Great British Insulation Scheme
Under the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS), energy suppliers paid for one insulation job in homes with a low energy rating. It ran from April 2023 and closed on 31 March 2026.
- Closed
- where the installation is new
- 31 March 2026
- the date it ended
- EPC D to G
- the homes it covered
Who GBIS was for
GBIS had a wider scope than ECO4. There were two routes to qualify:
- General group: homes at EPC D to G, in council tax band A to E in Scotland and Wales or A to D in England.
- Low-income group: a household on a means-tested benefit, or one its council referred.
Most homes had one measure installed, often cavity wall or loft insulation. Ofgem set the rules.
Grants for insulation you can use instead
Why the Great British Insulation Scheme ended
GBIS had an end date of 31 March 2026, which the Warm Homes Plan confirmed. Nothing replaces it as a supplier scheme. Councils and the nations now receive government insulation money directly, so a household applies to them rather than an energy company.
A GBIS job offered by an installer today isn't a GBIS job. For cavity walls, look at the cavity wall insulation grant options for your area.
Great British Insulation Scheme: questions people ask
Is the Great British Insulation Scheme still open to new applications?
No. GBIS ended on 31 March 2026 and is closed where the installation is new. The GOV.UK referral service closed before that.
What replaced GBIS?
No single scheme. In England the council-run Warm Homes: Local Grant now pays for insulation in lower-income homes. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own schemes.
My GBIS insulation has problems. Who do I contact?
Start with the installer, then the energy supplier that funded the job. Problems with solid wall insulation under GBIS and ECO4 are being put right by the suppliers.
Did GBIS pay for more than one job?
Rarely. GBIS mostly paid for one insulation measure per home, such as cavity wall or loft insulation.