Making your home more energy efficient will save you money on energy bills by making it cheaper to heat

There are a variety of grants and loans available for energy efficient home improvements.

If you are struggling to pay your energy bill, you might be eligible for other support too.

Improving your home’s insulation or heating system can make a big difference to how warm your home feels and it’s the best thing you can do to keep your heating bills down in the long term.

If you think your home could use some of these improvements, but need help to pay for them, you may be eligible to receive financial support.

Funding is also available to help lower the carbon emissions you generate at home, by putting in a low-carbon heating system such as a heat pump.

What grants are available for energy efficient home improvements?

You may be able to get a grant towards the cost of energy saving home improvements including:

• A new boiler
• New heating system or a low carbon heating system
• Insulation

Some types of funding are available for people who are renting their properties from a private landlord, but your landlord will need to give permission and will usually need to contribute towards the overall cost.

Am I eligible for a grant?

There are different criteria for different types of funding. These can relate to your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating, where you live, how much income you have, or what type of heating you have (or a combination of these).

Eligibility is complicated, but CSE’s energy advisors can help you to understand if you can access grants or funding for energy efficient home improvements.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a government grant designed to encourage property owners to install low carbon heating systems, like heat pumps. The grant is available across the UK and you’ll likely need to contribute towards the overall cost yourself.

The large-scale takeup of heat pumps will make a significant contribution to the UK’s commitment to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Around three-quarters of household emissions associated with our energy use come from heating and hot water. If we move away from gas and oil and switch to electricity generated from renewable technologies like solar and wind, we’ll make huge reductions in our carbon emissions. In turn, this will also reduce the amount of gas we need to import, reduce our dependency on other countries and reduce the risk of future energy crises.

With the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, you could get:

• £7,500 towards an air source heat pump.
• £7,500 towards a ground source heat pump (including water source heat pumps and those on shared ground loops).
• £5,000 towards a biomass boiler.

The scheme is open to domestic and small non-domestic properties in England and Wales, and runs from 2022 to 2025. There is no criteria related to income, but your current heating system must use oil, gas or electricity to be eligible.

There is information on how to apply on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme website. We also have a page dedicated to answering frequently asked questions about heat pumps.

Connected for Warmth

The Connected for Warmth insulation scheme offers funding for loft and cavity wall insulation if your home is in council tax bands A, B, C or D. This money comes from the National Grid.

There is no criteria related to income, but your home must be suitable for the measures on offer.

You can apply on the Connected for Warmth website

Home Upgrade Grants

Home Upgrade Grants are available for people who do not use mains gas to heat their home. The funding can pay for a range of measures including insulation and heating upgrades.

The money comes from the government, but is only available in some areas of the country as your local authority needs to have applied to be part of the scheme.

You will not need to contribute any of your own money towards the overall cost.

Your EPC rating must be band D or below, and one of the following must also apply:

You have a annual household income of £31,000 or less – including your partner’s income if you live with them.

Or, you are getting a means tested benefit such as Universal Credit or Income Support.

Or, you live in certain areas – CSE’s energy advisors can tell you if this applies to you.

Contact your local council to find out if Home Upgrade Grant funding is available in your area. You can also contact CSE’s Home Energy Team to find out more.

Energy Company Obligation

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme can pay for measures such as insulation and boiler upgrades.

The money comes from energy suppliers, who are required by the government to provide funding for energy efficiency improvements.

You may need to contribute some of your own money towards the overall cost.

You may be eligible if any one of the following apply to you:

You are getting a means tested benefit such as Universal Credit or Income Support.

Or, you get child benefit and you are on a low income.

Or, your annual household income is less than £31,000 and your EPC rating is E, F or G, or D if you own your home. If you don’t have an EPC, you may still be eligible if your home needs energy efficiency improvements.

Or, you have a severe or long-term health condition and your EPC rating is E, F or G. If you don’t have an EPC, you may still be eligible if your home needs energy efficiency improvements.

Or, you are struggling to pay your energy bills and your EPC rating is E, F or G. If you don’t have an EPC, you may still be eligible if your home needs energy efficiency improvements.

Contact CSE’s Home Energy Team to check if you are eligible and to apply for ECO funding.

CSE’s energy advisors can give you advice on this and may be able to refer you to a local company that can access the grant for you and do the work.

ECO4 Flexibility Eligibility

The main objective of ECO4 is to improve the least energy efficient housing stock occupied by low income and vulnerable households. ‘ECO4 Flexibility’, or ECO Flex, is one route to find eligible households. Under this scheme, a Local Authority can refer households it considers to be living in fuel poverty, on a low income and in a dangerously cold home.

Fill out this form to see if you’re eligible for a grant towards energy saving improvements. The Home Energy Team at CSE will check your eligibility for funding.

Energy loans

In the current climate it can be difficult to find energy efficiency home improvements that are fully funded.

This is both due to reductions in the amount of funding available and the move towards funding more expensive improvements like heat pumps or solid wall insulation.

If you want to improve the energy efficiency of your home but cannot proceed because the upfront cost is too high, there is the option to borrow money to fund the work.

Energy efficiency loans are available in the South West through Lendology, a not-for-private-profit Community Interest Company.

They work with local authorities in the region to offer householders low-interest loans to help fund energy efficiency measures. They will look into your eligibility for a loan and help you decide how much you could borrow and the loan best suited to your circumstances.

The local authorities they work with are Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Somerset (and all the smaller councils that were until April 2023 part of it), Wiltshire, Dorset and the district councils of Devon.

Other benefits and support to maximise your income

If you receive any type of benefit or are on a low income, you may be entitled to more benefits like the Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payment, Cost of Living Payment, Council Tax reduction and more. For household support grants and council tax rebates apply with your council welfare team and council tax teams. There could also be support to reduce water tariffs too.

£15bn of benefits remain unclaimed each year including nearly £1.3bn of Carer’s Allowance. There are 850,000 people missing out on Pension Credit, while a further 3.4 million people are missing out on Attendance Allowance. An online benefits check takes about 10 minutes. It’s worth having a look to check if you’re missing out.