Free insulation and heating upgrades: the grants open now
If your home is cold, damp or expensive to heat, there’s a decent chance the state will pay — fully or mostly — to insulate it or upgrade the heating. The schemes changed a lot in 2025–26, and plenty of pages online still describe ones that have closed. Here’s the position as of July 2026.
The one-line summary: the Great British Insulation Scheme has closed, ECO4 is still open but ends 31 December 2026, and in England the main route is now the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own schemes.
England: Warm Homes: Local Grant
This is the big one to check first, and it’s newer than most people realise — it launched in 2025 and replaced the old Home Upgrade Grant.
Who qualifies. You need all three: a home in England you own or rent privately; an EPC (energy rating) of D, E, F or G; and one of — household income around £36,000 or less, an address in an eligible lower-income postcode, or someone in the home on qualifying benefits.
What you get. Your council arranges and pays for improvements — wall, loft or underfloor insulation, an air source heat pump, solar panels, smart heating controls. For most eligible homes it’s fully funded.
How to apply. Through the national portal on gov.uk (search “Warm Homes Local Grant”) or the helpline on 0800 098 7950. Your council should respond within about ten working days, then a surveyor visits to work out what your home needs. Renters need the landlord’s consent — but it’s the landlord’s property that gets improved, so most say yes.
Great Britain: ECO4 — closing December 2026
ECO4 makes the big energy suppliers pay for efficiency improvements in lower-income households across England, Scotland and Wales. It was due to end in March 2026; the government extended it to 31 December 2026, mainly to finish existing work — after that there’s no successor supplier scheme, with funding moving into government grants instead. So if you qualify, this is the year to use it.
Who qualifies. Broadly: households on means-tested benefits (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Housing Benefit, or Child Benefit within income limits) in homes rated D–G if you own, or E–G if you rent privately. Councils can also refer people who are struggling but not on benefits — ask about “ECO4 Flex”.
What you get. A whole-house assessment, then measures like loft or cavity wall insulation and boiler or heating upgrades, free or heavily subsidised.
How to apply. Through any obligated energy supplier (you don’t have to be their customer — Ofgem lists them) or your council.
One honesty note: some solid wall insulation fitted under earlier ECO phases was installed badly, and the government is running a remediation programme. If a company cold-calls offering “free government insulation”, don’t sign anything — go through gov.uk, your supplier or your council, and check installers are certified.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Wales — Nest. Free improvements (insulation, heating, solar) if you own or privately rent, your home is energy-inefficient, and you’re on means-tested benefits or a low income (roughly, below 60% of median — about £12,987 for a single person with no children, £19,383 for a couple). A health condition made worse by a cold home also qualifies at a slightly better EPC band. Call 0808 808 2244.
Scotland — Warmer Homes Scotland. Free insulation, draught-proofing, central heating (including heat pumps) and renewables if you qualify through benefits, are 75 or over with no working central heating, or are living with a terminal illness. The home must be your main residence and energy-inefficient. Usually fully funded, with interest-free loans for anything above the funded amount. Call Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282.
Northern Ireland — Affordable Warmth. Grants of up to £7,500 (£10,000 for solid walls) if you own or privately rent and your gross household income is under £23,000. The scheme is in transition — a consultation is under way on a replacement called the Warm Healthy Homes Fund — so call NI Energy Advice on 0800 111 44 55 for the current position before assuming anything.
What’s coming: the Warm Homes Plan
The government’s Warm Homes Plan puts about £15 billion into home upgrades this Parliament, aiming at up to five million homes by 2030. For households, the concrete pieces so far: the Local Grant above, the £7,500 heat pump grant, and a promise of government-backed low-interest loans for efficiency work phasing in from 2026. The low-income schemes are due to merge into a single scheme from around 2027/28. We’ll update this guide as each piece becomes real — announcements aren’t installations.
Renters: a right worth knowing
Privately rented homes in England and Wales must by law meet minimum energy standards, and the government has set a deadline of 2030 for rented homes to reach EPC C. If your rented home is F or G rated, your landlord almost certainly has legal obligations already. The schemes above cover tenants too — a grant application (with landlord consent) is often the easiest way to get a cold rented home fixed without a fight.
Start with the EPC lookup, then one phone call. Ten minutes might be worth thousands of pounds of insulation.
Sources
- gov.uk — Apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant
- gov.uk — Energy Company Obligation (ECO)
- gov.uk — Extending the ECO4 end date: government response
- gov.uk — Warm Homes Plan (policy paper)
- Welsh Government — Nest: get free home energy efficiency improvements
- mygov.scot — Warmer Homes Scotland
- nidirect — Energy saving grants in your area
Just so you know: this guide is information and journalism, not financial advice, and we don't recommend specific financial products. Your circumstances are your own — if you need personal advice, speak to a suitably qualified adviser. Information was correct at the "last updated" date above but things change; always check the linked primary sources.