Home insulation grants have changed for 2026
If you’ve been putting off looking into home insulation grants because you vaguely remember ECO4 or the Great British Insulation Scheme, it’s worth an update. Both closed to new applications in March 2026, though approved installations already in the pipeline are still going ahead through to December 2026.
That doesn’t mean free or subsidised insulation has disappeared. It means the main route into home insulation grants has moved, and a lot of people searching for ECO4 right now don’t realise it.
Has ECO4 really closed?
Yes, to brand new applications. ECO4 was the Energy Company Obligation scheme that required large suppliers to fund insulation and heating upgrades for low income and vulnerable households. The Great British Insulation Scheme ran alongside it with a wider eligibility net. Both stopped taking fresh applications in March 2026.
If you already applied before the cut off and were accepted, your installation should still go ahead on the original timetable. If you’re only starting your search now, you’ll need one of the schemes that replaced them.
What replaced ECO4 and the insulation scheme?
The main successor is the Warm Homes: Local Grant, delivered through local councils rather than energy suppliers. It’s now the primary route for home insulation grants, alongside the separate Boiler Upgrade Scheme for heat pumps, which runs to 2030.
Home insulation grants: old vs new, checked August 2026
| Scheme | Status | Who runs it |
| ECO4 | Closed to new applications since March 2026 | Energy suppliers |
| Great British Insulation Scheme | Closed to new applications since March 2026 | Energy suppliers |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant | Open, main current route | Local councils |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | Open, runs to 2030 | Government, via installers |
The Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme don’t always cover the full cost of the work the way ECO4 sometimes did, so it’s worth asking your council directly what proportion is funded before you commit to anything.
Do you still qualify for home insulation grants?
Under ECO4’s old rules, eligibility generally meant receiving a qualifying benefit, Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, JSA, ESA, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit among them, or falling under your council’s income threshold, typically somewhere between £31,000 and £38,000 depending on household size.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant works on broadly similar lines, but each council sets its own criteria and available funding, so the honest answer is: check with your specific council rather than assuming last year’s rules still apply everywhere.
How do you actually apply now?
Start with your local council’s website and search for Warm Homes: Local Grant, or call them directly if the page isn’t obvious. They’ll tell you what’s currently funded in your area, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, and sometimes heating upgrades, and what evidence of income or benefits you’ll need.
Don’t assume you’ve missed the boat just because ECO4 closed. Home insulation grants haven’t gone away, the paperwork trail has simply moved from your energy supplier to your council.
Why bother with insulation grants at all?
Poor insulation is one of the quieter ways a home wastes money. Heat escapes through an uninsulated loft or an old solid wall roughly as fast as your boiler can produce it, so you end up paying to reheat a house that never really holds its warmth. Home insulation grants exist because fixing that once tends to be cheaper for everyone than subsidising bills forever.
It’s also easy to assume the process is a hassle not worth chasing, which is exactly the Do Nothing Default talking. A closed scheme like ECO4 is a good excuse to give up the search entirely, when actually the fix is just knowing where to look next. A phone call to your council costs nothing and takes a few minutes.
If your home has never had cavity wall or loft insulation checked, it’s worth doing regardless of whether you qualify for a grant. Even paying for it yourself, the running cost saving on heating usually pays it back over a handful of years, and home insulation grants simply speed that up for households who qualify.
Key takeaways
- ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme both closed to new applications in March 2026.
- Already approved installations continue through December 2026.
- The Warm Homes: Local Grant, run by local councils, is now the main route for home insulation grants.
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme still funds heat pumps separately, and runs to 2030.
- Eligibility varies by council, so check locally rather than relying on ECO4’s old criteria.
While you’re sorting your home’s efficiency, it’s worth checking your energy tariff too. Our energy price cap guide explains what you should actually be paying, and our guide to the big 6 energy providers is useful if you’re weighing up switching at the same time.
Frequently asked questions about home insulation grants
- Is the Warm Homes: Local Grant the same as ECO4?
- No. It’s a separate, newer scheme run through local councils rather than energy suppliers, though the goal, funding home insulation grants for eligible households, is similar.
- Can I still get help if I already applied to ECO4 before it closed?
- Yes, approved applications are continuing through to December 2026. It’s new applications that are no longer accepted.
- Does the Warm Homes: Local Grant cover the full cost of insulation?
- Not always. Funding varies by council, so ask what proportion is covered before agreeing to any work.
- What if my council doesn’t offer the Warm Homes: Local Grant yet?
- Ask about the Boiler Upgrade Scheme if you’re considering a heat pump, and check back with your council periodically, as funding rounds and criteria can change.
- Is it worth paying for insulation myself if I don’t qualify for a grant?
- Often yes. Loft and cavity wall insulation are relatively cheap to install and typically pay for themselves through lower heating costs within a few years, grant or no grant.
