Insulate for a warmer home that wastes less energy
Insulation helps cut your energy bills by keeping more heat inside your home. It can be highly cost-effective, cut your carbon emissions and create a warmer environment to live in.
Some types of insulation can be installed yourself, and there are government schemes and green finance options that can contribute to the costs.
What is insulation?
Insulation prevents heat escaping by installing specific insulation materials in different parts of your home.
Cavity wall and loft insulation can be cost-effective ways to save money on bills and typically last around 40 years.
Check out the benefits:
Lower your bills
Save around £200 a year with wall insulation*
Warm up faster
Keep heat in, so your home warms up quicker and stays cosy
Cut carbon
Reduce emissions by around 600kg a year**
Heat pump friendly
Pairs well with low-carbon systems like heat pumps
Boost your home’s value
Make your home more desirable with an improved EPC rating
Long term benefits
Keep saving energy for over 40 years
Financial help for your home
You might be eligible for financial help for energy efficiency and heating measures through government schemes. You can also ask your bank about green loans.
Energy Company Obligation (ECO4)
Contact your energy supplier directly to see if you might be eligible for energy efficiency and heating improvements. You can find contact details of suppliers who are taking part in the scheme on the Ofgem website.
Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)
Suppliers can also help with insulation if your home has an EPC rating of D to G and falls within Council Tax bands A-D in England or A-E in Scotland or Wales. Apply for support from the Great British Insulation Scheme – GOV.UK.
Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund
This scheme supports social housing landlords to upgrade tenants’ homes with measures including solar panels. If you live in social housing you can contact your housing association or landlord to check eligibility.
Warm Homes: Local Grants
Funding eligible local authorities to deliver energy performance upgrades for low-income households living in privately owned homes. Apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant to improve a home – GOV.UK.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
If you are interested in installing a heat pump, visit our heat pump page to understand how this grant support you.
Is insulation right for your home?
Check if it’s a match
Try the Government’s Home Energy Assessment to see if insulation or other energy-saving options are right for your home.
More information
The Energy Saving Trust also offers helpful information about insulation.
What is the most cost effective insulation to get?
Cavity wall insulation
Cavity wall insulation goes in the space between the inner and outer walls of a property and can typically be fitted in homes built after the 1920s. You could save around £140 per year, a total of £5,880 over the lifetime of the product, with installation costs of around £1,000-£3,000.*
Loft and roof insulation
Roof and loft insulation is another popular measure. Depending on the circumstances, it’s often possible to install loft insulation yourself. If you already have some insulation, adding the recommended 270–300mm thickness could save you around £40 a year, a total of £1,680 over its lifetime, with installation costs of around £400 to £1,200.*
Need a professional to install insulation?
Additional help for people living in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland
If you’re in Wales, you could access an interest-free loan alongside the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant. Explore options at Green Homes Wales and get personalised advice through the Nest Warm Homes Programme.
If you’re in Scotland, you may be eligible for an interest-free loan or grant to improve your home’s energy efficiency, including support for installing a heat pump. Find out more from Home Energy Scotland.
If you’re in Northern Ireland, you may qualify for financial support towards the cost of loft and cavity wall insulation. Find out more about energy advice from the government services website.
*The figures above are based on installation in a typical property type – a gas-heated semi-detached house in EPC band D. These estimated figures are calculated using Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) methodology, with adjustments to account for real-world heating demand. The costs and savings you experience will be affected by a range of factors including: how much you heat your home, your home’s current EPC rating, the details of the installations, and energy prices. The savings displayed are based on the October 2025 price cap. As energy prices change, so will the estimates of savings.
**according to the Energy Saving Trust
Curious about what else you can do to save energy?
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