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Energy grants can be used to help pay your energy bills and pay for energy efficiency improvements to your home. But what energy grants are available, how can you find out if you're eligible for them and how do you apply? We take a look...
This guide starts by highlighting the help currently available for people struggling to pay energy bills in the form of energy grants direct from the government. We then look at the energy grants and schemes available to help make your home more energy efficient and reduce your bills in the longer term. We hope you find the help you’re looking for.
Here is a summary table of all the government energy grants available in 2025.
| What help is available? | How much do I get? | Who is eligible? | Do I need to apply? | When do I get it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Weather Payment | £25 for every 7 days of very cold weather | You may be eligible if you live in England and Wales and are getting pension credit, universal credit and other benefits. | No, it’s paid automatically. | Between November 2024 and March 2025 |
| Winter heating payment | £58.75 | If you receive certain benefits in Scotland | No, it’s paid automatically. | From December 2024 – February 2025 |
| Warm home discount | £150 | Those receiving certain means-tested benefits (exc Northern Ireland) | Usually paid automatically but you’ll need to apply if you’re on a low income in Scotland. | By 31 March 2025 |
If you’re eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment of up to £300, most payments would have been made automatically in November and December 2024. You should have got a letter telling you:
However, if you don’t get a letter or the money has not been paid into your account by 29 January 2025, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.
This is a benefit for parents and carers of disabled children and young people, paid once a year – usually in October and November.
The payment is £251.50 and you can get the Child Winter Heating Payment if you’re under 19, get certain benefits and live in Scotland. If you were expecting to get Child Winter Heating Payment automatically but haven’t got it, you should contact Social Security Scotland on mygov.scot.
Find more information on government grants in our guide to energy bills help
You may also get help via “Help to Heat” schemes which are designed to make homes warmer and cheaper to heat. This funding isn’t delivered directly by the government, but through installers, local authorities, energy companies and other bodies.
These includes the:
You may or may not have heard of some of these schemes. But you’re right if you’re finding this confusing and a little overwhelming. Keep reading and we’ll explain all.
Making your home more energy efficient is a key way to reduce energy bills. Two schemes from energy suppliers to help you do this are:
You may be eligible to have multiple energy-efficiency improvements to your home if you meet certain criteria under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). It requires energy suppliers to help households cut their heating costs by fitting energy-saving measures ranging from loft and wall insulation to air source heat pumps.
The current scheme ECO4, which runs until 31 March 2026, focusses on improving the least energy efficient homes (properties with an EPC rating rating of D-G) and households in fuel poverty. The scheme also aims to deliver a more complete upgrade of those homes, shifting to a multi-measure ‘whole-house retrofit approach’.
Under the ECO4 scheme you may also be able to get your boiler repaired, upgraded or even replaced, and if you own your own home, you might qualify for free heating controls, such as thermostatic radiator valves, as well as other measures such as improved window glazing. These measures are not available under the Great British Insulation Scheme.
Get instant quotes and compare prices from Domestic Energy Assessors in your local area.
The government’s Great British Insulation Scheme can help you with your loft insulation costs. It extends the support offered by the ECO4 scheme to those who don’t receive government benefits. The scheme is open to homeowners, landlords or tenants. But if you’re renting, you’ll need your landlord’s permission before any insulation can be installed.
You may get support if your home:
The types of insulation you may be able to get support to install include cavity wall insulation, solid wall insulation (internal or external), loft insulation, flat or pitched roof insulation, underfloor insulation, solid floor insulation and room-in-roof insulation
You can check your eligibility. However, bear in mind that you’ll only be able to get one type of insulation installed and you may need to pay a proportion of the costs although you’ll be told this before any work is approved.
You can find out in a matter of minutes whether you qualify for the Great British Insulation Scheme by using this online eligibility checker. If you’re eligible, your energy supplier will contact you within 10 working days asking for extra information and to arrange an assessment of your property. Alternatively phone 0800 098 7950 or contact your supplier directly.
Here’s an illustration of how much installing energy efficiency measures may save you on energy bills each year. See our guide for more advice on what to consider with energy efficiency improvements.
| Insulation type | Detached house | Semi-detached house | Mid terrace house | Bungalow | Mid-floor flat |
| Cavity wall insulation | £370 | £210 | £130 | £160 | £100 |
| Loft insulation (0-270mm) | £340 | £200 | £180 | £330 | N/A |
| Floor insulation | £10 | £60 | £40 | £110 | N/A |
| Solid wall insulation | £500 | £290 | £170 | £220 | £140 |
Under the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme you can get grants of up to £7,500 to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems (including oil, gas and electric) with a heat pump or biomass boiler. There’s criteria you’ll need to meet to be eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, including the fact:
This is for homes that don’t already have a gas boiler. You must also own the property and it must have an EPC rating of D to G. You’ll usually need to have a household income of £31,000 a year or less, to access a Home Upgrade Grant although this can vary by postcode area.
If you’re eligible, your local council will arrange a survey to see how your home could be made more energy efficient, such as by installing wall, loft and underfloor insulation, air source heat pumps or electric radiators. If you agree to the work your council will arrange and pay for the work to be done.
This energy grant is only available in England although you might be able to get funding from a different scheme if you live in Scotland, live in Wales or live in Northern Ireland.
The Welsh Government’s ‘Nest’ scheme gives free advice and support to help people in Wales improve their home’s energy efficiency. Plus, the scheme also offers free energy efficiency improvements such as insulation, a heat pump or solar panels. There’s criteria you’ll need to meet – find out more here.
While in Scotland, eligible households could reduce their heating bills by making improvements to their homes with funding worth £10,000 or more from the Scottish Government. You might also be eligible for energy-saving home improvements like heating and insulation. Find out more information at Warmer Homes Scotland.
Many energy companies offer schemes or energy grants that offer help for those struggling with energy debt. You’ll usually need to jump through lots of administrative hoops when applying for these energy grants. For example, you’ll need to have spoken to a debt adviser first and completed a budget showing your income and spending.
Here are a few examples of help available:
The British Gas Energy Trust offers two grants:
Find out more on the British Gas Energy Trust here.
This gives grants and support to vulnerable customers who are struggling with energy debt. It can help with electricity or gas bill debts, and provide essential white goods such as a fridge or cooker. But you need to get independent debt advice before applying. Find more information on the EDF Customer Support Fund here.
You can find information about energy grants some charities offer and how to go about applying at Charis. While Turn2us has a benefits calculator, a grants search tool to help you find out what support you can get and adviser locator tools. You’ll also find information on benefits and information on help with paying energy and water bills.
You may also get help from:
Also if you or someone in your household is a veteran, you can apply for a grant to help pay your energy bills through the Royal British Legion
Green mortgages reward you for saving energy in your property. Some lenders will give you lower interest rates or cashback and larger loans if your home meets a minimum energy-efficiency level. Other lenders will offer lower rates or cashback if you make energy-efficiency improvements. Or if you take out additional borrowing to pay for measures to improve your home’s energy efficiency.
Each lender will have its own terms and conditions for its green mortgages, but lenders generally offer green mortgages on homes with an EPC rating of A or B. Read more in our guide What is an EPC?
The Smart Export Guarantee pays homeowners for renewable energy they have generated, such as from solar panels, and put into the grid. However, in most cases you are best off making your home as energy efficient as possible first.
The Green Homes Grant Scheme closed in March 2021. It offered government grants for homeowners in England to help pay for certain energy-efficient home improvements. The energy grants were for up to £5,000, or up to £10,000 if you received certain benefits and were meant to pay at least two thirds the cost of energy-efficiency improvements such as installing cavity wall insulation, loft insulation or a heat pump. The scheme launched in September 2020 and closed to new applications in March 2021.
The Green Deal government scheme gave loans for energy-saving home improvements which you could repay through your energy bills, typically over 10 to 25 years. The scheme closed in 2015.
If you took out a Green Deal loan and are now selling your home, you must tell the buyer as it’s the person who pays the electricity bill that pays the Green Deal loan back, so it would pass to them.
If you move into a property with a Green Deal, the landlord or seller must show you a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate – this will explain what improvements have been made and how much you’ll need to repay.
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