The Short Answer
If your household income is under £23,000 and you own your home or rent privately, start with the Housing Executive's Affordable Warmth Scheme: up to £7,500, or up to £10,000 if your home has solid walls that need insulating (the Housing Executive funds solid wall insulation itself on detached homes only). Contact the NI Energy Advice Service on 0800 111 44 55.
Above that, the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP) fully funds cavity wall and loft insulation for homeowners under £33,000 (single) or £40,000 (couple or family), and gives 40% off, up to £650 a measure, at any income. NISEP money runs to 31 March 2027 and schemes close when it runs out.
Which Schemes Can You Apply To?
Answer a few questions and it matches you to Affordable Warmth and every open NISEP scheme:
NI insulation grant finder
Which NI schemes can you apply to?
Affordable Warmth and all 16 open NISEP insulation schemes for 2026/27, matched on their published rules. About 30 seconds.
Question 1 of 6
Do you own your home or rent it?
Affordable Warmth: Under £23,000
The Housing Executive says you can apply if you own and live in the home as your main home (or have a life interest in it) or rent from a private landlord, and your total annual gross income is under £23,000. It isn't available to tenants in social housing. You may get up to £7,500, and up to £10,000 if your home is of solid wall construction and needs insulating.
The work has to be done in its order of priority:
- Insulation, ventilation and draught proofing: loft insulation to 300mm, cavity wall insulation where suitable (including taking out and replacing failed cavity fill), a cylinder jacket and draught proofing.
- Heating: replacing solid fuel, LPG or Economy 7 with gas or oil central heating, and some boiler replacements where the boiler is at least 15 years old.
- Windows: replacing single glazing.
- Solid wall insulation: detached properties only, and the Housing Executive expects the other measures done first.
Apply through the NI Energy Advice Service on 0800 111 44 55.
NISEP: Free and Discounted Insulation
NISEP schemes are run by scheme managers listed by the Utility Regulator. The Regulator says schemes are generally for households that don't qualify for other government help such as Affordable Warmth, flat-roofed properties can't get loft insulation, and new builds and extensions aren't eligible.
Fully funded (owner-occupiers):
| Scheme | Run by | What you get | Income (single / couple) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better Energy Homes Plus | O'Kane Plumbing and Electrics | New A-rated gas or oil central heating (or high heat retention storage heaters), plus cavity wall and loft insulation, all free | Under £28,000 / £35,000 |
| Efficiency Plus (Fully Funded) | Phoenix Energy | A-rated gas boiler plus cavity wall and loft insulation, all free | Under £28,000 / £35,000 |
| Warm at Home Plus | Evolve | A-rated gas boiler plus cavity wall and loft insulation, all free | Under £28,000 / £35,000 |
| Whole House Warmer Homes NI | Kore Retrofit | Solid wall insulation, loft insulation and new heating, all free, after a full building survey | Under £28,000 / £35,000 |
| Green Heat NI | Refresh NI | An air source heat pump plus cavity wall and loft insulation, all free | Under £28,000 / £35,000 |
| Toasty Homes: Heat Pump and Solar Technologies | McGaffin Mechanical | An air source heat pump, solar PV and a battery, plus cavity wall and loft insulation, all free | Under £28,000 / £35,000 |
| Keep Warm Scheme | Workspace | Free cavity wall and loft insulation, plus draught proofing and a cylinder jacket where needed | Under £33,000 / £40,000 |
| Thermal Comfort | Energystore | Free cavity wall and loft insulation, plus draught proofing and a cylinder jacket where needed | Under £33,000 / £40,000 |
| Efficiency Plus (Fully Funded Insulation) | Refresh NI for Phoenix Energy | Free cavity wall and loft insulation, plus draught proofing and a cylinder jacket where needed | Under £33,000 / £40,000 |
| Insulate Homes Scheme | Bluebuild | Free cavity wall and loft insulation | Under £33,000 / £40,000 |
The heating schemes, under £28,000 / £35,000, don't all take the same homes. Between them they cover no central heating, solid fuel, an oil or LPG boiler over 15 years old or broken, a gas boiler over 15 years old or broken (Better Energy Homes Plus and Whole House Warmer Homes NI only), and older storage heaters (not the two gas network schemes, which also only cover their own areas). The finder above matches you to each scheme's list. If you're offered both a free boiler and a free heat pump, we'd take the heat pump: both are free to fit, and at NI prices a well-designed heat pump costs less to run than an oil boiler (our NI heat pump grants page has the sums). Ask for a room-by-room heat loss survey either way.
Part funded (owner-occupiers and private tenants):
| Scheme | Run by | What you get | Income (single / couple) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better Energy Homes Cashback | O'Kane Plumbing and Electrics | 60% off new gas or oil central heating (or storage heaters), and the cavity wall and loft insulation free | Under £45,000 / £50,000 |
| Efficiency Plus (Part Funded) | Phoenix Energy | You pay 40% of a new gas boiler; the cavity wall and loft insulation are free | Under £45,000 / £50,000 |
| Warm at Home Cashback | Evolve | You pay 40% of a new gas boiler; the cavity wall and loft insulation are free | Under £45,000 / £50,000 |
| Keep Warm Discount Scheme | Workspace | 40% off cavity wall and loft insulation, up to £650 per measure (£1,000 to extract and refill a failed cavity fill) | Any income |
| Help to Insulate | Energystore | 40% off cavity wall and loft insulation, up to £650 per measure (£1,000 to extract and refill a failed cavity fill) | Any income |
| Efficiency Plus (Insulation Cashback) | Refresh NI for Phoenix Energy | 40% off cavity wall and loft insulation, up to £650 per measure (£1,000 to extract and refill a failed cavity fill) | Any income |
Windows
Affordable Warmth can replace single glazing, as its third priority after insulation and heating. The NISEP list for 2026/27 doesn't include window replacement.
What's Changing: the Warm Healthy Homes Fund
The Department for Communities says the Warm Healthy Homes Fund will replace the Affordable Warmth Scheme and is expected to be its main fuel poverty scheme for private homes from April 2027, after a consultation that ran from May to August 2026. Affordable Warmth is open now, and the Department says it ends in March 2028, so the two overlap for a year. We'd apply to Affordable Warmth now rather than wait: it's open, and the new fund's rules haven't been published.
Housing Executive and Housing Association Tenants
Affordable Warmth isn't available to social housing tenants, and none of the NISEP insulation schemes are either: each is for owner-occupiers, and the part-funded ones also take private tenants. If your home is cold, damp or draughty, report it to your landlord or housing officer.
Why There's No ECO4 Here
Ofgem describes the Energy Company Obligation as a scheme in Great Britain, so ECO4 doesn't apply in Northern Ireland; NISEP is the nearest equivalent. The Great British Insulation Scheme was Great Britain only too, and closed on 31 March 2026.
Paying for It Yourself
The Energy Saving Trust's Northern Ireland costs are around £1,000 for cavity wall insulation and £1,100 to take a bare loft to 270mm (£700 to top up from 120mm, saving about £20 a year). Even if you're paying, NISEP's 40% off up to £650 a measure is open at any income. Our insulation costs guide compares the jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Over the income limits? Get it priced
Even above the income limits, NISEP schemes take 40% off cavity wall and loft insulation, up to £650 a measure, at any income. Compare quotes from up to 3 local insulation installers. Free, no obligation, about 60 seconds.