Government Central Heating and Insulation Grants
There are many free government based grants available to make homes warmer and more energy efficient here is information on the easiest ones to claim.
The government set up the warm front system of grant money to help homeowners get central heating grants and home insulation grants including loft insulation which not only makes the home more energy efficient and thus the loss of expensive heat is better contained but then you can turn down thermostats and get your heating bills lowers.
Warm front grant
The most popular system of grants in England and the rest of the UK is the warm front grant that provides up to £3,500 in free money to help house owners install new efficient boilers for their heating system as well as various additional insulation types including loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and draught proofing your home. Qualification criteria is mentioned below but you will be visited by a qualified surveyor who will undertake an audit of what’s required in your home and then be undertaken by a team of trained installers on your behalf. So far this scheme has helped over 2 million people insulate their homes for free and reduced their energy costs.
Do you qualify for the insulation grants available under this scheme ?
Of course not everyone qualifies for the warm front insulation grant scheme so check out if you fall under the following categories who can apply for the grants.
- Households with at least one child under the age of 16 or women who are pregnant and receiving one or more of the following benefits already – income support, council tax credits, housing benefits, income based jobs seekers allowance, pension credits or income related employment and support allowances.
- Householders who are aged 60 or over and receiving one or more of the following benefits – income support, council tax benefits, housing benefits, income based job seekers allowance, pension credits or income related employment and support allowance.
- Other households in receipt of one or more of the following benefits – working tax credit with an income less that £16,040, disability living allowance, child tax credits, income support, housing benefits, council tax benefit, attendance allowance, war disablement pension or industrial injuries disablement benefit.
So sorry if you are a standard tax payer not on any additional help or benefits from the government because you do not qualify for the help. The term house hold also applies if you are renting a property from a private landlord.
What can you get with a warm front grant ?
Once you apply and if successful you will be visited by an assessor to see what items can be fitted by the trained personal under this scheme. You can get the following up to a maximum of £3,500:
- Two layers of loft insulation
- Plastic draught proofing strips to all windows and outside doors
- Cavity wall insulation
- Hot water tank insulation
- Full gas central heating system including a combination boiler and up to 5 radiators
- Conversion of a solid fuel fire to a gas fire
If you have previously had a partial grant under the warm front initiative you can re-apply to make the grant up to the maximum value of £3,500.
Other heating and insulation grants available
If you do not qualify as mentioned above and are over 60 you may be eligible for a £300 rebate under the same scheme. Some councils also offer grants for solar heating so it may be worth contacting your local council for more information.