Great British Insulation scheme formally launched

The government formally launched the Great British Insulation Scheme in September 2023, extending government support for loft insulation or cavity wall insulation to households in council tax bands A to D¹. The scheme was described by one industry supplier as a £1 billion drive, with more than 300,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales estimated as potentially qualifying for fully funded or part funded insulation³.

Under the scheme, households in those council tax bands can also apply for part funding for more expensive insulation measures¹. Measures named by one supplier include cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation and loft insulation³. The Energy Security Secretary, Claire Coutinho, said the scheme would help "hundreds of thousands of people, including some of the most vulnerable in society, get the upgrades their homes need, while cutting their energy bills"³.

"Our Great British Insulation Scheme will help hundreds of thousands of people, including some of the most vulnerable in society, get the upgrades their homes need, while cutting their energy bills."

Figures on savings and eligibility differ between accounts. One supplier states the scheme could save families an average of £400 a year on energy bills³, while another gives a range of around £300 to £400 a year and states eligibility requires council tax bands A to D in England and A to E in Scotland and Wales, with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D or lower⁴. The government's own eligibility criteria have not been reported in these accounts beyond the council tax band position given by Which?¹.

Which? research published in September 2023 found that only 37% of homeowners had looked for information about insulation in the last five years, and 63% of those who looked chose not to proceed with any work, leaving 14% of households having made insulation improvements in that period¹. The same research found 53% of homeowners who looked into insulation cited upfront cost or payback times as the main reason for not proceeding, and 11% of those who looked but did not carry out work said they searched for, but did not find, an available trader¹. Which? also reported that 57% of homes in England are below the government's energy efficiency target, with 58% in Scotland, 72% in Wales and 55% in Northern Ireland².

Why it matters for households

Insulation reduces the heat a home loses through its walls and roof, which affects how much energy is needed to keep it warm and therefore how exposed a household is to energy price movements. The scheme widens the group of households that can access support for loft and cavity wall insulation, and the part funding route extends to more expensive measures such as solid wall insulation, which Which? estimates 7.4 million households need². For a household in the relevant council tax band, the practical effect is that some or all of the upfront cost of certain measures may be covered, addressing the barrier that Which? found was the most common reason for not proceeding¹. The Energy Saving Trust's chief executive, Mike Thornton, said improving energy efficiency "provides a triple win long-term solution for cutting energy bills, decreasing carbon emissions and improving energy security"³.

What happens next

A new online checker tool allows customers to find out whether they can access scheme funds, asking questions including how the home is heated, whether walls are solid or cavity, and whether the household receives any benefits³. No end date for the scheme is given in these accounts.

Sources4 cited

1. Empowering homeowners to insulate their homes through improved awareness and information - Which?, which.co.uk
2. gm-b62b4aa1-0569-4eb4-8e7d-502e8c75ce23-insulation-report.pdf, media.product.which.co.uk
3. Government launch of The Great British Insulation Scheme - InstaGroup, instagroup.co.uk
4. Funding for your Heat Pump, imsheatpumps.co.uk