Greater Manchester Combined Authority Energy Grants: Full List

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) administers or facilitates access to over a dozen energy efficiency grants and schemes for the region’s 1.1 million households. Between national government programmes and locally funded initiatives, eligible homeowners and tenants across all ten GM boroughs can access free or heavily subsidised insulation, heating upgrades, solar panels, and more. Here is the full list of what is available in 2026.

What Energy Grants Are Available in Greater Manchester?

• ECO4 Scheme — fully funded insulation and heating upgrades for benefit recipients and low-income households through energy suppliers
• ECO4 Flex (LA Flex) — council-referred route for households not on qualifying benefits but on a low income (under £31,000) or with health conditions made worse by a cold home
• Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) — £7,500 grant towards air source or ground source heat pump installation (£9,000 until 31 March 2027 if the home is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection) for homeowners replacing fossil fuel or electric heating
• Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) — ended in March 2025; it funded energy improvements to off-gas-grid properties with EPC ratings D to G
• Warm Homes: Local Grant — the successor to HUG2, providing insulation and clean heating for low-income households through local authorities
• Retrofitting Task Force (Greater Manchester) — GMCA’s own programme delivering whole-house retrofits across the city-region, targeting social housing and fuel-poor homes
• Warm Home Discount — £150 automatic rebate on electricity bills for Pension Credit recipients and other qualifying low-income households

Greater Manchester has one of the most active energy retrofit programmes in England, led by the Combined Authority’s Retrofitting Task Force. Eligibility varies by scheme — some are means-tested, others depend on your property type or heating system. The simplest starting point is to check whether your property qualifies for ECO4 Flex through your local council, as this covers the widest range of households and fully funds measures including loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and boiler replacements.

Warm Homes: Local Grant

GMCA’s flagship home energy programme provides free energy efficiency measures to eligible households across all ten boroughs – Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, and Wigan. Funded through a combination of government grants and local authority budgets, the programme typically covers cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, first-time central heating, and in some cases, solar panels.

To qualify, you generally need to be on a household income below £36,000 per year or be receiving certain benefits including Universal Credit or Pension Credit. Properties must have an EPC rating of D, E, F, or G. The programme is delivered through a network of qualified contractors, and there is no cost to the homeowner for qualifying measures.

Applications go through your local council or directly through GMCA’s referral system. Wait times vary by borough – Salford and Bolton have typically processed applications faster than Manchester and Stockport in recent months, with turnaround times of 4-8 weeks from application to survey.

ECO4 in Greater Manchester

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is a national scheme funded by energy suppliers, but its delivery varies by area. In Greater Manchester, ECO4 funding is channelled through qualified installers who work with local councils to identify eligible properties. The scheme covers a wide range of measures including wall insulation (cavity, solid wall internal, and external), loft and room-in-roof insulation, floor insulation, heating system upgrades, and solar PV panels.

ECO4 prioritises a whole-house approach: a home starting in EPC band F or G must reach at least band D, and one starting in D or E at least band C. This means you may receive multiple measures in a single package. A terraced house in Oldham rated EPC F might receive cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, and a new boiler all funded through the same ECO4 project.

Eligibility depends on income, benefits status, and your property’s current EPC rating. The ECO4 Flex element allows each Greater Manchester council to set additional local criteria, so it is worth checking with your specific borough even if you do not meet the standard national criteria.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)

The national Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides £7,500 towards air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps (£9,000 for homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas connection, until 31 March 2027), and £5,000 towards biomass boilers. Greater Manchester homeowners can apply through any MCS certified installer. The grant is applied at the point of installation, so you never need to pay the full cost upfront.

To qualify, your property must currently use fossil fuel or electric heating (gas, oil, LPG, or electric heating such as storage heaters or an electric boiler). You no longer need an EPC (since 28 April 2026), and loft or cavity insulation recommendations stopped counting in May 2024. The scheme is available for owner-occupied and privately rented properties, but not social housing. Across GM, demand has been particularly strong in the suburban areas of Trafford, Stockport, and Bury where properties tend to have more outdoor space for heat pump installations.

Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS): Closed on 31 March 2026

The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026. Running alongside ECO4, it targeted single insulation measures for homes in council tax bands A-D in England. In Greater Manchester, this programme was particularly useful for homes that needed one specific measure rather than a whole-house retrofit.

Eligible measures included cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, flat roof insulation, room-in-roof insulation, solid wall insulation, and underfloor insulation. There was no need to be on benefits for the general eligibility route – homes in council tax bands A-D with an EPC of D or below could qualify regardless of income. Now, for working households across Wigan, Rochdale, and Tameside, the Warm Homes: Local Grant, run by councils, covers homes rated EPC D to G where the household has a gross income under £36,000, gets a means-tested benefit or lives in an eligible postcode.

Greater Manchester Green Homes Grant (Local Top-Up): Closed

GMCA has periodically offered local top-up grants to supplement national schemes. While funding rounds open and close depending on budget availability, these grants have previously offered between £2,000 and £10,000 per property for measures including external wall insulation, solar panels, battery storage, and air source heat pumps.

These local grants typically target properties in the worst-performing energy bands and areas of higher deprivation. Postcode areas including M8, M9, M40, OL1-OL16, BL1-BL7, and WN1-WN8 have historically seen the highest allocation rates. Check the GMCA website or contact your local council’s housing team for current availability.

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF)

While not directly available to private homeowners, the SHDF, now the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, is worth mentioning because several Greater Manchester housing associations and council housing providers have secured significant funding. If you are a social housing tenant in GM, your landlord may be planning energy upgrades funded through this scheme. Organisations including Wigan Council, Bolton at Home, Salix Homes (Salford), and Southway Housing Trust (Manchester) have all received SHDF allocations.

Measures funded through the SHDF include external wall insulation, triple glazing, heat pumps, and solar panels. If you are a social housing tenant and your home is poorly insulated or has old heating, contact your housing provider to ask about planned improvements.

0% VAT on Energy-Saving Materials

This is not technically a grant, but it saves every GM homeowner the 5% VAT that would otherwise apply to qualifying energy improvements, the rate due back on 1 April 2027. Until at least March 2027, there is zero VAT on the supply and installation of solar panels, heat pumps, insulation, heating controls, and other energy-saving materials for residential properties. This applies whether or not you qualify for any other grant or scheme.

For a typical solar panel installation costing £6,000, the 0% VAT rate saves you £300 against the 5% rate due back on 1 April 2027. For insulation work costing £2,000, you save about £100. Make sure your installer is applying the correct VAT rate – if they are charging 20% on qualifying energy measures for a residential property, challenge it.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

The Warm Home Discount provides a one-off £150 discount on winter electricity bills for eligible households. In Greater Manchester, qualifying is automatic for most pension-age residents on Pension Credit, while working-age households on certain benefits may also qualify. The discount is applied directly to your electricity account between October and March.

While £150 may seem modest, it is worth combining with other support. A Greater Manchester pensioner could potentially receive the Warm Home Discount (£150), Winter Fuel Payment (£100-300), Cold Weather Payments (variable), plus free insulation through ECO4 – totalling well over £1,000 in annual support.

How to Apply: A Step-by-Step Process

The number of schemes can feel overwhelming, but the process is simpler than it appears. Start by getting an up-to-date EPC for your property if you do not have one less than 10 years old. An EPC costs around £60-100 and provides the baseline energy rating that most schemes require.

• Contact your borough council’s housing or energy team and ask about available grants
• Use the government’s Simple Energy Advice service for a personalised recommendation
• Get quotes from at least two installers who are TrustMark registered and certified under MCS
• Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme through your chosen installer if considering a heat pump
• Ask your installer about ECO4 eligibility as many can check on the spot

Many GM residents qualify for more than one scheme simultaneously. The most common combination is ECO4-funded insulation alongside a BUS-funded heat pump, which together can deliver a comprehensive home energy upgrade with minimal out-of-pocket cost.

Can I get multiple grants for the same property?

Yes, in many cases. You cannot double-fund the same measure (for example, claiming two different grants for the same loft insulation), but you can use different schemes for different measures. A typical combination might be ECO4 for insulation and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for a heat pump. Your installer or local council energy team can advise on the best combination for your situation.

I earn too much for means-tested grants. Are there any options for me?

Absolutely. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has no income requirements – any homeowner replacing fossil fuel or electric heating can apply. The Great British Insulation Scheme, which had a general eligibility route based on property type and EPC rating rather than income, closed on 31 March 2026, but the Warm Homes: Local Grant, run by councils, can cover homes rated EPC D to G where the household’s gross income is under £36,000 or the home is in an eligible postcode. And the 0% VAT on energy-saving materials applies to everyone regardless of earnings. Higher-income households in GM still have access to significant financial support.

How long do grant applications typically take to process?

Timelines vary significantly. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme voucher is usually issued within a few days of your installer applying. ECO4 applications typically take 4-12 weeks depending on your borough and the current volume of applications. GMCA’s own programmes can take 8-16 weeks from initial application to installation. Start the process as early as possible, particularly if you want work completed before winter.