Benefits and free help

Depending on where you live and your situation, you may be able to get free or cheaper help with your home. This can include insulation, a new boiler or heating, and sometimes solar panels.

This page explains the main schemes in plain English. It doesn't tell you whether you qualify. You may be able to get help: check the official site for each scheme and apply there. Each scheme sets its own rules, usually based on income, benefits, your home's energy rating (EPC) and whether you own or rent.

What's offered where you live?

We don't store your postcode. It's sent to postcodes.io, a free postcode service, to find your area. The results list schemes and official links for your area. They don't tell you whether you qualify. Check and apply on each official site.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)

It's not a grant you apply for. Big energy firms have to pay for upgrades, and they (or their installers) choose which homes to help.
It's mainly for lower-income homes, or homes where someone gets certain benefits, with an EPC rating of D to G.
Insulation and heating come first. It can sometimes include replacing single glazing or doors. Solar is rarely funded on its own.
Councils can also refer some households through "flexible eligibility" (LA Flex).
ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026, and no ECO5 is planned. The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026.

Check and apply on the official site: Ofgem: Energy Company Obligation (opens official site)

Warm Homes: Local Grant (England)

This is now the main ongoing help in England. It's run by councils and can pay for insulation, heat pumps, smart controls and solar panels for some lower-income homes. It's for people who own their home or rent privately.

Not every council is taking part, and some have more applications than they can handle. Your council's website will tell you if it's open where you live.

Check and apply on the official site: GOV.UK: Apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant (opens official site)

Help in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Scotland: Home Energy Scotland (opens official site). It gives free advice, grants and loans, including Warmer Homes Scotland (opens official site).
Wales: Nest (GOV.WALES) (opens official site).
Northern Ireland: Affordable Warmth Scheme (Housing Executive) (opens official site).

Check and apply on the official site for your nation, using the links above.

Help with bills: Warm Home Discount and the Priority Services Register

Warm Home Discount: a one-off £150 off your electricity bill in winter. The money isn't paid to you. In England and Wales, it's usually applied automatically if you get certain means-tested benefits. In Scotland you may need to apply to your supplier. It isn't available in Northern Ireland. GOV.UK: Warm Home Discount (opens official site)
Priority Services Register: free extra support from your energy supplier and network. For example, warnings before planned power cuts, help with meter readings and bills in other formats. It's for people who are older, disabled, have a long-term illness or have young children, among others. Ask your supplier to add you. Ofgem: extra support and the Priority Services Register (opens official site)

Check and apply on the official sites linked above.

Universal Credit and your home

The housing element of Universal Credit helps with rent and some service charges. It doesn't pay for home improvements like insulation or solar. GOV.UK: Housing and Universal Credit (opens official site)
If you own your home, Support for Mortgage Interest may help with interest on your mortgage or on loans for certain repairs. It's a loan that you pay back with interest, usually when you sell. GOV.UK: Support for Mortgage Interest (opens official site)

Solar with EV chargers and heat pumps

Solar panels make most of their power around the middle of the day. They help most when you use that power at home at the same time. How much they help depends on your home and how you use energy, so we can't promise any savings.

Electric car chargers

A "solar-aware" or smart charger can send spare solar power into your car instead of exporting it to the grid. This works best if the car is often at home during the day. If it's usually out at work, a cheap overnight EV tariff may matter more than solar.

Heat pumps

Heat pumps use the most electricity in winter, when solar panels make the least. So solar usually helps more with hot water, and with heating in spring and autumn, than with heating in midwinter.

Heat pumps are efficient. The Energy Saving Trust (opens external site) says they're more than three times as efficient as a gas or oil boiler, giving roughly 3 units of heat for each unit of electricity. But because a heat pump replaces gas or oil heating, it can add a lot to your electricity use, especially in winter. How much depends on your home's size, insulation and how warm you keep it.

Solar diverters for hot water

A solar diverter, such as the iBoost (named only as an example), sends spare solar power to the immersion heater in your hot water cylinder instead of exporting it. This can give you some free hot water, mainly in the sunnier months.

You need a hot water cylinder with an immersion heater.
It heats water only. It doesn't heat your rooms and won't replace a heat pump or boiler.
It's often less useful if you have a home battery or a good export rate, because that spare power already has a use.

Shifting when you use power

A home battery, or a smart or EV tariff with cheaper hours, can help you use more of your own solar or buy power when it's cheaper. Whether it's worth it depends on your usage, prices and the kit.

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-home

The idea is that your car's battery works like a home battery. It charges cheaply overnight (or from solar), then sends power back to the grid or runs your home during the expensive evening peak. Then it tops up again in the early hours, ready for the morning.

You need a car that supports two-way charging, a two-way (bidirectional) charger, a supplier tariff that supports it, and usually permission from your network operator to export (G99).
It's still very limited in the UK. At the time of writing, there's one main V2G tariff, which only works with certain cars and chargers (Octopus Energy: Power Pack (opens external site)). It's shown here as an example, not a recommendation.
More charging and discharging may add wear to the car's battery. Check what the car maker's battery warranty says about two-way charging.
Check with the car maker, the charger maker and the energy supplier before you buy anything.

GOV.UK: Boiler Upgrade Scheme (opens external site)
Money off heat pumps and biomass boilers in England and Wales. Check and apply on the official site.
GOV.UK: EV chargepoint grants (opens external site)
Includes up to £500 towards a home chargepoint for people who own a flat or rent (updated 1 April 2026). Check and apply on the official site.
Energy Saving Trust: Solar panels (opens external site)
Energy Saving Trust: Air source heat pumps (opens external site)
Energy Saving Trust: Charging electric vehicles (opens external site)
MCS: advice for homeowners (opens external site)
Find certified installers for solar panels and heat pumps.

Check planning permission first

Many home upgrades don't need planning permission, but some do. Check before any work starts, even if it's funded by a scheme.

Listed buildings: you usually need listed building consent for changes that affect the building's character. This can include replacing windows (for example with double glazing), some outside work, and sometimes new flues or vents.
Conservation areas and "Article 4 directions": these can limit changes you'd normally be allowed to make, such as new windows, doors or panels on the front of the house.
Flats and leasehold homes: you may need permission from the freeholder or management company, and your lease may limit what you can change.
Boilers: swapping a boiler usually doesn't need planning permission. A new flue on a listed building, or a flue on the front of a house in a conservation area, may need it.

Ask your local council's planning team before work starts. Rules differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Planning Portal: home improvement guidance (opens official site)
England and Wales. Includes an interactive house guide.
GOV.UK: Planning permission (opens official site)
When you need planning permission in England and Wales.
Historic England: search the List (opens official site)
Check whether a building in England is listed.
mygov.scot: Planning permission (opens official site) and Historic Environment Scotland portal (opens official site)
Scotland.
GOV.WALES: Planning permission (opens official site) and Cadw: search records (opens official site)
Wales.
GOV.UK: Find your local council (opens official site)
Contact your council's planning team. In Northern Ireland, contact your council's planning office.

Compare energy tariffs

Ofgem, the energy regulator, doesn't run its own comparison tool. Instead, it accredits some comparison websites under its Confidence Code. Accredited sites have to show results fairly and in price order, and be clear about any commission they earn. Look for the Confidence Code logo.

The energy price cap limits the unit rates and standing charges on standard variable tariffs. It doesn't cap your total bill. A fixed deal may cost more or less than the cap.

Ofgem: Switch your home energy supplier (opens official site)
How switching works and what to check.
Ofgem: Energy price cap explained (opens official site)
Current price cap rates and standing charges.

More official help

GOV.UK: Find ways to save energy in your home (opens official site)
The government's checker for energy-saving ideas and grants you may be able to get.
GOV.UK: Find your local council (opens official site)
Council websites list local schemes, which vary a lot from area to area.
Grants, VAT and official help
Our summary of VAT and the main schemes.

Learn more

Grants and help

GOV.UK: Find ways to save energy in your home (opens official site)
GOV.UK: Warm Homes: Local Grant (opens official site)
Ofgem: Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) (opens official site)
Ofgem: Smart Export Guarantee (opens official site)
Home Energy Scotland (opens official site)
Nest (Wales) (opens official site)
Housing Executive: Affordable Warmth (Northern Ireland) (opens official site)

Independent advice

Energy Saving Trust (opens official site)
An independent organisation with impartial advice on saving energy, insulation, solar, heat pumps and EV charging.
Citizens Advice: Energy (opens external site)
Free advice on energy bills, debt and problems with suppliers.
Citizens Advice consumer helpline (opens external site)
Contact the consumer service by phone or online.
Centre for Sustainable Energy (opens external site)
A charity giving energy advice, mainly in the South West of England.
National Energy Action (opens external site)
The fuel poverty charity, with advice for people struggling with energy bills.
Advice Direct Scotland (opens external site)
Free advice service for people in Scotland. Home Energy Scotland is listed above.
Energy Ombudsman (opens external site)
Free help with complaints about energy suppliers, after you've complained to the supplier first.
Consumer Council (Northern Ireland) (opens external site)
Help with electricity, oil and gas in Northern Ireland.
Turn2us (opens external site)
A charity with a benefits calculator and a grants search.
Age UK: Money and legal advice (opens external site)
Advice for older people, including help with bills.
Simple Energy Advice now redirects to the GOV.UK energy-saving page linked above.