Under Floor Insulation Grants: A Complete Guide

Underfloor insulation is a highly effective way to reduce home heat loss further and improve domestic efficiency, leading to lower energy bills, more savings, a cosy home, and a smaller carbon footprint. 

However, not everybody can afford to invest in insulation. Luckily, the UK government has rolled out two key grant schemes in line with its ambitious Net Zero by 2050 carbon target. These are the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4). 

This ultimate guide by GreenMatch UK will give you everything you need to know about securing underfloor insulation in the UK, complete with grant types, provisions, eligibility criteria and the application process.

Ready to get your floors insulated? Let GreenMatch UK take care of it for you. Instead of spending endless hours researching and vetting installers, spend just 30 seconds filling out our simple form, and we’ll send you up to 3 free home-tailored quotes from trusted installers in our network. Click the button below to begin!

Government grants for insulation are aimed at helping low-income, fuel-poor, and energy-inefficient households with financial assistance towards under floor insulation. While there isn't an exclusive grant programme for floor insulation, two main grant schemes in the UK provide it.

These are the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4). Both schemes exist to help qualifying households with free and low-cost insulation measures to improve their thermal efficiency. 

Homes with efficient insulation will save drastically on energy bills, lower their domestic carbon emissions, and improve the comfort of their living environment.

There are several types of underfloor insulation materials depending on your home type, budget, and personal needs.

Most floors suitable for this style of insulation have suspended timber floors, or an underfloor cavity, both of which can house insulation material comfortably.

Suspended timber floors are very common in older builds and consist of floor joists with wooden floorboards laid on top. You can identify if you have suspended timber floors by checking under your floorboards or looking at the ceiling from the floor below to find the floor joists.

These floors are very easy to insulate, by simply lifting the floorboards, and applying the insulation material in between the floor joists. 

Newer builds tend to have solid concrete floors with no under floor cavity. These naturally cannot be insulated by placing insulation material under the floor.

In these circumstances, the insulation material is laid on top of the concrete floor, coated in screed or plaster, and then covered in laminate or floorboards.

Materials like spray foam or mineral wool are generally not suitable for solid floors, but rigid insulation boards are a perfect fit for this style of insulation.

In the UK, there are currently two key grant schemes that provide grants for underfloor insulation. These are the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4). 

Both schemes aim to help low-income, fuel-poor, and energy-inefficient households with domestic efficiency upgrades but do so in slightly different ways.

The Great British Insulation Scheme, or GBIS scheme, is a government grant scheme that aims to deliver a single insulation measure per qualifying household, including under floor insulation. 

This is to maximise the scheme's reach across the UK, in line with the goals to reach Net Zero by 2050. The measure of choice is tailored to each specific house, decided after a house retrofit assessment to determine the most effective means of improving a home's thermal efficiency.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is an Ofgem-administered obligation placed on energy suppliers in the UK to assist qualifying households with domestic upgrades. 

Different to the GBIS, the ECO4 takes a more whole-house approach to improvements, offering a range of upgrades such as insulation measures, but also energy system repairs, upgrades, and even smart controls.

Homeowners can expect full coverage for low and mid-tier insulation upgrades, but complex expensive jobs may require a portion of financial contribution from the household. This all depends on your qualification for the scheme.

Both the GBIS and ECO4 schemes prioritise households that are low-income, fuel-poor, and energy-inefficient, but may have slight differences in their qualification criteria.

Here are some of the key qualification criteria you could expect when applying to either scheme:

Underfloor insulation provides a wealth of benefits for your home. These include savings, living comfort, house value and much more. 

Here are just some of the key benefits you could enjoy with underfloor insulation in your home:

With all these benefits considered, underfloor insulation emerges as a wonderful home upgrade with a wealth of positive improvements to your savings, lifestyle, and the planet.

To simply know whether your home is suitable for under floor insulation, you need to confirm that you have the right type of floor. Typically, suspended timber floors or panelled floors with a cavity space under them are suitable for under floor insulation.

Next up, it’s important to make sure your floor joists and boards are in good condition and do not need replacing. For this, it’s best to undergo a house assessment by a professional. 

If you qualify for a grant scheme, working with an accredited installer will ensure they thoroughly check your floor condition and deliver high-quality insulation results. 

Applying for free underfloor insulation grants is relatively easy, but requires different steps depending on the grant scheme you are applying for. 

Here’s what to expect per grant scheme:

As for non-gas heated homes that intend to make use of the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG), your local council is required to submit approval on your behalf. You can kickstart this process by contacting your local council and arranging a house inspection. 

Deciding to get under floor insulation is a great step, qualifying for insulation grants for homeowners is even better, but landing a professional accredited installer is really where the magic happens. 

A professional installer is the difference between a high-quality job and a shabby installation that becomes a never-ending burden of repair costs and home damage. 

Homes that qualify for a grant are obliged to work with a PAS 2030-2035 certified installer. The Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) are a series of industry standards that recognised installers meet, ensuring you receive professional workmanship. 

However, finding a quality installer at the right price can sometimes feel like looking for a needle  in a haystack. That’s where GreenMatch UK can help you out.

Instead of spending endless hours researching and vetting installers, just spend 30 seconds filling out our online form, and we’ll send you up to 3 free home-tailored quotes from installers in our nationwide network. No charges or obligations. Click the button below to begin!