Blog Post 10 July 2025

The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) explained

Location notice

Please note that this page contains information and links most relevant for people living in England, Scotland, Wales.

The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) is a UK Government-backed scheme. GBIS helps homeowners, landlords and tenants in England, Wales and Scotland get free or cheaper insulation.

GBIS isn’t open to those in Northern Ireland but there are other energy efficiency grants available. Visit the Northern Ireland Housing Executive website to find out more.

Under GBIS, people with the least energy efficient homes can get support to install cavity wall insultation or loft insulation which helps:

keep your home warm for longer
reduce your energy bills
limit unnecessary heat loss

The scheme started in March 2023 and is scheduled to run until March 2026. As of April 2025, 63,400 homes have had upgrades through GBIS.

What home insulation can I get with the Great British Insulation Scheme?

After applying, your energy provider will be in touch to arrange a free assessment of your property. After this, they’ll tell you what kind of insulation you can get support with.

With GBIS, you may be able to get help to install:

cavity wall insulation
loft insulation
other types of insulation as determined by the assessment.

As of April 2025, the most common measure installed through GBIS is cavity wall insulation, which accounts for 41% of all measures installed. This is followed by loft insulation (28%) and heating controls (21%).

Am I eligible for the Great British Insulation Scheme?

You might qualify for a home insulation grant if your home:

has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D to G.
is in council tax bands A to D in England or A to E in Scotland and Wales.

If you live in England and Wales, you can check your home’s EPC rating on GOV.UK. You can also check your council tax band on GOV.UK.

If you live in Scotland, you can check your home’s EPC rating on the EPC Register. You can check your council tax band on the Scottish Assessors’ portal.

The scheme is available to homeowners, landlords and tenants. If you rent your home, speak to your landlord and get their permission before you apply.

How do I apply for a home insulation grant?

You don’t apply for the grant directly. Instead, your energy supplier will apply for funding on your behalf. You may be asked to pay for some of the work, but they’ll make this clear to you before any work starts.

Will I have to pay anything towards the insulation or works?

Depending on the outcome of any assessments, you may be asked to contribute a proportion of the costs depending on your circumstances and work required. This will be discussed with you before you agree to go ahead with an installation.

As your energy supplier manages the whole process for you, you won’t receive funding directly to buy insulation yourself, for example.

How do I apply for the GBIS home insulation grant?

You don’t apply for the grant directly. Instead, your energy supplier will apply for funding on your behalf.

Submit an application

You can apply for GBIS via the GOV.UK website.

You’ll need to know:

where you live
your energy supplier
whether you own or rent the property
your property’s council tax band
what benefits you’re getting, if any
the number of bedrooms in the property
what type of walls and loft your property has
if you have any existing insulation installed

The application form will tell you immediately whether you’re eligible for GBIS. If you are, your energy supplier will contact you to confirm the referral and arrange a visit to assess your home.

Your energy supplier assesses your home

Your energy supplier (or an installation company they work with) will visit your home and carry out an assessment.

The assessor will decide what sort of insulation you need and give you additional energy saving advice while they’re with you. They’ll also let you know if you need to pay towards the cost of installation.

You don’t have to go ahead with any installation if you’re don’t agree with the assessment or costs.

Due to demand, it could be a few months between your initial referral and the home assessment.

Book an installation date and work starts

If you’re happy to proceed with installation, you can book a date with your energy supplier or the installer they work with.

They’ll apply for the GBIS funding and work with you on how to pay any additional costs.

Then it’s installation time.

All installers who install measures via GBIS must be TrustMark-accredited. TrustMark is a UK government-backed quality scheme for work carried out around your home.

Should I apply to the Great British Insulation Scheme?

Yes, absolutely. We encourage everyone who is eligible to apply for GBIS.

Improving the energy efficiency of your home is a vital part of addressing both the energy crisis and climate emergency. Adding proper insulation and heating controls to your property could save you money on your energy bills too. This is how much it could save a typical house in Great Britain:

cavity wall insulation – save £240
heating controls – save £110
loft insulation – save up to £230
solid wall insulation – save £330
floor insulation – save £70

How is the Great British Insulation Scheme different to ECO4?

GBIS is designed complement ECO4. They’re different schemes, but this is sometimes confused as some still refer to GBIS by its previous name, ECO+.

GBIS mostly focuses on delivering single, lower-cost insulation measures. This is to help as many homes as possible get support through the scheme quickly.

The ECO4 scheme focuses on improving the whole house, where possible.

Read Ofgem’s guide for more information about how GBIS complements ECO4.