Millions missing out on £400 free cash to make home improvements

Millions missing out on £400 free cash to make home improvements

by · Birmingham Live

Millions are missing out on £400 free cash for energy-saving home improvements. The Great British Insulation Scheme was introduced by the former Conservative Party government last year and helps households with the cost of insulating their home.

It is available to properties that are in council tax bands A–D and have an energy performance of band D or lower. The government has said this scheme would run until March 2026 and would help around 300,000 households with the cost of installing new home insulation.

The funding can help up to 300,000 households across the UK, but new figures show nearly 275,000 are missing out. Since the start of GBIS at the end of March 2023, there have provisionally been 3,526 measures installed in 2,979 households up to the end of December 2023.

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December saw a decrease in measure delivery after an earlier sharp increase during October and November, dropping from 1,100 in November to 803 in December. However, this is expected due to the festive period. We expect to see revisions in next month’s publication due to a lag in reporting from installers.

The most popular measure so far has been cavity wall insulation, accounting for 61% (2,138 measures) of the total 3,526 measures. This was followed by heating controls which accounted for 15% (540 measures) and loft insulation which accounted for 15% (522 measures).

The quickest and easiest way to start the application process is to use the Government's online eligibility checker. You'll be asked who your energy supplier is, whether you're a homeowner, renter or landlord, your address and council tax band.

If you are eligible, your energy supplier should contact you within 10 working days to discuss your application and ask for any additional information. It will then arrange for a home survey to be done. If you don't hear from your energy supplier after 10 working days, you'll need to contact them to follow up.