Free Insulation Grants

Which insulation grant do you need?

Every measure has its own eligibility rules, its own funding limits and its own installer requirements, so the fastest route to a straight answer is the page for the measure you actually need. This hub covers the schemes; the pages below cover the work.

Which insulation grants are open now (2026)?

Three routes are open today: ECO4 (benefits-based, runs to 31 December 2026), LA Flex (council-run flexible eligibility — no benefits needed in many areas), and the Warm Homes: Local Grant (council-delivered in England, April 2025 to March 2028). The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) closed to new applications on 31 March 2026.

Can You Get Free Insulation in 2026?

Yes. Current UK support can still fund insulation through ECO4, LA Flex, Warm Homes and some supplier-led routes. The GOV.UK GBIS referral service closed on 31 March 2026, so new applicants should use the checker to find live routes and confirm eligibility with the relevant supplier, installer or local authority.

The catch? Funding remains limited. ECO4, LA Flex, Warm Homes and supplier-led routes all have eligibility rules and local capacity. Check the current route before arranging work.

How insulation grants are funded now (September 2026)

The funding picture changed twice during 2026, so it is worth being precise about what is open, what has closed and who pays for what.

ECO4 — open now, ends 31 December 2026

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is the supplier-funded scheme administered by Ofgem and delivered by the large energy suppliers through their contracted installers. It has been extended once, to 31 December 2026, so suppliers can finish existing targets and put right faulty installations. There are no new targets, no carry-over into a later phase and no ECO5. Eligible households are still being signed up today, but surveys and installation slots get harder to book the closer the deadline comes. If you qualify on benefits, it is worth starting the ECO4 application now rather than in the autumn.

The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026

GBIS was the scheme that did not need benefits, qualifying homes on council tax band instead. It closed to new applications on 31 March 2026, and the GOV.UK referral service closed with it. Any page that still describes GBIS as open is out of date. Our Great British Insulation Scheme guide explains what happened to applications already in the system and where those households go next.

Warm Homes: Local Grant — the England replacement

The Warm Homes: Local Grant is a £500m government scheme running from April 2025 to March 2028, delivered by councils and their appointed installers rather than on the open market. It fully funds insulation, heating and solar for privately owned and privately rented homes rated EPC D to G. Because it is council-delivered, availability is postcode-by-postcode: not every local authority joined. The section below sets out the three qualifying routes and how to get a referral.

LA Flex — still live while ECO4 runs

Local authority flexible eligibility (ECO4 Flex) lets your council issue a declaration that qualifies your household for ECO4 without benefits, usually on grounds of low income, fuel poverty or a health condition made worse by a cold home. It runs alongside ECO4 and therefore ends with it. See the LA Flex scheme guide for how councils set their criteria.

Scotland and Wales

The Warm Homes: Local Grant is England only. In Scotland, insulation is funded through Warmer Homes Scotland, accessed via Home Energy Scotland — see our Scotland energy grants guide. In Wales, the equivalent is the Welsh Government's Nest scheme. ECO4 is a GB-wide obligation, so households in Scotland and Wales can still apply for it on the same benefits criteria until 31 December 2026.

What Types of Insulation Are Available for Free?

In the loft — save ~£590/year

The quickest and cheapest measure: if your loft has less than 270mm of insulation (about 10 inches), a top-up takes just 2-4 hours and stops around 25% of your home's heat escaping through the roof. Full savings, eligibility and how installation works are on our loft insulation grant page.

In your walls (with a cavity) — save ~£395/year

Homes built between the 1920s and 1990s usually have two layers of brick with a gap that can be filled in 1-2 days, preventing around 35% of heat loss. See what's funded and who qualifies under the current cavity wall insulation grants.

In your walls (no cavity) — save ~£255–£475/year

Pre-1920s homes with solid walls lose heat fastest — up to 45%. External or internal wall insulation is fully funded through ECO4 for eligible homes; note external work changes your property's appearance and may need planning permission. Compare both routes under solid wall insulation grants.

Underfloor Insulation (Saves ~£100/year)

If you have suspended timber floors (common in pre-1950s homes), underfloor insulation can stop cold air rising through gaps in the floorboards. It's often installed alongside other measures as part of a whole-house approach.

Different property types have their own routes: see park home grants if you live in a park or mobile home, and loft conversion grants if your loft space is converted or being converted.

Cavity wall insulation grants

If your home was built between roughly the 1920s and the 1990s it almost certainly has cavity walls: two leaves of brick or block with a gap between them. Filling that gap with mineral wool or bonded bead takes one to two days, needs no internal work and, on the Energy Saving Trust figures in the table above, saves around £395 a year on a gas-heated semi-detached house.

Cavity wall insulation is funded in full under ECO4 for households on qualifying benefits in an EPC D to G home, and under the Warm Homes: Local Grant in England for households that meet one of its three routes. Installers must be TrustMark-registered and work to PAS 2035:2023, and the survey will check for exposure, existing fill and damp before anything is pumped in — a wall that has already been filled, or one that is too exposed for fill, will be turned down at survey rather than after installation. Full eligibility, materials and the survey process are on our cavity wall insulation grant page.

External and solid wall insulation grants

Homes built before about 1920 usually have solid walls — a single 220mm leaf with no cavity to fill — and they lose heat faster than any other wall type. The two options are internal wall insulation, which is boarded onto the inside face and costs you a little room size, and external wall insulation, which is fixed to the outside and rendered over.

Both are fundable, but they are expensive measures and funders treat them accordingly. Under ECO4 solid wall insulation is normally delivered as part of a whole-house package rather than on its own, and under the Warm Homes: Local Grant it sits inside the £16,600 energy-performance cap, which is averaged across a council's whole project rather than applied rigidly to each house. External work changes the appearance of your property, so check whether you need planning permission first — it is usually permitted development, but not in a conservation area or on a listed building. Our solid wall insulation grant page compares internal and external systems in detail.

Underfloor insulation grants

Suspended timber floors, common in homes built before about 1950, sit over a ventilated void. Cold air moves through that void and up between the floorboards, which is why a room can feel draughty even with the heating on. Insulating between the joists — from below where there is a cellar or crawl space, or by lifting boards where there is not — stops that, and the table above puts the saving at around £100 a year.

Underfloor insulation is rarely funded on its own. Because the saving per pound spent is lower than loft or cavity work, ECO4 and the Warm Homes: Local Grant both tend to fund it as part of a package alongside a higher-scoring measure. Solid concrete floors are a different job again and are usually only insulated during a wider renovation. What qualifies, what the survey looks for and how to get it included in a package are set out on our underfloor insulation grant page.

Room-in-roof insulation grants

A room in the roof is a loft that has been converted into living space — a bedroom, an office or a dormer extension. Ordinary loft insulation does not apply, because there is no open joisted floor to lay it on. Instead the installer insulates the sloping ceilings at rafter level, the stud walls at the sides of the room, the flat ceiling above it and the small storage voids behind the stud walls, so the whole envelope is treated.

It is a bigger job than a loft top-up and it scores well for funders, which is why room-in-roof insulation is a well-established ECO4 measure for eligible households and is also funded under the Warm Homes: Local Grant in England. Ventilation matters here: the survey will check that the roof can still breathe once the rafters are insulated, and remedial ventilation is normally included in the funded works. Our room-in-roof insulation grant page covers what the survey looks for and who qualifies.

Government grants for insulation: which scheme applies to you

Most people searching for government grants for insulation are really asking one question: which scheme will pay for my home? The answer comes down to three things — where you live, what your household income or benefits look like, and what your EPC says.

If you are in England and receive Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance, you have two live options: ECO4 until 31 December 2026, and the Warm Homes: Local Grant until March 2028. If you receive none of those but your gross household income is under £36,000, or your postcode falls in the most income-deprived fifth of the country, the Warm Homes: Local Grant is your route. If neither applies, your council may still issue an LA Flex declaration while ECO4 runs.

If you are in Scotland or Wales, ECO4 still applies on the benefits criteria, and Warmer Homes Scotland or Nest covers the national route. Whichever nation you are in, the home has to be rated EPC D to G for the main schemes, so a property already rated EPC C or above falls outside them. The quickest way to see which of these applies to your address is the eligibility checker, which covers all of the routes above in one pass.

Who Qualifies for Free Insulation?

Route 1: ECO4 Scheme (Benefits-Based)

You may qualify if someone in your household receives one of these benefits and the home is rated EPC D to G:

• Universal Credit
• Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit)
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income Support
• Housing Benefit
• Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit — no longer valid (tax credits ended on 5 April 2025; most households moved to Universal Credit, which does qualify)
• Warm Home Discount (Core Group)

Your home also needs an EPC rating of D or below. Don't know your EPC? Our checker can help you find out.

Route 2: Warm Homes: Local Grant (No Benefits Needed)

The Great British Insulation Scheme used to be the no-benefits route, qualifying homes on council tax band A-D in England or A-E in Scotland and Wales. GBIS closed to new applications on 31 March 2026. In England its replacement is the Warm Homes: Local Grant, which does not use council tax bands at all: you qualify on gross household income under £36,000, on one of six listed benefits, or on a postcode in the most income-deprived fifth of England (IMD deciles 1-2). The home must be rated EPC D to G, and your council delivers the work through its own appointed installers.

Route 3: Local Authority Flex (LA Flex)

If you don't meet the standard criteria, your local council can refer you under "LA Flex eligibility" provisions. This covers households in fuel poverty, people with health conditions worsened by cold homes, and low-income households on the borderline of qualifying benefits. See our full LA Flex scheme guide for how councils decide and how to apply without benefits.

How to Apply

1. Check eligibility — Use our free eligibility checker (takes 60 seconds)
2. Get matched — We connect you with a TrustMark-registered installer in your area
3. Home survey — An assessor visits to confirm what measures your home needs
4. Installation — Work is carried out by certified installers at no cost to you
5. EPC update — Your Energy Performance Certificate is updated to reflect the improvement

⚠️ ECO4 Deadline: December 2026

The GOV.UK GBIS referral service closed on 31 March 2026. ECO4 runs to December 2026, and LA Flex or Warm Homes routes may still help households that need insulation support.

Check current routes. Use the Great British Energy eligibility checker to compare ECO4, LA Flex, Warm Homes and supplier-led options before arranging work.