Everyone wants efficient and affordable insulation options for their home. Unfortunately, it is not accessible to everyone primarily due to financial constraints. However, it’s not an issue anymore with the government’s free insulation grants. These grants aim to help low-income households switch to more sustainable and better living conditions.
Various schemes have been introduced by the UK government to provide financial aid to install various insulations at affordable costs. However, to ensure the target audience is being facilitated, the government has set specific criteria to filter out low-income households.
One of the essential eligibility criteria includes that one of the residents of the household must have any of the benefits provided by the UK government, i.e. child benefit, employment and support allowance, working tax credit, child tax credit, and others.
However, what happens if you are not on the benefits? Can you still avail of this grant? Yes, you can! Read the blog further to understand the potential scheme, its criteria, how you can get the grant, and how much savings you can have!
To meet the eligibility criteria for most of the Government Free Insulation Grant, you must have one of the following benefits:
However, if you do not have these benefits, you still have a chance to get home insulation at a reduced cost or even free of cost! The Great British Insulation Scheme, unlike other government schemes, facilitates more households and even those who don’t avail of any benefits. Continue reading the blog to understand the scheme, its criteria, and how to apply for it.
As explained above, the grants are financial help from the UK government to help people shift to energy-efficient living. They are not repaid to the government and are allotted on the base of set criteria.
These grants are provided under government schemes like Energy Company Obligation (ECO), the Great British Insulation Grants, and others. These schemes target people with low-income resources, fewer opportunities and people in fuel poverty, i.e., people with less income who can’t afford adequate measures to keep their homes heated efficiently.
Home insulation is one of the most important needs of a home. Some of its benefits include:
If you are looking for home insulation, then you must consider applying for free government insulation grants available under the Great British Insulation Scheme.
The Great British Insulation Grant was initiated in April 2023 and is expected to last till March 2026 with a budget allocation of one billion pounds. It aims to help more than 300,000 households insulate their homes either free of cost or at reduced costs.
This scheme facilitates home owners, landlords, and tenants renting either private or property from a housing association. Using this grant, you can get support to install:
By installing insulation, homeowners can save up to £310 annually on energy bills. However, unlike the ECO4 scheme, this scheme allows the installation of only one of the above-mentioned insulation measures. This limit is set to provide facilities to a maximum number of households under this scheme.
The grant facilitates two types of groups with different eligibility criteria, known as the regular group and the low-income group.
Criteria for Regular Group | Criteria for Low-Income Group |
Your home must be in council tax band A-D (for England) and A-E (for Scotland and Wales) The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating should be from D to G. In the case of private renters, the EPC rating should be in band D or E. | You must receive one of the qualifying benefits: o Housing Benefit o Pension Credit Guarantee Credit o Universal Credit o Pension Credit Savings Credit o Income Support o Child Benefit o Employment and Support Allowance o Working Tax Credit o Income-Based Job Seekers Allowance o Child Tax Credit Your house should have an EPC rating from D to G. Live in the least efficient housing. |
If you qualify for this category, then you will have the chance to get one of the above-mentioned insulation measures to be installed. However, you might have to contribute a small i.e.,10% of the total cost towards installation cost. | This group gets free installation on qualification or has to pay a lower amount than the regular group. The owner-occupied households can also get heating controls. |
Insulation Type | Installation Cost | CO2 Savings (kg annually) | Energy Bill Savings (per year) |
Loft Insulation (addition of 270 mm of insulation to an uninsulated loft) | £930 | 620 KG | £270 |
Cavity Wall Insulation | £ 2700 | 650 KG | £280 |
The easy process includes: