Northern Ireland energy grants 2026: what you can still get

Quick answer: Northern Ireland has no Boiler Upgrade Scheme, no ECO and no Smart Export Guarantee. In 2026 the money comes from Affordable Warmth (household income under £23,000, up to £7,500, or £10,000 with solid wall insulation) and NISEP schemes, fully funded below £28,000 for a single person or £35,000 for a couple. Everyone gets 0% VAT on insulation, heat pumps and solar until 31 March 2027.

Several schemes people still search for are gone. The Warm Homes Scheme was replaced by Affordable Warmth more than a decade ago, the Boiler Replacement Scheme shut in 2023 and the £600 energy bills payment was a one-off. We compare published scheme rules, specs, prices and warranty terms; we don’t run any of these schemes.

What energy grants are open in Northern Ireland in 2026?

NISEP money is first come, first served, so contact the scheme manager first.

Is the Warm Homes Scheme still running in Northern Ireland?

No. It was the old programme for vulnerable households, and the Department’s 2014 consultation (checked September 2026) set out Affordable Warmth as its replacement. Nothing called the Warm Homes Scheme runs here now.

Two similar names cause the confusion. Whole House Warmer Homes NI is a 2026/27 NISEP scheme, run by KORE Retrofit, that fully funds solid wall insulation and new heating for owner-occupiers under the £28,000 and £35,000 limits, according to the Utility Regulator’s 2026/27 scheme list, though KORE says it isn’t currently accepting applications. And the £150 Warm Home Discount is Great Britain only; GOV.UK says it isn’t available in Northern Ireland (both checked September 2026).

England’s Warm Homes: Local Grant stops at the Irish Sea too, and ECO4 never applied here. Our nation-by-nation grants comparison shows what the rest of the UK gets.

Affordable Warmth: who qualifies and how to apply

It’s NI’s main fuel poverty grant, and the one to try first if your income fits. The Housing Executive’s scheme page (checked September 2026) sets these rules:

• you own and live in the home, have a life interest in it, or rent privately
• total gross household income is under £23,000
• Housing Executive and housing association tenants can’t apply
• a private landlord must agree, be on the Landlord Registration Scheme and pay 50% of the cost

It pays up to £7,500, or £10,000 where a solid-walled home needs insulating. Work follows a fixed order: insulation, ventilation and draught-proofing, then heating, then single-glazed windows, then solid wall insulation (detached homes only). You can’t skip ahead or move money between measures.

Heating means gas or oil central heating, or storage heaters where neither is available. An existing boiler is replaced only if it’s at least 15 years old and the householder is over 65, has a child getting Child Benefit or Kinship payments, or receives DLA, PIP, Attendance Allowance or Industrial Injuries Benefit. Heat pumps aren’t on the list.

Do you apply through your council?

Not any more. From 1 September 2023 the Department for Communities moved it to an applications-based scheme run solely by the Housing Executive (checked September 2026). Apply through the NI Energy Advice Service on 0800 111 44 55; older guides that say ring the council are out of date.

What replaces Affordable Warmth?

The Warm Healthy Homes Fund, from April 2027. The Department’s May 2026 screening document (checked September 2026) says Affordable Warmth has business case approval to March 2028, and proposes opening the new fund to anyone on Universal Credit or Pension Credit, or with gross household income at or below the National Living Wage equivalent, currently £29,741.40. The consultation closed on 19 August 2026, so those are proposals. If you qualify today, apply now.

Is there a boiler replacement scheme in NI in 2026?

No. The Housing Executive’s Boiler Replacement Scheme paid up to £1,000 towards a boiler at least 15 years old for households under £40,000. It ended on 21 September 2023 because of budget pressures (checked September 2026). GOV.UK still lists it as closed.

What’s left for an old boiler:

• Affordable Warmth, if you meet the income limit and a boiler condition above
• NISEP heating schemes, where the boiler is over 15 years old or broken beyond economic repair
• gas network cashback if you’re leaving oil: Phoenix Energy’s Boiler Replacement Allowance pays £600 to owner-occupiers under £90,000 who request a connection after 1 June and before 30 October 2026, and can’t be combined with NISEP or Affordable Warmth; Evolve’s Carbon Reduction Grant pays £500 with no means test (both checked September 2026)

Otherwise the boiler is on you, with no VAT relief. Our oil boiler replacement guide weighs a like-for-like swap against a heat pump.

Insulation grants for loft and cavity walls

Insulation is the easiest grant to get because the income limits are higher. The 2026/27 NISEP list has four fully funded loft and cavity schemes for owner-occupiers under £33,000 (single) or £40,000 (couple or family): Keep Warm from Workspace, Thermal Comfort from Energystore, Efficiency Plus Insulation from Phoenix Energy and Insulate Homes from Bluebuild.

Earn more? Three cashback schemes pay 40% of loft or cavity insulation at any income, capped at £650 per measure (£1,000 to extract and refill a failed cavity). Refresh NI says its version is full with a waiting list; Energystore still lists its Help to Insulate scheme (both checked September 2026).

The small print: no NISEP loft insulation on flat roofs, no new builds or extensions, and no NISEP money for a measure grant-funded at the same address in the last 15 years or approved under Affordable Warmth. Installed insulation carries 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. If you can only do one job, our loft vs cavity guide says which comes first.

Are there window replacement grants in Northern Ireland?

Not on their own. Affordable Warmth is the only grant that pays for windows, and only to replace single glazing inside a whole-house package; the Housing Executive says it isn’t a windows-only scheme. NISEP doesn’t fund glazing. The Housing Executive’s discretionary renovation grants go out only in exceptional circumstances, which nidirect defines as an imminent and significant risk to you in your home (checked September 2026).

There’s no VAT break either: HMRC standard-rates double and secondary glazing (checked September 2026). Already double glazed? You’re paying full price; our window replacement costs guide has per-window prices.

NISEP 2026/27: what it is and who delivers it

NISEP is paid for by a levy on every NI electricity bill and administered by the Energy Saving Trust for the Utility Regulator, which says at least 80% goes to vulnerable or priority households (both checked September 2026). The year runs to 31 March 2027 or until each scheme’s money runs out. Eleven scheme managers deliver it:

• heating and insulation: O’Kane Plumbing and Electrics (NI-wide), Phoenix Energy with Refresh NI (Phoenix gas area), Evolve (its own gas towns, such as Omagh), KORE Retrofit (solid-walled homes) and McGaffin Mechanical, whose Toasty Homes funding is fully allocated
• heat pumps: Refresh NI’s Green Heat NI
• insulation only: Workspace, Energystore and Bluebuild
• the Housing Executive (solar and batteries for its own tenants) and Power NI (a 20% grant for businesses)

The programme is extended to 31 March 2029, with a break clause that could close it in March 2028 if the Department for the Economy’s successor, the Domestic Energy Efficiency and Low Carbon Heat Programme, is ready (checked September 2026). A new call for schemes is due at the end of September 2026, so next April’s list will change.

Every genuine scheme has a named manager on that list. If a cold caller can’t name theirs, hang up. Our grant scams guide covers the other warning signs.

Heat pumps and solar: no BUS and no SEG

The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers England and Wales only, and the Smart Export Guarantee is Great Britain only. That leaves NISEP, and both its heat pump routes are stretched: Refresh NI says Green Heat NI is full for 2026/27 with a waiting list, and McGaffin Mechanical’s Toasty Homes money, which also covered solar PV and a battery, is used up.

So most NI heat pumps and solar arrays are self-funded, with 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. That’s a gap, given 61% of NI households still heat with oil (NISRA, 2024/25). See our NI heat pump guide for costs and our NI solar guide for export payments without the SEG.

Is there a gas hybrid heat pump allowance in Northern Ireland?

No. No grant open to NI homeowners funds a hybrid (a heat pump paired with a gas or oil boiler). The Department for the Economy’s 2024 consultation said it didn’t intend to support hybrids, and its January 2026 response said policy will stay heat pump led while it studies trial data (both checked September 2026). The Boiler Upgrade Scheme excludes hybrids in England and Wales too.

The allowance people usually find is Phoenix Energy’s £600 Boiler Replacement Allowance, which is for a gas boiler, not a heat pump. Phoenix has trialled hybrids in Housing Executive homes, which homeowners can’t join. Our hybrid heat pump explainer covers how they work.

Grants for private homeowners above the income limits

Over £23,000, Affordable Warmth is out. Over £35,000 for a couple (£28,000 single), fully funded NISEP heating is out, and over £50,000 (£45,000 single) so is part-funded heating. What’s left then is 40% insulation cashback, the gas network offers and 0% VAT. If someone in the home is disabled, the Disabled Facilities Grant can pay up to £25,000, depending on your finances, including heating improvements an occupational therapist recommends.

It’s thin. Claim the insulation cashback first, as it’s open at every income, then price the bigger job properly. To compare real prices, request a free quote: up to three approved installers who cover your area may contact you. No charge, no obligation.

What happened to the £400 electricity grant?

It closed in 2023. The £400 was the Energy Bills Support Scheme, paid in Northern Ireland with the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment as a single £600 payment through electricity suppliers from January 2023. GOV.UK withdrew the guidance in April 2024 and says the scheme is closed (checked September 2026). Nothing replaced it, and a message asking for bank details to claim it is a scam.

Based on scheme operators’ published rules and official guidance, checked September 2026.

FAQs

What is the income limit for Affordable Warmth in Northern Ireland?

Gross household income under £23,000. It pays up to £7,500, or £10,000 with solid wall insulation. Apply through the NI Energy Advice Service, not your council.

Is the boiler replacement scheme open in NI in 2026?

No. It closed on 21 September 2023. Affordable Warmth and NISEP can still replace boilers if you qualify, and Phoenix Energy pays £600 for switching to gas if you request a connection before 30 October 2026.

Can I get a grant for new windows in Northern Ireland?

Only through Affordable Warmth, which replaces single-glazed windows as part of a whole-house package for households under £23,000. There’s no standalone window grant and no VAT relief on glazing.

Is there a gas hybrid heat pump allowance in Northern Ireland?

No. No grant open to NI homeowners funds hybrids, and the Department for the Economy says its low carbon heat policy will stay heat pump led. Phoenix Energy’s £600 allowance is for gas boilers.

Can private homeowners get energy grants in Northern Ireland?

Within limits. NISEP part-funds heating under £45,000 (single) or £50,000 (couple), 40% insulation cashback is open at any income, and 0% VAT covers insulation, heat pumps and solar until 31 March 2027.