What grants are available for energy-saving?

Keeping our homes warm is becoming increasingly expensive, but did you know there are many grants and funding options to help homeowners? Let’s take a look at a few of the grants available for energy-saving.

Key Takeaways

• Energy Company Obligation (ECO)
• Boiler Upgrade Scheme
• The Great British Insulation Scheme
• Home Upgrade Grant

Energy Company Obligation (ECO)

ECO is a scheme backed by the government that places a legal obligation on energy suppliers to deliver energy-efficient measures to eligible households.

The latest version, ECO4, has been running since 2022 and will run until March 2026. So, how does it work?

How does ECO4 work?

The ECO4 grant scheme helps homeowners and people living in fuel poverty install energy-saving measures that reduce their energy bills. The eligibility criteria for an ECO grant include the below:

• You are a homeowner, private renter or social housing tenant
• Your property has an EPC rating of D, E, F or G
• You have to receive at least one of a specific set of benefits, or
• Your property needs an energy efficiency upgrade and
  • You have a combined gross annual household income under £31,000 or
  • A person in your household has a severe or long-term health condition that is worsened by living in a cold home

It requires energy suppliers to allocate a portion of their budget towards helping households afford critical insulation and heating upgrades, including:

• Loft/wall insulation
• Boiler upgrades
• Solar panel installation
• Window upgrades

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a financial incentive programme launched in 2022 to encourage homeowners in England and Wales to replace their old, inefficient gas boilers with better heating systems.

It offers upfront capital grants to help offset the cost of installing new, energy-efficient heating systems. The amount you receive depends on the type of system you choose:

• £7,500 – This is the current grant amount for installing an ground or air source heat pump, a renewable heating system that extracts heat from outside air or the ground.
• £5,000 – This is available for homeowners to upgrade to biomass boiler.

The Great British Insulation Scheme

The Great British Insulation Scheme currently runs until March 2026. To qualify, your home usually needs a low energy rating and falls within a specific council tax band. Don’t worry if you don’t meet that criteria, though. There are also separate eligibility criteria for low-income homes receiving benefits.

Under this scheme, you can receive funding for a wide range of insulation upgrades, including:

• Wall insulation
• Floor insulation
• Loft/roof insulation

Home Upgrade Grant

This is also available for homeowners in England and Wales who don’t use a gas boiler as their main heating system. The Home Upgrade Grant has two main phases, each with goals and specifics.

The first phase ran from September 2021 to March 2022 and mainly targeted low-income homeowners in low-EPC-rated homes. It lets local councils offer financial help for heating upgrades to homes in their area.

The second phase is ongoing until March 2025 and targets a broader audience, including low-income households and some non-low-income homes off the grid.

EPC rating is still a main factor for eligibility.

Are you eligible for any energy upgrade grants? Find out with Grant Store.

As you can see, many of these energy upgrade grants are available to a broad audience across England and Wales. Could you use the help of a wall insulation grant? What about a central heating grant?

Let Grant Store help you discover all-new ways to stay warm at home. Our expert team will guide you through the application process and get the ball rolling on your new home heating systems. Contact us today to learn more.