Last reviewed: , against the NI Housing Executive's own Affordable Warmth pages. Scheme rules and income limits are reviewed periodically — always confirm the current position with the official source before you apply.
Why Northern Ireland is different
Energy efficiency and fuel poverty policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. That means the headline UK schemes — ECO4, the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) and the GBP 7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme — do not run in NI. Instead, Northern Ireland has its own programmes, delivered by the Department for Communities and the NI Housing Executive (the Affordable Warmth Scheme) and by the Utility Regulator (NISEP). If a website offers you ECO4 or a GBP 7,500 heat pump grant at a Northern Ireland address, it has the wrong country.
Energy grant schemes in Northern Ireland
Two government-backed routes carry most of the funding. Which one fits depends mainly on your household income.
Primary scheme · income under £23,000
Affordable Warmth Scheme
The Affordable Warmth Scheme is Northern Ireland's main government energy efficiency grant for households on lower incomes. It is funded by the Department for Communities and delivered by the NI Housing Executive. It takes a whole-house approach — tackling insulation, then heating, then windows — rather than a single measure.
Who qualifies
- You live in Northern Ireland and own and occupy your home as your main residence, or you rent privately
- Total gross household income is under £23,000 a year
- Not available to Housing Executive or housing association tenants
- The property needs energy efficiency improvements
Income is the entry test, not the whole test. Getting through the £23,000 gate does not mean every measure is funded — each one carries its own conditions, and boiler replacement is the most restricted.
If you rent privately
You can apply, but your landlord must agree to the measures, be registered with the Department for Communities' Landlord Registration Scheme, and pay 50% of the total cost of the work. Owner-occupiers are not asked to contribute.
How to apply
Contact the NI Energy Advice service on 0800 111 44 55 or NIenergyadvice@nihe.gov.uk. Since September 2023 the scheme is delivered solely by the Housing Executive on an applications basis — local councils no longer administer it. Do not start any work until your grant is approved in writing.
What it pays for
- Loft and cavity wall insulation
- Solid wall insulation (detached homes, up to £10,000)
- Draught proofing and hot water cylinder jackets
- Boiler replacement and central heating conversion (from solid fuel, LPG or Economy 7) — boiler replacement carries extra conditions
- Single-glazed window replacement
Note: the Affordable Warmth Scheme does not fund heat pumps. Final approval is subject to funding availability.
Levy-funded · the NI equivalent of ECO/GBIS
NISEP — Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme
NISEP is funded through a levy on Northern Ireland electricity bills and overseen by the Utility Regulator. It is the closest NI has to the ECO and Great British Insulation schemes that run in Great Britain. It is often the route for households whose income is above the Affordable Warmth £23,000 limit, but at least 80% of the funding is ring-fenced for vulnerable or 'priority' customers.
Who qualifies
- Northern Ireland electricity customers (domestic and some non-domestic)
- Priority status (low income, certain benefits, older or disabled households) unlocks most of the funding
- A non-priority portion is open to general households
- Eligibility varies scheme by scheme — it is first-come, first-served and some schemes have waiting lists
What it covers & how to access
- Loft, cavity and other insulation
- Heating upgrades and draught proofing
- Some Scheme Managers may fund low-carbon heating for priority households
There is no single application. Find a scheme on the Utility Regulator's published List of Schemes, check the eligibility, then contact that Scheme Manager directly. Apply early in the April–March programme year before that year's funds run out.
Insulation grants in Northern Ireland
Insulation is the most-searched form of grant help in NI — and the area where the confusion with GB schemes is greatest. There is no ECO4 or Great British Insulation Scheme here. The two real routes to funded insulation are the Affordable Warmth Scheme and NISEP.
Loft insulation
Funded under Affordable Warmth for households under £23,000, and through NISEP priority schemes. The lowest-cost, highest-impact measure for most homes.
Cavity wall insulation
Also covered by both routes. A surveyor checks the wall construction is suitable before any work is approved.
Solid wall insulation
The higher-value measure. Affordable Warmth covers solid wall insulation on detached properties up to £10,000.
Insulation has its own guide. Which measure each scheme funds, the income test in detail, what to do if you are over the £23,000 limit, and the NISEP application route measure by measure — insulation grants in Northern Ireland.
Boiler replacement and heating in Northern Ireland
The standalone NI Boiler Replacement Scheme has closed
The Department for Communities closed the Northern Ireland Boiler Replacement Scheme to new applications on 21 September 2023 due to budgetary constraints. It offered up to £1,000 towards replacing a boiler over 15 years old. Older pages and third-party guides still describe it, but it is no longer live, and there is no direct standalone replacement. If you are searching for a "boiler replacement scheme NI 2026", this is the scheme — and it is closed.
Boiler replacement and central heating help is still available in NI, but now only as part of a wider scheme:
- Affordable Warmth Scheme — funds boiler replacement and central heating conversion as part of a whole-house package. The £23,000 income limit is the entry test, and boiler replacement has further conditions on top of it — see below.
- NISEP heating schemes — some Scheme Managers fund heating upgrades, including conversion to natural gas central heating, for eligible households.
What Affordable Warmth actually requires for a boiler
Boiler replacement sits in the scheme's Priority 2 (Heating) band, and it is the most conditional measure on the list. Being under the £23,000 income limit is necessary but not sufficient. Both of the following must hold:
- The existing boiler is at least 15 years old.
- And the householder meets at least one of:
- is over 65
- has a child in receipt of Child Benefit or Kinship payments
- receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Attendance Allowance or Industrial Injuries Benefit
A household under the income limit with a failed boiler, no dependent children, nobody over 65 and no qualifying disability benefit does not get a boiler through this scheme. That is the gap most guides leave out.
Renting privately? You can still apply, but your landlord must agree to the work, be registered with the Department for Communities' Landlord Registration Scheme, and pay 50% of the total cost. If your boiler has failed, your landlord also has a separate statutory repairing duty to keep the heating in working order — that obligation stands whether or not any grant applies.
Separately, gas network suppliers sometimes run their own commercial incentives to switch from oil to natural gas. These are supplier offers, not government grants, and their terms and deadlines change — check directly with the supplier and compare the all-in cost.
Heat pump grants in Northern Ireland
This is the single biggest source of misinformation for NI homeowners. The GBP 7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers England and Wales only — the limit is written into the regulations — and there is no equivalent universal heat pump grant in Northern Ireland.
The Affordable Warmth Scheme does not fund heat pumps. Some NISEP schemes, run by individual Scheme Managers, may fund air source heat pumps for eligible priority households — particularly homes off the gas grid — but this is limited, priority-led and not guaranteed. If an installer advertises a "GBP 7,500 NI heat pump grant" or a "Warm Homes Plan NI" grant, treat it with caution: it is most likely conflating the GB scheme with NI, and there is no open consumer scheme of that name you can apply for here.
The position in 2026: low-carbon heating support exists in NI but is narrow. Check the current Utility Regulator scheme list for what is genuinely on offer this year.
EPCs in Northern Ireland
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is required whenever a property in NI is built, sold or let, and is valid for ten years. Your EPC band is a useful starting point for working out which improvements will help most.
Check an existing EPC
Use the official UK government service, which covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland together (Scotland has its own register).
gov.uk/find-energy-certificate →Get a new EPC
A new EPC must be produced by an accredited assessor. EPCs in NI are overseen by the Department of Finance and enforced by district council Building Control.
Understand EPC bands →GB schemes that do not apply in Northern Ireland
These schemes are widely advertised, but they cover Great Britain only. If you are in NI, the NI alternative is listed beneath each.
GB only
ECO4
Free insulation and heating for low-income households across England, Scotland and Wales.
NI alternative: NISEP / Affordable Warmth
GB only (and ending)
Great British Insulation Scheme
Insulation based on Council Tax band, in GB only — and winding down in GB too, with installs due to complete by 31 March 2026.
NI alternative: NISEP / Affordable Warmth
England & Wales only
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
The GBP 7,500 heat pump grant. England and Wales only — not available in NI or Scotland.
NI alternative: limited NISEP heating support
What is coming: the Warm Healthy Homes Fund
The Department for Communities has announced a new Warm Healthy Homes Fund as the planned successor to the Affordable Warmth Scheme, under the Warm Healthy Homes Strategy 2026–2036. It proposes a whole-house, fabric-first approach — insulation and ventilation first, then heating.
It is not yet open: its public consultation ran from 27 May to 19 August 2026 and has now closed, with the Department considering responses and launch expected around 2027. You cannot apply for it now. Until it launches, the Affordable Warmth Scheme and NISEP remain the routes to apply.
Not sure which NI scheme fits?
No obligation. Energy Pages will help you find the right Northern Ireland scheme.
Related guides
Scotland
Scotland energy grants
Warmer Homes Scotland, Home Energy Scotland, and Scottish-specific schemes.
Read guide →Wales
Wales energy grants
Nest, ECO4, and Welsh-specific energy efficiency programmes.
Read guide →UK-wide
Free insulation schemes
All routes to free insulation across the UK, including NI-specific options.
Read guide →Important
This information is compiled from Northern Ireland government and regulator sources (the Department for Communities, the NI Housing Executive, and the Utility Regulator for Northern Ireland) and is provided as independent guidance. Eligibility criteria, income limits and grant amounts are reviewed periodically and can change. Always confirm the current position with the official source — or call NI Energy Advice on 0800 111 44 55 — before applying or starting any work.
Northern Ireland energy support
Start with the Affordable Warmth Scheme if your household income is under £23,000, or NISEP if it is above. Free, impartial help is a phone call away.