EWI Grants in 2026: ECO4’s Final Months and What Replaces It
Quick answer
In 2026 the Great British Insulation Scheme has closed and ECO4 is winding down to 31 December 2026 with no successor scheme. The Warm Homes: Local Grant — delivered by councils until March 2028 — is now the main route, offering up to £30,000 per home for eligible low-income households in EPC D–G properties.
Last updated: June 2026
If you’ve been researching grants for external wall insulation, the ground has shifted under you this year — and a lot of what’s written online is already out of date. The short version: the Great British Insulation Scheme has closed, ECO4 is in its final months with no successor scheme to follow, and the Warm Homes: Local Grant — run by councils, not energy suppliers — is now the main route to funded insulation in England. Here’s where everything stands, in plain English.
The 2026 grant landscape at a glance
| Scheme | Status (June 2026) | Key dates |
|---|---|---|
| Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) | Closed | Applications closed 31 January 2026; scheme ended 31 March 2026 |
| ECO4 | Winding down — limited remaining capacity | Extended to 31 December 2026; no successor scheme |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant | Open — the main route | Runs to 31 March 2028, delivered by local authorities |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | Open (heating, not insulation) | £7,500 heat pump grants, continuing |
What changed in early 2026
In January 2026 the government published its Warm Homes Plan — a multi-billion-pound programme that fundamentally restructures how home energy upgrades are funded. The headline decision: supplier obligations are being brought to a close. GBIS ended on schedule, ECO4 gets a nine-month extension to 31 December 2026, and after that there is no ECO5 — no new obligation on energy suppliers at all. Funding moves instead to government grant schemes delivered through councils, with the Warm Homes: Local Grant carrying the load for low-income households.
ECO4: read the extension carefully
Plenty of websites are still telling people to “apply for ECO4 before December”. Be careful with that. The government’s own wording is that the extension comes without any increase in delivery targets — its purpose is to allow time to fix non-compliant installations and close the scheme down in an orderly way. In practice that means suppliers can stop taking on new work the moment their existing targets are met, and several routes into the scheme have already effectively closed. Some councils and suppliers may still take eligible referrals while obligations remain unmet (the “LA Flex” route), but capacity is shrinking month by month and nothing is guaranteed.
Our honest advice: don’t build your plans around ECO4. If a reputable installer or your council confirms a live ECO4 route for your home, good — but the dependable option in 2026 is the scheme below. Ofgem’s ECO4 administration guidance has the technical detail if you want it.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant — the route that’s actually open
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is government-funded but delivered by local authorities, and it runs until 31 March 2028. It funds energy performance upgrades — explicitly including wall insulation — and low-carbon heating for lower-income households in poorly insulated, privately owned or privately rented homes.
The essentials:
- How much: funding works on twin cost caps of up to £15,000 for energy performance measures (insulation, glazing, solar) and up to £15,000 for low-carbon heating — up to £30,000 per home in total. Owner-occupiers contribute nothing.
- Who qualifies: broadly, households with a gross income under £36,000, those receiving certain means-tested benefits, or homes in qualifying postcodes — living in a property with an EPC rating of D to G. Exact criteria vary slightly by council.
- Renting? Tenants can benefit too: a landlord’s first property is fully funded, with a 50% landlord contribution on any further properties.
- How to apply: start with the government’s eligibility checker, which passes your details to your local authority, or contact the council directly. A home assessment then determines which measures suit the property.
Does external wall insulation qualify?
Yes — solid wall insulation is one of the core measures these schemes exist to fund, because solid-walled homes are among the hardest and most expensive to heat. If your house was built before the 1930s, the odds are its walls are solid rather than cavity, and external wall insulation is usually the most effective way to insulate them: it wraps the building, deals with cold bridging and condensation, and refreshes the exterior in one job. Our guide to understanding external wall insulation explains how the systems work, and the EWI service page covers what installation involves.
If you don’t qualify for a grant
Most working households won’t meet the income criteria — and for them, the maths still often works. EWI cuts heat loss through solid walls dramatically, and because the job includes a complete rendered finish, you’re effectively buying insulation and a new exterior in one project. Our breakdown of what spray rendering costs gives realistic figures, and the Warm Homes Plan has also signalled low-interest loans for households outside the grant criteria — worth watching as details firm up over the next year.
Where J&H Lynch fits in
Grant-funded installations are carried out by installers accredited under the schemes’ own quality frameworks, appointed once an application is approved — so step one is always the eligibility check above. Where homeowners are funding EWI privately, topping up beyond the grant caps, or pairing insulation with a silicone render finish chosen for the house rather than the scheme, that’s our bread and butter: certified system installation, machine-applied finishes, and advice that starts with the wall, not the paperwork. Talk to us before you commit either way — ten minutes on the phone can save a wrong turn.
EWI grants in 2026 — FAQs
Is ECO4 still open?
Technically it runs until 31 December 2026, but the extension exists to complete and remediate existing work rather than expand it — suppliers can stop once targets are met. Treat any remaining ECO4 route as a bonus, not a plan.
What replaced the Great British Insulation Scheme?
GBIS ended on 31 March 2026 and was not extended. The Warm Homes: Local Grant, delivered by councils until March 2028, is now the primary funded route for insulation in England.
How much is the Warm Homes: Local Grant worth?
Up to £15,000 for energy performance measures and up to £15,000 for low-carbon heating — up to £30,000 per home — with no contribution from owner-occupiers.
Can I get a grant for external wall insulation specifically?
Yes. Wall insulation is a core funded measure under the Warm Homes: Local Grant for eligible households in EPC D–G homes. Start with the GOV.UK eligibility checker.
