Funding guide
Loft insulation grants and funding explained
Government-backed help with insulation costs is real, and so is the industry of companies pretending to offer it. Here is how the schemes actually work, who tends to qualify, and how to check without handing your details to a cold caller.
Last reviewed by the Loft Insulation London survey team.
Our position, stated up front: we are not a grant-funded installer and we do not process scheme applications. We have written this because customers ask us about it constantly and because the misinformation around it is doing real harm. We have no financial interest in what you conclude.
How insulation funding works in Britain
Support for home insulation has come through a succession of government-backed schemes over the years, funded largely by obligations placed on energy suppliers rather than by direct grants from the Treasury. The names change — homeowners will remember several — but the underlying structure has stayed broadly consistent: suppliers are required to deliver a certain volume of energy-efficiency measures to qualifying households, and they contract approved installers to do it.
Two things follow from that structure, and they explain most of what people find confusing. First, you do not usually apply for "a grant" in the sense of receiving money; a scheme-registered installer carries out the work and is paid through the obligation. Second, because eligibility is determined by the scheme rather than by the installer, no company can promise you funding before your circumstances have been assessed against the current rules.
Who tends to qualify
Eligibility criteria change with each iteration of the schemes, so treat this as a shape rather than a checklist. Broadly, the factors that come up repeatedly are:
- Means-tested benefits in the household — the most common qualifying route.
- Household income below a threshold, sometimes assessed without benefit receipt.
- A low EPC rating on the property, typically band D or worse, on the principle that the worst-performing homes should be treated first.
- Local authority referral, where councils are given discretion to identify households in fuel poverty who do not meet the national criteria.
- Health conditions made worse by a cold home, under some local schemes.
Tenure matters too. Owner-occupiers are generally covered; social housing is usually handled through the landlord; privately rented property is sometimes included with a landlord contribution required.
How to check — and only how to check
There are three routes worth using, and they have one thing in common: you initiate the contact.
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GOV.UK
The government's own energy grants service is the authoritative starting point. It will tell you what schemes are currently open and route you to the right place. It is free and it does not sell your details.
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Your local council
Councils run their own fuel poverty and retrofit programmes alongside the national schemes, and they hold the discretionary referral routes. Their housing or energy team is worth a phone call even if you have been told you do not qualify nationally.
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Your energy supplier
Ring the number on a bill you already have — not a number given to you by someone who called you. Suppliers deliver the obligation and can tell you directly whether you qualify under their programme.
The scams, plainly
Insulation funding attracts predatory selling more consistently than almost any other home improvement, and the pattern is stable enough to be worth memorising.
- Unsolicited contact. A cold call, a text, a door-knock or a social media advert offering "free government insulation". Legitimate schemes do not find you this way.
- Fake officialdom. Callers implying they are from the council, the government or your supplier. Hang up and ring the organisation back on a number you already had.
- Guaranteed eligibility. Nobody can confirm you qualify before your circumstances have been checked against current criteria. "You definitely qualify" on a first call is a sales technique, not an assessment.
- Urgency. "The scheme closes on Friday." Real schemes have published end dates you can verify on GOV.UK in thirty seconds.
- Money up front. A funded measure does not require a deposit, an administration fee or a survey charge.
- Pressure to sign on the doorstep. You have cancellation rights on contracts agreed at home. A company that does not want you to read the paperwork is telling you something.
If you do not qualify
Most households do not, and it is worth being realistic about that rather than waiting indefinitely. The consolation is that loft insulation is, comparatively, an inexpensive improvement — there is no structural work, no permissions and no scaffolding, and the roof is where the largest single share of heat loss goes. It is one of the few upgrades where paying privately still makes clear financial sense at current energy prices.
Read our cost guide for what actually drives the price, and get a free survey so you are working from a real number rather than an estimate.
In the loft
What good work looks like either way
Whoever pays for it, these are the details to check on completion.
Questions & answers
Grants and funding — common questions
Are you a grant-funded installer?
No. We are a private installer paid directly by the customer. That means we have no commercial reason to talk your eligibility up, and no incentive to steer you toward a scheme. It also means we cannot process a grant application for you — you would need a scheme-registered installer for that.
How do I find out if I qualify?
Through official channels only: the government's own energy grants service on GOV.UK, your local council's housing or energy team, or your energy supplier directly using the contact details on a bill you already have. Never through a company that contacted you first.
Is loft insulation ever completely free?
Under some schemes and for some households, yes — fully funded measures do exist. But 'free loft insulation' is also the most heavily abused phrase in this industry, and a large share of the calls and door-knocks using it are not connected to any real scheme. Verify independently before letting anyone into your home.
Can a landlord get funding?
Some schemes include privately rented property, usually with conditions attached relating to the tenant's circumstances and the property's current energy rating, and often with a landlord contribution. Check the current rules through official sources, as they change.
Will a grant installer do the job as well?
Some do excellent work and some do not — the same as the private market. Scheme installations are subject to their own quality standards and inspection regimes, which helps. Whoever does it, the things to check are the same: depth fitted, eaves left clear, hatch insulated, boarding raised.
Should I wait for a scheme rather than paying now?
If you are confident you qualify and the scheme is open, waiting may make sense. If you are not sure, be aware that eligibility criteria and scheme end-dates move, and that an uninsulated loft costs you money every single winter you wait. We would rather you checked properly than waited indefinitely on a maybe.
Written and fact-checked by the Loft Insulation London survey team, who assess loft spaces across the capital every working week. Last reviewed .
Checked and don't qualify?
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