Grants & Funding

Grants and financial support can help you cut your energy bills, make your
home warmer and cover essential costs when money is tight. Several schemes are
run by government, energy suppliers and local councils, and most are aimed at
households on lower incomes or means-tested benefits. This overview explains
the main kinds of help available, how to check whether you qualify, and how to
avoid the scams that target people looking for grants.

Kinds of help available

Support tends to fall into a few broad categories, and you may be able to use
more than one:

• Energy efficiency and heating schemes – funding
  towards insulation, low-carbon heating and other improvements. The Energy
  Company Obligation (ECO), administered by Ofgem, requires larger energy
  suppliers to fund measures for eligible households, and the Warm Homes:
  Local Grant is delivered through local councils in England. Grants for heat
  pumps and other upgrades are also available in some cases.
• Cost-of-living and bill support – help with
  day-to-day essentials such as energy, food and other bills, often through
  your energy supplier or council. See our
  help for households pages for the
  current routes.
• Benefits-linked schemes – support such as the Warm
  Home Discount, where being on a qualifying means-tested benefit can unlock a
  rebate or extra help.

Check your eligibility with the official scheme

Eligibility rules, income thresholds and application windows change from year
to year, and each scheme sets its own criteria — for example an income
limit, a benefits requirement or a property’s EPC rating. Because the
detail dates quickly, always confirm the current position with the body that
runs the scheme rather than relying on figures you see repeated elsewhere.
GOV.UK, Ofgem and your local council are the authoritative starting points,
and Citizens Advice can help you work out what you might be entitled to.
Applying through the official route also means your application is handled
properly and free of charge.

Legitimate grants are free – beware scams

Genuine grant schemes never charge you a fee simply to check your eligibility
or submit an application. If a caller, text or website asks for an upfront
payment to ‘unlock’ a grant, pressures you to decide immediately,
or asks for bank details out of the blue, treat it as a likely scam and stop.
Apply only through the official scheme, your energy supplier or your council,
and if in doubt check with Citizens Advice before you hand over any money or
personal information.

To explore specific support, see
renewable energy grants, read about
eligibility and applications,
or browse the wider
help for households available in your
area.