UK Home & Energy Grants 2026: The Complete Guide
Every UK grant and payment that helps with energy bills, home energy upgrades and disability adaptations, with what each one gives, who qualifies and its status this winter. Every status re-checked on 29 October 2026.
This is a plain-English reference to the financial help available to UK households for winter 2026 to 2027. It covers help with bills (Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payment, cold weather payments, council crisis funds) and help with upgrades (heat pumps, insulation, adaptations). Each status was read from GOV.UK, mygov.scot, gov.wales, nidirect or the scheme's own site on 29 October 2026, and the sources are listed at the end. Schemes change often, so check the official page before you apply.
Help with energy bills this winter
| Scheme | What you get | Who qualifies (short version) | Where | Status, 29 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm Home Discount | £150 off your electricity bill, paid to your supplier | England and Wales: on Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related ESA or Pension Credit on 23 August 2026, with your name on the bill. Scotland: a core group gets it automatically, others apply to their supplier | England, Wales, Scotland | Running now. Letters go out from late October 2026 to early January 2027. If a letter asks you to call, do it by 26 February 2027. Discounts are applied by 31 March 2027 |
| Winter Fuel Payment | £100 to £300, paid automatically | Born on or before 27 June 1960. If your own income is over £35,000, HMRC takes it back through your tax code or Self Assessment | England, Wales, Northern Ireland | Paid November and December 2026 |
| Pension Age Winter Heating Payment | £105.55 to £316.70 | State Pension age in Scotland. Income over £35,000 is recovered by HMRC | Scotland | Letters from November 2026 |
| Cold Weather Payment | £25 for each 7-day spell at or below 0°C, recorded or forecast | Certain benefits, including Pension Credit and some Universal Credit claims | England, Wales, Northern Ireland | Runs 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027 |
| Winter Heating Payment | £62, once a year whatever the weather | Qualifying low-income benefits | Scotland | Paid from December. The amount shown on mygov.scot on 29 October 2026 |
| Crisis and Resilience Fund | Help set by your council, which can include energy costs | Set by each council | England | Replaced the Household Support Fund. Runs 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029 |
| Supplier hardship funds | Grants towards energy debt | British Gas Energy Trust is open to customers of any supplier with up to £1,700 of energy debt. Most funds want you to speak to a debt adviser first | Great Britain | British Gas Energy Trust open. Check each supplier's own fund |
| Priority Services Register | Free extra help from your supplier and network: priority support, a password scheme, help with a prepayment meter | State Pension age, disability or a long-term condition, or other circumstances that make you vulnerable | Great Britain | Ongoing. Ask your supplier |
| 0% VAT on household electricity | No VAT on your electricity bill | Every household, automatic | Great Britain (not NI, not gas) | 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. The October cap rate of 26.32p per kWh already includes it |
Grants for energy upgrades
| Scheme | What it funds | Amount | Who qualifies | Where | Status, 29 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECO4 | Insulation, heating, boilers | Varies by home | Low income or qualifying benefits, through your supplier or council | Great Britain | Ends 31 December 2026. The government has said there will be no supplier-funded successor |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant | Insulation, heat pumps, solar, heating controls | Set by your council for your home. GOV.UK states no maximum | Household income usually £36,000 or less, or a qualifying postcode or benefit. EPC D to G. Owner-occupied or privately rented | England | Open where your council has funding. Check with the GOV.UK questionnaire |
| Warm Homes Plan | Free upgrade packages for low-income homes, and zero or low-interest loans | Just under £15bn in total, including £5bn for free low-income upgrades and £2bn for loans | Detailed rules for the loans not yet published | UK government | Published January 2026. Launch dates for the loans not yet confirmed |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | Heat pumps and biomass boilers | £7,500 air or ground source heat pump. £5,000 biomass. £2,500 air-to-air. An extra £1,500 until March 2027 if the home is heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas | Property owners replacing fossil fuel heating, no means test. Most new builds and social housing are excluded | England and Wales | Open, through an MCS-certified installer. Funding set to 2030 under the Warm Homes Plan |
| Home Energy Scotland grant and loan | Heat pumps and energy efficiency | Heat pump grant up to £7,500 (£9,000 rural or island) plus an optional interest-free loan up to £7,500 | Homeowners in Scotland | Scotland | Open, first come first served until the end of the financial year. 0808 808 2282 |
| Nest | Free advice and free improvements, including heat pumps, insulation and solar, plus emergency heating repairs | Free for eligible homes | Lower income households in a cold home | Wales | Open. 0808 808 2244 |
| Affordable Warmth Scheme | Insulation, heating and windows | Varies | Gross household income under £23,000, owner-occupier or private tenant | Northern Ireland | Open while funding lasts. Northern Ireland Housing Executive, 0800 111 4455 |
| NI Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP) | Boilers, insulation, heating controls | Varies | Household income under £38,000 plus other criteria | Northern Ireland | Open while funding lasts |
| 0% VAT on energy-saving materials | Heat pumps, insulation, solar, batteries, controls (not gas or oil boilers) | No VAT instead of 20% | Installed in homes | UK | Until 31 March 2027, then 5% |
| Smart Export Guarantee | Pays for solar power you export | Varies by tariff | Solar panel owners | Great Britain | Ongoing |
| Great British Insulation Scheme | Insulation | n/a | n/a | Great Britain | Closed 31 March 2026 |
Grants for disability adaptations
| Scheme | What it funds | Amount | Who qualifies | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disabled Facilities Grant | Stairlifts, ramps, level-access showers, through-floor lifts | Up to £30,000 in England and £36,000 in Wales. Up to £35,000 in Northern Ireland, and the Housing Executive can raise some awards to £70,000 | Disabled people. Means-tested for adults, not for children | England, Wales, Northern Ireland |
| Scheme of assistance | Adaptations | At least 80% of the eligible cost, 100% on some benefits. No fixed maximum | Disabled people, through the council | Scotland (there is no DFG in Scotland) |
| 0% VAT on mobility equipment | Stairlifts, walk-in baths, mobility aids | No VAT instead of 20% | Chronically sick or disabled people | UK |
Grants by project
- Heat pump: Boiler Upgrade Scheme, £7,500 in England and Wales, or the Home Energy Scotland grant and loan.
- New boiler: ECO4 for low-income homes, until 31 December 2026.
- Solar panels: 0% VAT, Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Smart Export Guarantee.
- Stairlift or walk-in bath: Disabled Facilities Grant, plus 0% VAT.
Frequently asked questions
Can you combine home energy grants?
Often, yes. You might use ECO4 or the Warm Homes: Local Grant for insulation and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for a heat pump. Schemes that pay for the same measure usually cannot both be used on it.
Has ECO4 ended?
Not yet. ECO4 runs until 31 December 2026. The government has said no supplier-funded scheme will replace it, and that funding for home upgrades moves into the Warm Homes Plan, which is just under £15bn. The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026.
Do I need to be on benefits to get help?
Not for everything. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, 0% VAT and the Priority Services Register have no income test. The Warm Home Discount, Cold Weather Payment, ECO4 and Warm Homes: Local Grant are linked to income or benefits. The Winter Fuel Payment goes by date of birth.
Is the Household Support Fund still running?
No. In England it was replaced from 1 April 2026 by the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which councils run until 31 March 2029.
Sources
All read on 29 October 2026: GOV.UK pages for the Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payment, Cold Weather Payment, Warm Homes: Local Grant, Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the ECO4 end-date government response (23 January 2026), the Crisis and Resilience Fund announcement (3 February 2026), VAT Notice 708/6 and the HMRC notice on the temporary zero rate for domestic electricity; the Warm Homes Plan written statement (21 January 2026); mygov.scot pages for the Winter Heating Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment; Home Energy Scotland; gov.wales pages for Nest; the Northern Ireland Housing Executive energy efficiency grants page; nidirect on Disabled Facilities Grants; Citizens Advice Scotland on the scheme of assistance; and the British Gas Energy Trust.
The Winter Fuel Payment is not a grant you apply for, but it is the largest single payment most pensioner households get towards a winter of heating. We have converted it into kilowatt hours at the October 2026 cap on what the Winter Fuel Payment buys in heating, including the £153.81 that standing charges take before any energy is used.
For what each bill payment buys in kilowatt hours this winter, and the schemes you have to ask for, see help with energy bills this winter.
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