Housing Association tenants unless they own 50% or more of the property.

If your property doesn’t have cavity walls, don’t worry, you may still qualify for a grant for solid wall insulation. This can include both external wall and internal wall insulation solutions, which are great alternatives for homes without wall cavities. Alternatively, you may be able to get a grant for other insulation types including loft insulation, roof insulation, spray foam insulation and underfloor insulation.

Insulation must be installed from the ground floor to the roof. This means that you would need to have the consent of any neighbours above and below you and that they must make a separate application and be assessed individually for a grant for installing wall insulation.

This is possible by filling the air space between walls with a material that stops heat transfer. This can reduce the amount of heat lost by as much as a third.

You will need to have the damp issue addressed before any insulation work can be carried out. You would need to find a builder to help you with this.

In the majority of instances, new cavity wall insulation installation is relatively straightforward and can be completed in up to 3 hours. More complex installation can take longer but you will usually be advised of this before work commences. 

Cavity wall insulation is sealed within the walls so it poses no risk to those living in the property whatsoever. Modern insulating material for cavity walls has proven performance and usually consists of expanded polystyrene beads or polyurethane foam that have no long-term health implications.

It can make a significant difference to a household’s carbon footprint. The amount of CO2 reduction is dependent on several factors, most notably the size of a property. According to Energy Saving Trust estimates, a typical detached house fitted with cavity wall installation could save as much as 1,100kg in CO2 emissions. In contrast, a small mid-terrace house could reduce its carbon emissions by around 380kg of CO2 annually.