The Great British Insulation Scheme
Save money on your bills by insulating your home
Through the Great British Insulation Scheme, you can access support to insulate your home with cavity wall or loft insulation.
You could reduce your heating bills by around £310 a year. And if you’re eligible, you could get this at a reduced price or completely free.
The Great British Insulation Scheme: what is it and who’s it for?
The Great British Insulation Scheme is a government initiative that’s all about insulating your home. It’s designed to work alongside another government energy-efficiency scheme, ECO4.
Draughty homes lose heat fast, and it costs more to keep them warm. Some sources say the UK’s housing is among the least energy efficient in Europe. This new scheme, with more than £1 billion behind it, will help around 300,000 households across the country with the cost of installing new home insulation.
If you’re eligible to get insulation through the scheme, you might get it for free or at a reduced cost. This will depend on the type of insulation you need and your property type.
The Great British Insulation Scheme: what is it and who’s it for?
The Great British Insulation Scheme is a government initiative that’s all about insulating your home. It’s designed to work alongside another government energy-efficiency scheme, ECO4.
Draughty homes lose heat fast, and it costs more to keep them warm. Some sources say the UK’s housing is among the least energy efficient in Europe. This new scheme, with more than £1 billion behind it, will help around 300,000 households across the country with the cost of installing new home insulation.
If you’re eligible to get insulation through the scheme, you might get it for free or at a reduced cost. This will depend on the type of insulation you need and your property type.
What’s included under the scheme?
The Great British Insulation Scheme focuses on all types of home insulation. If you’re eligible, you’ll get support with one type of insulation for your home. We are currently offering support for cavity wall and loft insulation.
What’s included under the scheme?
The Great British Insulation Scheme focuses on all types of home insulation. If you’re eligible, you’ll get support with one type of insulation for your home. We are currently offering support for cavity wall and loft insulation.
Who’s eligible for the scheme?
There are two eligibility groups under the Great British Insulation Scheme – a general group and a low-income group, both with different levels of support. Whichever group you belong to, you don’t need to be an OVO Energy customer to apply for the scheme through us.
The general group
To access the Great British Insulation Scheme, you’ll need to:
- Live in and own a home in council tax bands A to D in England, or A to E in Scotland and Wales
- Have an EPC rating of D or below
If you're eligible, you’ll get one insulation upgrade and you’ll typically need to pay a contribution towards the install.
Check if you’re eligibleThe low-income group
To get free insulation through the Great British Insulation Scheme, you’ll need to:
- get means-tested benefits (see below).
- have an EPC rating of D or below
If you're eligible, you’ll get one insulation upgrade and you might get heating controls, too. These upgrades will typically be free. If you’re in private rented accommodation, your EPC must be band D or E.
Check if you’re eligibleEligible benefits for the Great British Insulation Scheme
- Income-based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
- Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Universal Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Pension Credit Saving Credit
- Child Benefit (maximum income levels apply – see below)
- Warm Home Discount payment
Eligible benefits for the Great British Insulation Scheme
- Income-based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
- Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Universal Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Pension Credit Saving Credit
- Child Benefit (maximum income levels apply – see below)
- Warm Home Discount payment
How to apply for the Great British Insulation Scheme
Apply for the Great British Insulation Scheme.
First up, you can apply for the scheme through our form. We’ll check the details you’ve given us. Then, if it looks like you’ll qualify for the Great British Insulation Scheme, we’ll pass them to one of our trusted partners.
Our partner will contact you.
They’ll ask for more details, check the info you’ve provided (including your EPC rating and benefits status), and ask some questions about your home. Then, if you’re eligible, they’ll arrange your in-home assessment. An assessor will come to your home, review its energy efficiency and suggest what kind of insulation might work for you.
Booking the installation.
If you’re happy with the recommendations, you can go ahead and book the installation. Our partner will arrange a date to visit your home and install your new insulation. The installer will have their own terms and conditions, and you’ll need to sign a contract with them before the work begins.
Great British Insulation Scheme questions and answers
We've put together a table to explain what levels apply. Across the top row you'll see the number of children (or qualifying young people) per household and the levels of income linked.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single claimant’s annual income | ≤£19,900 | ≤£24,800 | ≤£29,600 | ≤£34,500 |
| Household’s annual income (if more than one adult)* | ≤£27,500 | ≤£32,300 | ≤£37,200 | ≤£42,000 |
*Maximum household income includes all income coming into your home, including from any young adults who live there.
Check your EPC if you live in Scotland, or if you live in England or Wales.
You can visit the gov.uk website if you live in England or Wales, or Scottish Assessors if you live in Scotland.
Yes, the scheme is available to properties with private landlords as long as the tenants meet the low-income eligibility – and the property needs an EPC rating of D or E.
If you’re the tenant, you’ll need permission from the landlord before the in-home assessment happens. We are only able to support privately rented properties where the low-income eligibility is met.
Yes, the scheme is available for properties in social housing. Please contact your social housing provider or local authority for more information about which schemes are available in your area.
No – if you’re eligible, we’ll refer you to one of our installation partners. They’ll survey your property, recommend which works might be suitable and then install them (if you choose to go ahead). You’ll need to sign a contract with them before any work begins. Make sure you read this contract very carefully before agreeing to the installation, and get independent expert advice if you’re not sure about anything.
It can take a while to go through the Great British Insulation Scheme process. It’ll take longer if you’re applying for the low-income group. Even once you’re confirmed as eligible, it can take a number of weeks to confirm that your home is suitable for the work to be done.
No, this scheme focuses on insulating your home. If you’re in the low-income group, there’s a chance you could also get added heating controls installed. And your installer will also automatically assess you to see if you’re eligible for the ECO4 scheme. This is a separate scheme that reviews the energy efficiency of your home and provides upgrades.
The guidance stipulates how the funding is calculated. The more energy savings created by the installation, the more funding is available towards the cost. This ensures the funding improves the properties that need it most.
This will vary depending on unique characteristics of your property and what is being installed. The more energy savings created by the installation, the more funding is available towards the cost. This ensures the funding improves the properties that need it most.
You may be given an indication of the contribution required prior to an in-home assessment. This is an estimate only. You'll be provided with a confirmed amount prior to install and are under no obligation to accept it.
We don't have any direct input into the value of consumer contributions that may be required. Any contributions required will be determined by our delivery partner based on the circumstances of your installation.
You'll be given an estimated contribution amount prior to an in-home assessment. A precise contribution amount will be provided prior to agreed to go ahead with the installation. There is no obligation to accept the contribution amount.
You can approach any energy supplier or have a look for a local installer on the TrustMark website.
We're not able to ask the installer to lower the contribution amount as this is calculated by the energy savings made by installing the measure.
We are offering the measures that are most cost effective to install. This is to ensure our funding will have the biggest impact on improving energy efficiency and supports as many households as possible.
This scheme works best with cavity wall insulation. This is the measure with the lowest contributions required. Loft insulation is also available, however contributions can be higher than expected due to the requirement for all instals to be carried out to PAS standards.
No. We have made the decision to open the scheme to all to ensure we help as many households as possible.
We are not able to offer a route to the scheme for the whole of England, Scotland and Wales. We are working hard to expand our preferred partner network to increase the volume of measures and areas we can support householders.
The good news is you don't need to apply for assistance through your energy provider. You can approach any energy supplier or have a look for a local installer on the TrustMark website.
You can contact us at [email protected] with any general questions about the scheme.
Ask your installer if you have any questions about your home assessment or the work that’s being done on your property. You should also contact your installer with any questions or concerns about the work after it’s finished. We’ll give you their contact details once we’ve passed your info to them.
Drop us an email at [email protected]