This time-restricted grant scheme slashes the cost of installing measures that will save hundreds in bills every year. Learn what you need to do in some simple steps to maximise upon this grant scheme.
Every homeowner or landlord is eligible to receive up to £5,000 to install insulation or a new heating system.. A third of the bill has to be covered by the owner, meaning you will receive £7,500 worth of improvements for a £2,500 spend.
When you can save up to £700 in energy bills every year this is a pretty great deal
1. Know what you need
Surveyors can tell you what you need to do in your home, but all are being inundated with requests and often place an initial charge on doing a survey. If you know what you need it can endear professional support and save your money. A simple way of doing this is to look at your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). If you don’t want to dig through paperwork click here to use the government tool. Check the video below to learn how to use it. You may also want to check that your eligible for the grant – click this link and take the government test.
2. Choose insulation or heating system
To get the grant you have to install insulation or a new heating system (heat pump or solar thermal system). If your EPC is below D a new heat pump will not be effective so you will need to insulate and/or install a solar thermal system to help heat hot water. If you are a C or above then getting a new heating system could be your best option, but will require some significant capital outlay. Both of these options will add value to your property with measures that increase energy efficiency ratings improving property value by up to 10%.
3. Insulate and get the best bang for buck
Think top to bottom when you’re thinking about insulation – heat rises right! Most houses need more insulation in the roof and draught proofing. If you’ve got uninsulated cavity walls (many houses built 1945 – 1980), then go for bead blow insulation. Pipes and hot water tanks, alongside heat control systems are next on the list. If you need to upgrade windows get roof insulation and then double/triple glazing as a secondary measure. You can go as far as external or internal wall insulation but that’s expensive.
Here’s come combinations to consider but do read more on energy efficiency here.
| Primary Measure | Secondary Measures | Cost to you | Grant Payout | Annual Savings |
| Roof insulation | Pipe and water tank insulation, and draught proofing | £650 | £1,350 | £250 |
| Roof and Cavity Wall Insulation | Pipe and water tank insulation, and draught proofing | £1,000 | £2,000 | £700 |
| Roof insulation | Upgrade windows to double/triple glazing | £2,500 | £5,000 | £550 |
| Roof and Underfloor insulation | Pipe and water tank insulation, and draught proofing | £1,200 | £3,600 | £500 |
| Solid Wall Insulation | Draught Proofing | £2,500 – £7,000 | £5,000 | £450 |
4. Get the right heating system for your home
A heat pump or solar thermal system can be installed under the grant scheme as a primary measure, but conditions need to be right for their installation. Both of these systems are also eligible for another grant called the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which pays out over a 7 year period.
Solar thermal will heat your hot water, with a heat pump offering an alternative to combi boilers. Both systems take heat from the external environment and condense it to heat your water internally. Solar thermal will work on any house but you need to have room for an additional tank. Heat pumps will function on well insulated houses. To learn more read about Renewable Heating Systems on our Eco Resource.
A solar thermal system will cost around £1,200 (£2,400 from grant), giving £200 saving a year as it heats about 60% of all your hot water. An air source heat pump will cost around £2,500 (£5,000 from grant), with savings of around £400 a year and payment of £300 a year from RHI.
5. Find a supplier
Once you’ve chosen what you want to install then you need to source a supplier to deliver the measures. Most by now will be registered with TrustMark (for energy efficiency measures) or will be registered with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) (heating systems). Better Century lists recommended suppliers on our Energy Efficiency and Renewable Heating System pages – this is a great place to start!
You need quotes from these suppliers to claim the voucher for the grant, which will be time consuming. Each will need to visit to give a quote and you will need a quote for each measure to claim your voucher.
6. Claiming the grant and commissioning the work
Pick one supplier for each of the measures you wish to have installed. Then make an application for the voucher using this government application system with the quotes provided. You will then receive the voucher by email, which has to be claimed in 3 months and can only be used with the suppliers selected, so make sure you make friends!
Once the work is complete to your satisfaction you need to redeem the voucher using this system. The supplier is paid for their part directly from the government and you then need to pay the remainder of the invoice.
You will now have a nice warm home, which will save you money year on year!
Need more help?
Check out community discussions on energy efficiency and renewable heating.
Contact Tom if you need practical support to identify measures and arrange suppliers by emailing tom@bettercentury.org.