Get help paying for energy efficiency home improvements

You might be able to apply for help with the cost of home improvements, such as insulation, a new boiler or a renewable heating system like a heat pump.

You might be able to apply to:

• the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme

• the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)

• the Boiler Upgrade Scheme

• the Connected for Warmth insulation scheme

If you're not sure what home improvements will help save you money, check how to make your home more energy efficient.

If you rent your home

You might be able to apply to:

• the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme

• the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)

You should talk to your landlord before you apply. You’ll need permission from them if you want to make changes to your home. Your landlord might have to pay some of the cost of making the improvements.

If you can’t apply or your application is unsuccessful your landlord might be able to apply for help from other schemes. You could ask them to apply.

If you have a private landlord, they might be able to apply to:

• the Boiler Upgrade Scheme

• Connected for Warmth 

If you have a social landlord, for example a local council or housing association, they might have plans to apply to the Optimised Retrofit Programme.

If your home isn’t warm enough

If you’re renting privately, your landlord has to make sure your home is ‘fit for human habitation’. This means it needs to be safe to live in and it isn’t likely to damage your health. Check the rules for when landlords have to carry out repairs if you rent privately.

If you have a social landlord, they have to make sure your home is reasonably warm. If it isn’t, they might have to carry out repairs or make improvements to your home. Check if your social landlord has to repair your home and what you can do if they don’t.

Applying to the Nest scheme

If you own your home or rent privately, you might be able to get help with energy efficiency improvements such as insulation, solar panels or heating.

If you rent through a local council or housing association you won’t be able to get help with energy efficiency home improvements. You can contact Nest for free advice on making your home more energy efficient.

Check if your home needs energy efficiency improvements

Your home must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E, F or G.

If your home has an EPC rating of D, you might be eligible if you or someone you live with has a health condition.

You can find your home's EPC rating on GOV.UK. If your home doesn’t have an EPC rating, contact Nest for help. 

Tell Nest if you have an EPC rating of D and you or someone you live with has:

• a respiratory condition - for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• a circulatory condition - for example, cardiovascular disease

• a mental health condition - for example, anxiety

• dementia

• a learning or developmental disability

You’ll need to give evidence of your health condition. For example you could use a prescription, a treatment plan or a letter from your GP or hospital.

If you’re not sure if your health condition qualifies you for help, contact Nest.

Check if you meet the other conditions

You’ll also need to to meet one of the following conditions:

• you or someone you live with get a benefit based on their income

• you live in a low-income household

Contacting Nest

If you think you’re eligible, you can call Nest to see if you can get help with energy efficiency improvements.

If you’re not eligible you can call Nest to get free advice.

Nest will check your eligibility for the scheme. They’ll ask to see some evidence, for example, a letter confirming your benefit entitlement. Nest will then arrange for an assessor to visit your home.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme

You might be able to get help with things like insulation, boilers and improving your heating. 

Some people can get help to apply through their local council. But there are situations where you have to apply through a gas or electricity supplier.

Eligibility and ways to apply to the ECO scheme

If own your own home or you rent from a private landlord, you might be eligible for the ECO scheme if:

• you get benefits that are based on your income

• you get Child Benefit

• you owe money to your supplier

• you are a prepayment customer and you run out of money

If you have a social landlord and you pay below ‘market rent’, there are different rules which mean you might be eligible for the ECO scheme. Market rent is the average cost of renting a home like yours in the area you live from a private landlord. Your landlord will be able to tell you if you pay below market rent.

If you have a social landlord and your rent is at or above market rent, the rules are the same as for private tenants. If your home is shared ownership, the rules are the same as for homeowners. 

There are different ways to apply to the ECO scheme - it depends on which conditions you meet.

If you own your own home or rent from a private landlord, there are some other situations when you might be able to apply through your local council. This is called ECO Flex.

For example, you might be able to apply if:

• you have a household income of less than £31,000

• you get Council Tax Reduction - because you have a low income

• your child gets free school meals - because you have a low income

• you have a severe or long-term health condition

Not all local councils offer funding in these situations. Contact your local council to see what they offer - ask if there’s ECO funding available in your area and how you can apply for it. Find your council’s details on GOV.UK.

If you’ve spoken to your council and are still not sure if you can apply in your situation, you can talk to an adviser.

Watch out for scams

You might see adverts or get cold calls from companies who say they offer ECO funding. It can be hard to tell if these companies are genuine, and they might set unrealistic expectations about the work, such as how long it might take or what additional work might be needed. It’s best to apply through your local council or energy supplier who will refer you to a genuine company.

You can check what to do if you think something might be a scam.

Check what happens after you apply to the ECO scheme

The council or energy supplier might ask you for evidence to show that you’re eligible - for example, a letter from the benefit office or some payslips. If you’re worried about sending over personal documents, ask to read their privacy policy saying how they’ll use your information. 

The council or energy supplier will arrange a survey on your home and, if your home is suitable, they will arrange for an installer to do the work. You can read our advice about the steps you should go through before you get building work done.

The ECO scheme should normally cover all the costs - but they might ask you or your landlord to pay something towards the work. This depends on the local council or supplier and what they fund. They should tell you how much you’ll have to pay before you agree to the work.

Great British Insulation Scheme

If you own your home or you rent privately, you might be able to get help insulating your home. If you can get help from Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS), they’ll offer you insulation for one of the following:

• your walls

• your loft or roof

• your floors

GBIS won’t help you insulate more than one of these.

If you live in a mobile home on a park home site, you might get insulation for your whole home.

In some cases, you might get offered new heating controls - for example, thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) which automatically switch off the radiator when the room is warm enough.

New heating controls are fitted at the same time as the insulation.

Check if you can get help from GBIS

You can only get help from GBIS if both of the following apply:

• your home is in council tax band A, B, C, D or E - check your council tax band on GOV.UK.

• your home has an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G

Find your home's Energy Performance Certificate on GOV.UK.

If your home doesn’t have an EPC, you might still be able to apply. Your home must need insulation to improve its efficiency.

If you rent from a private landlord and your home’s EPC rating is F or G, there's an extra rule. You can only get help from GBIS if your landlord has registered the property as exempt from the ‘minimum standard’ of energy efficiency.

Check if your home is registered as exempt from the minimum standard on GOV.UK. If your home has an EPC rating of F or G and your landlord hasn’t registered it exempt from the minimum standard, talk to an adviser.

Applying for help from GBIS

You should contact your local council, - they might help you apply to GBIS. You can find your local council’s details on GOV.UK. 

If your local council can’t help, you should be able to apply through your energy supplier if they’re a part of GBIS. 

You can apply for support from the Great British Insulation Scheme on GOV.UK.

Check what happens after you apply to GBIS 

Your council or energy supplier will arrange a survey on your home. If your home is suitable, they’ll arrange for an installer to do the work. 

GBIS will usually cover the cost of the insulation. They might ask you to pay something towards it, if it's a more expensive type of insulation. This depends on your council or energy supplier and what they fund. They should tell you how much you’ll have to pay before you agree to the work.

You might have to get permission or approval before you go ahead with work on your home. Check if you need permission or approval before you get work done on your home.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)

You might be able to get help with the cost of replacing your heating system with a heat pump or biomass boiler. You'll probably need to pay some of the cost, but the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) grant will reduce how much you have to pay. 

A BUS grant can be up to:

• £7,500 towards an air, ground or water source heat pump 

• £5,000 towards a biomass boiler 

You can’t use the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme or any Government or council grant to pay the remaining cost.

The heat pump or biomass boiler must be used with a central heating system. This means you can't apply to the BUS if you want:

• biomass stoves to heat individual rooms

• 'air to air' heat pumps which use blown or ducted air

You can’t usually apply to BUS if you want a ‘hybrid heat pump’. A hybrid heat pump works alongside another type of heating technology, like a gas boiler.

Check your property has enough insulation

If your home doesn't have enough wall and loft insulation, it won't be as energy efficient. This might mean that a heat pump or biomass boiler costs more to run than your current heating system

Check what help you can get with insulation before you decide to change your heating. Improved insulation will help you save energy, whichever heating system you use. Check the other schemes on this page, including the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS).

Check if you might be eligible for the BUS

You must own the property to be able to apply. If you rent from a private landlord, your landlord might be able to apply instead. 

You can't apply to this scheme if you have a social landlord and you either: 

• pay below 'market rent' - this applies to most tenants who rent from a social landlord

• have a shared ownership property

Market rent is the average cost of renting a home like yours in the area you live from a private landlord. Your landlord will be able to tell you if you pay below market rent.

If you want a biomass boiler, you can only apply to the scheme if your property doesn’t have mains gas and is in a ‘rural location’ - this usually means in the countryside.

Check if your property is classed as rural on the Find that postcode website - add your postcode and look for ‘Rural / urban classification’ on the results page. The result will include the word ‘rural’ or ‘urban’.

Choose an installer

Your installer must be a member of the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). You can search for local, regional and national MCS certified installers on the MCS website.

You should get a quote from at least 3 installers. This will help you compare the costs and find the best deal. 

Make sure the quotes show:

• the total cost of the installation after the BUS grant has been taken off

• if a deposit is required - don’t agree to pay more than 25% up front

• any extra costs for completing the BUS application - ask them to explain any costs that seem unreasonable

• there’s 0% VAT - they shouldn’t charge any VAT for the work

• how much time you have to make the final payment after the work is finished

The installer should also give you a written ‘performance estimate’. This will tell you how much energy a heat pump or biomass boiler is likely to use compared to your current system. It should also show whether you’re likely to save money with the new heating system.

The heat pump or biomass boiler must meet BUS technical requirements. Make sure your installer confirms this before you agree to the installation.

After you’ve agreed a quote with an installer you have a contract with them, even if it’s not written down. If you're not given a written contract to sign, ask for one. This will prove what you agreed and help to avoid any disagreements later on. Check what needs to be included in the written contract.

Important

Don’t pay your installer the BUS grant money at any time

If an installer asks you to pay the whole cost of the work including the BUS grant, you should refuse. 

The installer might tell you they'll repay you the amount of the grant after receiving payment from Ofgem. You still shouldn’t agree as you’ll be putting your money at risk - for example, if the company goes out of business. 

If the installer asks you to pay the full amount before you agree to a contract you should choose a different installer. If they ask after you’ve agreed to a contract you should get advice from the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.

BUS applications

The installer will apply to Ofgem to get a BUS voucher for your property. The voucher shows how much the scheme will pay. Ofgem will contact you to make sure you agree with the application and your details are correct. 

If Ofgem approves the application they’ll send a BUS voucher to the installer. When the installer finishes the work, Ofgem will pay them the amount on the voucher. The installer will send you a bill for the remaining cost.

Connected for Warmth insulation scheme

If your home is in council tax band A, B, C or D, you might be eligible for free loft or cavity wall insulation. 

If you own your home, you can apply for the Connected for Warmth scheme on their website.

If you rent from a private landlord, your landlord needs to apply on your behalf. If you rent from a social landlord, you can’t apply to this scheme.

Find other ways to save energy

There are other things you can do to use less energy at home and save money on your bills.

If you want to save energy and money using your heating, you can:

• check the best way to use your heating controls and find simple ways to keep heat in your home

• check how to use storage heaters efficiently

If you want to save energy and money using your appliances, you can:

• compare the cost of using your electrical appliances to help make decisions about how to use them

• check how to save money using your electrical appliances

• check how to choose and buy a more energy efficient appliance

If you need help with bills or the cost of living

If you can’t afford your energy bills, you can check our advice on what to do if you’re struggling to pay.

If you don’t have enough money to live on, you can also get help with the cost of living.