The £1bn Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) launched in March 2023 is aimed at helping approximately 300,000 UK households with the cost of installing new home insulation and is scheduled to run until March 2026.

It is designed to help people insulate their homes, make them more energy efficient, and ultimately save money on their energy bills.

To date, according to statistics provided by Ofgem, between May 2023 and May 2024, there have been 15,200 measures installed in 12,200 households – the number of completed installations of measures according to the Ofgem register.

The highest number of installations took place during May 2024 when 3,500 measures were installed in 2,700 households. This is to date the highest number of installations completed in one calendar month since the scheme was introduced and was a 58% increase in the number of installations completed during April this year.

Common measures 

Now the most common measure so far has been cavity wall insulation, accounting for 50% (7,500 measures) of the total 15,200 measures. This was followed by loft insulation which accounted for 23% (3,400 measures) and heating controls which accounted for 20% (3,000 measures).

Insulation to reduce your home’s energy bills

To qualify for this scheme you might get support if your home:

  • has an energy performance certificate (EPC) of D to G – check your EPC

OR

  • is in Council Tax bands A-D in England or A-E in Scotland or Wales – check your Council Tax band

This scheme is available to homeowners, landlords, or tenants (either renting privately or from a housing association). However, if you’re a tenant, you need to speak to your landlord before you apply, because you will need their permission before any insulation can be installed.

Under this scheme, the following home insulation measures could be installed:

  • cavity wall insulation
  • solid wall insulation (internal or external)
  • loft insulation
  • flat or pitched roof insulation
  • underfloor insulation
  • solid floor insulation
  • park home insulation
  • room-in-roof insulation

Check your EPC Rating

Energy Performance Certificates

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) tells you how energy-efficient a property is. It would be best if you had an EPC  in England and Wales when you’re:

  • selling a property
  • renting out a property
  • building a new property

You must order an EPC for potential buyers and tenants before you market your property to sell or rent.

In Scotland, it is not compulsory to have an EPC rating though there is talk of legislation changing this in the future.

An EPC contains:

  • information about a property’s energy use and typical energy costs
  • steps to improve a property’s energy efficiency and save money

An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (best) to G (worst) and is valid for 10 years.

Which households are benefiting?

If one looks at the overall figures to date, the number of households benefiting from this scheme equates to 48 households per 100, 000 in Wales, 45 households per 100,000 in England, and 30 households per 100,000 in Scotland.

The region with the highest rate was Yorkshire and The Humber with an estimated 71 households upgraded per 100,000.

Regional delivery

The highest regional delivery has been in the South East (2,200 measures, 14%), followed by Yorkshire and The Humber (2,100 measures, 14%) and the North West (1,800 measures, 12%).

The level of delivery under GBIS also varies at the local authority level. The local authorities with the highest rate of upgrades under GBIS so far are the City of Kingston upon Hull (436 upgrades per 100,000 households), Luton (313 per 100,000), and Isle of Anglesey / Ynys Môn (210 per 100,000).

This particular scheme is however not available in Northern Ireland.

Apply for support from the Great British Insulation Scheme.