Are there grants for loft or cavity wall insulation in Northern Ireland?
Yes, two live routes in 2026. NISEP, the NI Sustainable Energy Programme, funds loft and cavity wall insulation now, fully funded for qualifying lower-income households with part-funded places on some schemes for everyone else. The NIHE-run Affordable Warmth Scheme covers insulation in the least energy-efficient homes, worth up to £7,500. Loft insulation is called roofspace insulation in much NI scheme paperwork, same measure, same money.
Two routes are worth your time in mid-2026. First, NISEP, the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme, which funds insulation through approved scheme managers and is open now: fully funded loft and cavity wall places are reserved for lower-income and vulnerable households, and some schemes carry part-funded places anyone can use. Second, the Affordable Warmth Scheme, run by the NI Housing Executive, remains the main government route for insulation and heating in the least energy-efficient homes, worth up to £7,500, and due to run until March 2028 while its £150m successor fund arrives.
A translation note that trips people up: what GB websites call loft insulation is called roofspace insulation across much of Northern Ireland, including in NIHE scheme paperwork, and plenty of people just say the attic. Same measure, same funding. It is also the quickest win in the whole energy-grants world: even unfunded, a roofspace top-up typically costs a few hundred pounds and pays back fast in an oil-heated home, and funded, it costs you nothing.
On qualifying: most NI insulation funding is means-tested on gross household income or a qualifying benefit, and the detail that wrongly puts people off applying is that disability-related benefits, PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance, Carers Allowance, have not counted as income under the Affordable Warmth test. Households who assume they are over the threshold often are not. Thresholds vary by scheme and scheme year, so check the current criteria with the NI Housing Executive or nidirect before ruling yourself out.
How to move: our insulation grants guide walks through both routes, who qualifies and how to apply without losing the grant, with a printable version for anyone who prefers paper. One warning from the doorstep: "I can get you the free insulation if you sign today" is a standard rogue-trader opener, the real schemes are applied for through the scheme managers and the Housing Executive, not through a caller at your door. If someone tries it, report them to Consumerline on 0300 123 6262.
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