Loft insulation grants are available in the UK to help homeowners improve their energy efficiency and lower their energy bills.
Hot air rises so insulation your roof space can protect your home against unnecessary heat loss. Losing heat through your roof will give you higher energy bills during the colder months as well as possibly giving your home draughts and cold spots, which could lead to problems with damp.
Roughly a quarter of heat is lost through a roof in an insulated home, according to the Energy Saving Trust (EST), and insulating a loft is one of the simplest ways to prevent this.
There aren’t many loft insulation grants available and they are predominantly aimed at helping vulnerable or low-income households. This means you are unlikely to secure one just because you are renovating or converting a house.
Households that do qualify for these grants could save significantly on their energy bills. Loft insulation helps an average detached house save £250 annually, the EST says.
Here are all the grants that are available to see how much funding you could secure for your home.
1. The Energy Company Obligation
The Energy Company Obligation, or ECO scheme, places a requirement on the biggest energy suppliers to install energy-saving measures such as loft insulation in low-income homes.
The scheme is designed to help eligible homeowners who claim benefits or tax credits in England, Scotland and Wales. You’ll need to own your home to qualify or have permission from your landlord.
Fill out this Simple Energy Advice questionnaire , then book a technical survey with a participating energy supplier (this doesn’t have to be your own) to check which improvements will most benefit your house. If loft insulation isn’t the most energy-efficient improvement that can be made, you may be offered alternatives.
Each available home improvement has its own eligibility criteria, including the year your house was built and how many storeys it has. And while installation can be free, complex work may require you to contribute to the costs if you wish to proceed. Here is the full list of companies involved.
2. LA Flex
Local Authority Flexible Eligibility, or LA Flex for short, is an extension of the ECO scheme in which councils are able to widen the criteria for homeowners looking for loft insulation grants.
The qualifying criteria is defined by local authorities, and can help people living in fuel poverty qualify if they are not on benefits or do not receive tax credits, for example homeowners who are pregnant or those living with older relatives.
Contact your local authority to find out whether you are eligible for LA Flex funding and you may be able to have the cost of installation significantly reduced.
3. The Green Homes Grant
The Green Homes Grant ran from September 2020 to March 2021 and is no longer open to new applications from homeowners, but you can still apply for funding for certain improvements via your local authority.
You may be able to apply for up to £10,000 funding towards loft insulation if your home has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or below, and an annual income below £30,000.
To apply, follow the instructions on your local council’s website.
4. The Nest Scheme
Low-income households in Wales and people with certain health conditions can apply to the Nest scheme to get help with loft insulation costs.
Similarly to the ECO scheme, you will need to own or privately rent a home deemed to be energy efficient and expensive to heat, and be in receipt of certain benefits.
5. Warmer Homes Scotland Grant
Warmer Homes Scotland also helps low-income households and vulnerable people access grants for insulation, as well as renewable technologies and other energy-efficient home improvements.
In most instances the Scottish government will foot the bill for installation costs, but you might be required to contribute to these costs when installation is more complex.
One of the conditions for eligibility is that you need to have owned your home for at least 12 months and your house cannot be bigger than 230m2. Contact Home Energy Scotland for a full list of requirements.
What Other Grants Are Available?
There are several ways to prevent heat loss in a house, and if you're looking for energy-saving tips or other financial support to lower your bills, then try these grants:
- Heat pump grants - schemes such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme can provide homeowners with funding towards heat pump installations
- Insulation grants - some schemes also exist to provide financing towards installing installing cavity wall insulation
- Window replacement grants - very few window replacement grants exist, but some households may be eligible for funding for the cost of installation
