Loft Insulation Grants: What You Need to Know

Loft insulation can dramatically reduce the heat loss within your home, with up to a quarter of lost heat escaping through the roof. Not only will thorough loft insulation keep your home warm in the winter, it could save you hundreds of pounds a year in heating bills. If your home has no loft insulation or insufficient loft insulation, it can be one of the most cost-effective methods of insulating your house, with a lower price tag than cavity wall insulation or ground floor insulation. Loft insulation can be made even cheaper, or even entirely free, through a government-backed loft insulation grant. If you qualify for a loft insulation grant, it could pay for the entirety of your loft insulation, saving you money and keeping you warm for free.

In this guide, we’ll look at how to tell if you are eligible for a loft insulation grant, how to apply for a loft insulation grant, and what a loft insulation grant will cover. These grants are offered through the Energy Company Obligation scheme. ECO is a government scheme designed to help lower-income households save money on energy. Under the scheme, the largest energy companies in the UK have a financial obligation to offer funding to households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. These are government grants and not loans, so you will never need to repay them.

Am I Eligible For a Loft Insulation Grant?

To be eligible for a loft insulation grant you must either own your own property or gain the permission of your landlord in a rented property. Your current loft insulation must be either 100mm or less. You will also need to be receiving one of the following benefits:

• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit
• Pension Guarantee Credit: You will not be eligible if you only claim Pension Savings Credit
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits
• War Pensions Mobility Supplement
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

You may also be eligible if you are claiming child benefits, though in this case you will only receive a loft insulation grant if you are below a certain income threshold as shown below.

These government grants are only available in England, Scotland and Wales. They are not available in Northern Ireland, though Northern Ireland does offer the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme, which doesn’t cover loft insulation but offers heating upgrades.

Pensioners and people over 60 are not automatically eligible for a loft insulation grant, though if you are claiming Pension Guarantee Credit you should be eligible. If you are a landlord looking to claim a loft insulation grant, you will have to get your tenants to apply and give them your permission. The loft insulation grant scheme is intended for homeowners, and so wouldn’t be applicable to a small business.

How to Apply For a Loft Insulation Grant

If you qualify for a loft insulation grant, your next step is to find out which energy providers are offering home loft insulation grants in your area. The difficulty with this step is that none of the energy providers except E.on allows you to apply online. There are a series of third-party websites that will act as middlemen, but if you use the Ofgem-provided list of contact information, you will be able to enquire directly about participating energy suppliers, who can all be contacted by email or phone. Below is a list of email addresses and contact numbers for these companies.

After finding a company operating in your area, you will first get a free house survey, to check if your house is suitable for a grant to insulate lofts. In most cases where you are successful, the work will be completely covered by an ECO grant, but there could be some special circumstances where you will have to pay some of the cost yourself. In these cases, you will be told in advance and will be able to cancel all work if needed.

What Will My Government Grant for Loft Insulation Cover?

A loft insulation grant would cover the installation of traditional mineral wool batts, slabs, or rolls, installed between the joists of your loft. This can have a value of as much as £500. The recommended level of loft insulation is 270mm, depending on the quality of your current insulation it will either be added to or replaced. A loft insulation grant will also cover additional work, such as insulation pipework or draught-proofing hatches.