Please note that this page contains information and links most relevant for people living in England, Scotland, Wales.
The Great British Insulation Scheme (previously the ECO+ scheme) aims to upgrade the least energy efficient homes in England, Wales and Scotland. The scheme helps you get free or cheaper home insulation, which will:
The Great British Insulation Scheme isn’t available in Northern Ireland. But there are other energy efficiency grants available. For more information, visit the Northern Ireland Housing Executive website.
If your application is successful, you could get one of the following energy efficiency upgrades either for free or at a reduced cost:
You don’t get any money to buy the insulation yourself. Your energy supplier manages the whole process for you.
Depending on the outcome of any assessments, you may be asked to contribute to the cost of installing these measures.
These are the most common measures installed between March and December 2023:
| Installation measure | Percentage of total measures installed |
|---|---|
| Cavity wall insulation | 58% |
| Heating controls | 18% |
| Loft insulation | 15% |
| Solid wall insulation | 7% |
| Other insulation eg floor insulation, roof insulation | 2% |
To qualify for a home insulation grant, your home must:
The scheme is available to homeowners, landlords and tenants. If you rent your home, speak to your landlord and get their permission before you apply.
You don’t apply for the grant directly. Instead, your energy supplier will apply for funding on your behalf. You may be asked to pay for some of the work, but they’ll make this clear to you before any work starts.
Use the scheme’s eligibility checker to find out if you can apply for a home insulation grant. You’ll be asked about:
The tool will tell you immediately if you’re eligible.
If you qualify for funding, the scheme makes a referral to your energy supplier, who’ll contact you to confirm the referral.
Your energy company will visit your home and carry out an assessment. They’ll decide what sort of insulation you need and give you additional energy saving advice while they’re with you. They’ll also let you know if there are any installation costs that you’d need to contribute to.
Due to demand, it could be a few months between your initial referral and the home assessment.
Once you’ve agreed on what measures are to be installed, you can agree an installation date with your energy supplier. The energy supplier applies for funding and works with you on how to pay any additional costs.
Yes, absolutely. We encourage everyone who is eligible to apply.
Improving the energy efficiency of your home is a vital part of addressing both the energy crisis and climate emergency.
Adding proper insulation and heating controls to your property could save you money on your energy bills too.
The Great British Insulation Scheme is designed to be complementary to ECO4. They’re different schemes, but this is sometimes confused as some still refer to the it by its previous name – ECO+.
The scheme mostly focuses on delivering single lower-cost insulation measures. This is so that as many households as possible get support through the scheme quickly.
The ECO4 scheme, however, focuses on improving the whole house, where possible.
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Last updated: 8 July 2024
