Insulation grants in Northern Ireland: the 2026 guide

Which insulation grants are open in NI right now?

The honest answer, as of July 2026, is that the landscape is mid-transition, and the table below reflects that. Do not rely on an older article that says the Affordable Warmth Scheme is simply open or simply closed: it is being replaced, but its successor has not opened yet.

Sources: NI Housing Executive grants pages; nidirect getting help with home improvement costs; Department for Communities Warm Healthy Homes Fund (consultation open to 19 August 2026, fund expected from April 2027); NISEP scheme guidance. A July 2026 snapshot: confirm the live position before applying.

Grants by measure: loft, cavity and solid wall

• Loft insulation grants (known as roofspace insulation across much of NI, including in NIHE scheme paperwork). The quickest, cheapest win, and the measure most commonly funded through NISEP. Fully funded for qualifying lower-income households, part-funded places on some schemes for everyone else. Even unfunded, a loft top-up is typically a few hundred pounds and pays back fast in an oil-heated home.
• Cavity wall insulation grants. Funded through the same NISEP and Affordable Warmth routes where the walls are suitable. A surveyor confirms suitability first; unsuitable or poorly filled cavities cause damp problems, which is one more reason to stay inside an approved scheme.
• Solid wall insulation grants (internal or external). The dearest measure, so support is targeted at the hardest-to-heat homes. Affordable Warmth has carried a higher cap for solid-wall measures, and the incoming Warm Healthy Homes Fund takes a fabric-first, whole-house approach that is built for exactly these properties.

What insulation costs in NI without a grant (2026)

If you do not qualify for funded work, or you are weighing a part-funded NISEP place against a private quote, these are the typical Northern Ireland prices in 2026, supplied and fitted. UK-wide cost guides are built on GB datasets rather than NI data, so we have adjusted published benchmarks to the Northern Ireland market, consistent with the rest of our researched price data.

Benchmarked July 2026 from the Energy Saving Trust’s published loft insulation install costs, Checkatrade’s estimator-reviewed retrofit insulation cost guide (July 2026) and MyBuilder’s cavity wall insulation price guide, adjusted for NI trade rates. Consumer prices; many NI insulation installers are not VAT-registered. Solid wall insulation is excluded: it runs into five figures and is exactly what the grant schemes above exist for.

Two warnings before you accept any quote. Cavity work should carry an independent 25-year guarantee (CIGA or equivalent) and a proper pre-installation survey, because badly injected cavities cause damp that costs more to extract than the insulation ever cost. And be careful with spray foam in the roofspace: it can block ventilation and cause mortgage refusals when you sell, when mineral wool rolls do the same job without the risk.

Is there a window replacement grant in NI?

Not as a standalone scheme, and any article promising a dedicated NI window grant is overselling it. Replacement windows and doors can, however, be funded as part of a wider package under the means-tested energy schemes where new glazing improves a hard-to-heat home, and the whole-house approach of the incoming Warm Healthy Homes Fund points the same way. If you do not qualify, the job is still worth pricing properly: our windows, doors and double glazing cost guide shows fair NI prices per unit and whole-house for 2026.

The successor scheme’s design is still being consulted on until 19 August 2026. We responded to the Department with practical concerns about remedial-works funding and contractor accreditation: read our full consultation response.

Who qualifies for an insulation grant in NI?

Almost all of it is means-tested, on one of two triggers: a gross household income threshold, or receipt of a qualifying benefit. Affordable Warmth has used a gross income line and does not count disability-related benefits (PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance, Carers Allowance) as income, which brings more households inside the line than people expect. NISEP priority places work similarly. If your income is above the thresholds you may still get a part-funded NISEP place, and the measure is often worth doing at full price anyway.

How to apply, and how people lose the grant

1. Check what is open today at the NI Housing Executive grants pages or nidirect. Scheme names are changing through 2026 and 2027.
2. Confirm your eligibility against that specific scheme’s current criteria.
3. Apply and wait for written approval. Do not start work first: paying an installer to begin before approval is the most common way people forfeit funding.
4. Use the scheme’s approved installer, or a registered tradesperson who can certify the work to the scheme standard.

The full picture across every NI grant, including heating, repairs and adaptations, is in our NI home improvement and energy grants guide. If it is the Warm Home or Affordable Warmth scheme names you were searching for, our Warm Homes Scheme NI guide explains exactly what replaced what, and what to do this year.

Why insulation matters more in NI than anywhere else in the UK

Around two thirds of NI homes heat with oil, the highest share in the UK, so heat loss costs NI households more per degree than it costs anyone else. That is why insulation is always the first measure the schemes fund, before boilers or heating controls. If your boiler is also due, read our oil boiler replacement cost guide before committing, because insulating first can let you fit a smaller, cheaper boiler.

Frequently asked questions