Independent information
This is an independent information service. Grant eligibility criteria are sourced from official government publications and may change. Always verify current requirements with scheme administrators or certified installers.
Schemes stop at the border. The Warm Homes: Local Grant described on this page runs in England only — Wales has Nest, Scotland has Home Energy Scotland, and Northern Ireland has the Affordable Warmth Scheme and NISEP. ECO4 covers England, Scotland and Wales; the Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers England and Wales.
EPC requirements by grant scheme
Open until 31 December 2026
ECO4 scheme
According to Ofgem, ECO4 specifically targets properties with poor energy efficiency. The scheme aims to raise homes to at least EPC band C, meaning properties rated D or below are the primary focus. ECO4 has been extended to 31 December 2026 and is still open to households coming forward now — though being eligible does not mean a supplier will agree to install, and the installation must be completed by that date, so a household starting now has weeks to move, not months. The insulation-only Great British Insulation Scheme is closed — it ended 31 March 2026 — so the live routes for insulation today are ECO4, while it lasts, and, in England, the Warm Homes: Local Grant.
Heat pump grant
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
According to GOV.UK, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has no EPC rating requirement. Any homeowner in England or Wales replacing a fossil fuel heating system can apply, regardless of their current energy efficiency rating.
Whole-home retrofit — England only
Warm Homes Plan
The Warm Homes Plan is the government's umbrella programme, and the route that pays for whole-home packages is the Warm Homes: Local Grant — England only, not Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. You apply on GOV.UK first — apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant — and the service passes you to your council, which surveys the property, decides what it funds and pays for the work. Lower EPC ratings may qualify for more extensive packages, and some councils have paused because their allocation is spent.
Check Your Grant Eligibility Now
Enter your postcode to see which grants your property may qualify for based on its EPC rating
Key eligibility factors:
- Open now — the installation must be completed by 31 December 2026
- England, Scotland or Wales (not Northern Ireland)
- On a qualifying benefit, in social housing rated EPC E–G, or referred through ECO4 Flex by a council that takes part
- Eligibility is not a guarantee — suppliers decide which measures they fund
Check your property against the live MHCLG EPC register to see your current band and the schemes you may qualify for — free, in under a minute.
Check your propertyUsing your EPC to maximise grants
Get your EPC
Check the register or order an EPC assessment online. You need to know your current band.
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Match to schemes
Use the table above to identify which grants your rating may qualify you for, and check the scheme runs in your nation.
Apply before improving
Apply for grants while your rating is low — improvements are what the grants fund.
Check every route
You may qualify for more than one scheme. In England the Warm Homes: Local Grant covers insulation and low carbon heating; the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) is a separate route to a heat pump.
Related guides
Grants hub
All energy grants
Complete hub for every energy grant scheme available in the UK, with eligibility details.
Read guide →Heat pump
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
£7,500 towards a heat pump — no EPC requirement, no income restrictions. Open to all homeowners.
Read guide →Open until 31 Dec 2026
ECO4 scheme
Insulation and heating help for EPC-rated D to G properties. Not a grant and no set amount; the work must be completed by 31 December 2026.
Read guide →Check your grant eligibility
A poor EPC rating could mean thousands of pounds towards energy improvements. Find out what you may qualify for, and which schemes run where you live.
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