Loading scheme
Loading scheme
The scheme that exists because ECO4 reaches so few households. It funds one measure rather than a whole retrofit, and for most of the country the test is your council tax band and your EPC — not your income.
Headline award
One measure, mostly funded
Single insulation measures for lower council tax bands, with no benefits test.
Illustrative figures.
Typical measure value
£2,400
Cavity wall or loft insulation
Households helped this year
41,200
Across Great Britain
Contribution most pay
£0
General group pays nothing for cavity or loft
Median survey to install
7 weeks
Faster than a whole-house scheme
Illustrative. Placeholder figures to show what this page will hold. Real ranges arrive with the quote and performance data behind them.
What it pays
One measure per property, chosen by what the home is missing rather than what you ask for. Solid wall insulation is available but usually carries a contribution, because it costs several times what the scheme pays for a cavity.
| Measure | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cavity wall insulationThe most common award. Only for cavities that were never filled, or were filled and have failed. | Fully funded | The most common award. Only for cavities that were never filled, or were filled and have failed. |
| Loft insulationTop-up to 300mm. Boarded lofts need clearing first, which is not covered. | Fully funded | Top-up to 300mm. Boarded lofts need clearing first, which is not covered. |
| Solid wall insulationInternal or external. Expect a contribution of £2,000 to £6,000 on a typical semi. | £6,000 towards | Internal or external. Expect a contribution of £2,000 to £6,000 on a typical semi. |
| Room-in-roof insulationFor converted lofts. Disruptive, and usually needs redecoration afterwards. | £3,200 towards | For converted lofts. Disruptive, and usually needs redecoration afterwards. |
| Underfloor insulationSuspended timber floors only. Solid concrete floors are outside the scheme. | £1,800 towards | Suspended timber floors only. Solid concrete floors are outside the scheme. |
Runs alongside ECO4 to 31 March 2027
Applications have to be in before 31 March 2027. Schemes with a published end date rarely extend at the last minute, and installer diaries fill up first.
Last checked against these sources on 28 August 2026.
Illustrative. Placeholder figures to show what this page will hold. Real ranges arrive with the quote and performance data behind them.
Who qualifies
Written as the published rules work rather than as the marketing describes them. If one line on the left fails, nothing else matters.
How to apply
Each step carries roughly how long it takes, because the total is what decides whether the work happens this winter or next.
Your EPC band and your council tax band decide it. Both are public, so you can check before you speak to anyone.
The GOV.UK referral form passes your details to participating suppliers. Going direct to your own supplier works too, and is faster if they still have obligation to meet.
A surveyor confirms which single measure the property should get. A cavity that turns out to be already filled ends the application here, which is the most common outcome.
Cavity and loft work is usually one day. Solid wall insulation is two to four weeks and needs scaffolding.
Insulation comes with a 25-year guarantee registered to the property. Ask for the certificate — it matters when you sell.
Combining
No scheme will fund the same measure twice. Getting the order right — insulation under one scheme, heating under another — is where the money is.
Welsh households are normally routed through Nest for a whole-house assessment instead.
What changed
Amounts, qualifying benefits and end dates all move. Anything you read about this scheme that predates the most recent entry here should be treated as out of date.
1 April 2023
Introduced to reach households that ECO4's benefits test misses, with council tax band used as a proxy for need.
1 September 2024
Suppliers began publishing the expected household contribution up front after complaints that surveys were ending in unexpected bills.
1 April 2026
Both schemes now finish together in March 2027, which is concentrating delivery into the next four quarters.
Questions
Not for most applicants. The general group qualifies on EPC band and council tax band alone. A benefits claim is an alternative route in, not a requirement.
No. GBIS funds a single measure per property. If your home needs several, the ECO4 whole-house route is the one to pursue, assuming you meet its income test.
Cavity and loft insulation are normally fully funded. Solid wall and room-in-roof usually carry a contribution, because the scheme's payment does not cover the full cost of the work.
Only if it has failed. Surveyors bore-scope the wall; a cavity with intact fill is not eligible, and that ends a large share of applications at survey stage.
No. The supplier appoints a TrustMark-registered contractor. You can decline the work, but you cannot bring your own trade and claim the funding.
Keep reading
Supplier-funded whole-house retrofits for low-income households in the worst homes.
Whole-house, fully fundedHow it worksNot a grant — a tax relief that quietly takes a fifth off most upgrade quotes.
20% off labour and materialsHow it worksCouncil-run retrofits for low-income households — but only in participating areas.
Up to £30,000How it worksStart with your postcode. We work from what is already recorded about the property, not from a form you have to fill in.