External Wall Insulation Grants

External wall insulation is the process of installing an insulating layer to solid exterior walls
and covering it with cladding or render (often 60mm boards). You can pick from a variety of
finishes, including smooth, textured, tiled, painted, and brick/stone looks. External wall
insulation provides a waterproof covering that will safeguard your brickwork, improve sound
absorption, and aid in avoiding dampness problems.
In order to install the insulation material with the least amount of disruption and without
reducing the floor area of the house, it is added to the exterior. Additionally, it can revitalise
the appearance of your walls, raise the property’s worth, and enable you to save a lot of
money on heating costs. This kind of insulation is frequently required.

Who can qualify for solid wall insulation grants?

Low-income households (with an annual income of £31,000 or less) or those receiving
particular government benefits may be eligible for free grants under the ECO scheme. In
2022, the program will offer external wall insulation grants to homeowners and some private
tenants.
● The qualifying advantages consist of:
● Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) based on income
● Support for Income (IS)
● Credit for Pension Credit Guarantee

● WTC: Working Tax Credit
● CTCs (Child Tax Credits)
● UC, or Universal Credit
● Housing Benefit, a new ECO4-eligible benefit
● Credit for Pension Credit Savings (newly recognized benefit under ECO4)
As long as you own at least 50% of your home, you may still be eligible for a grant even if
you co-own a portion of it with a housing association. You should speak with your landlord
directly if you are a tenant of a council or housing association, or you may reach out to the
Energy Saving Trust, who may be able to assist you.

Benefits of external wall insulation:

● significant heat loss and cost savings on energy.
● Carbon emissions from a household are significantly reduced.
● more warmth and comfort in your house as well as a decrease in draughts.
● does not lessen the volume of the interior floor.
● enables walls to absorb, store, and release heat.
● improved soundproofing and weatherproofing.
● protection of the bricks extends the wall’s life.
● lowers internal wall condensation.
● especially advantageous when remodelling non-traditional dwellings.
● safeguards the current building envelope.
● enhances the look of your property.

Is your home suitable for external wall insulation?

The following requirements must be met before external wall insulation is installed in your
property.
● be constructed from solid brick, stone, or concrete rather than a timber frame.
● possess walls that are in perfect structural integrity and do not require repairs
● not a listed structure or not positioned in a world heritage site or protected area
● No indications of moisture in the walls
● access to the exterior walls is good
● not possess hollow walls that have been filled or are capable of being filled
It’s also a good idea to ask your local authority if installing external wall insulation requires
obtaining planning permission. Typically, our partner installer can help you with this. If the
house is a listed building or is situated in a conservation area or a global heritage site, it is
doubtful that permission will be granted. Consider internal wall insulation as an alternative if
you are denied planning approval for external wall insulation.

You must make sure that the brick walls of your house don’t have any cavities that could be
filled. The building will likely have solid walls and require external wall insulation if it was
built before 1924.

Does your home have solid walls?

If the bricks in your home are laid out in an alternating long-short-long pattern, the walls are
probably sturdy and free of cavities. If all that is visible of the bricks is their long edge, the
wall is almost definitely a cavity wall. Measuring the thickness of the wall at any entry or
window will help you identify the building type if you can’t see the brickwork’s pattern. A
solid stone wall may be as much as 50 cm thick, while a solid brick wall is typically between
27 and 30 cm thick. Your house’s age can be a good indicator as well. In general, it is
unlikely to contain a cavity if it was constructed before the late 1920s.

Typical prices and savings

The cost of external insulation for a home ranges from £5,000 to £14,000 on average,
depending on the size of the structure and the number of exterior walls that need to be
insulated. Due to the increased cost of labour and materials, it is likely to cost more than
internal wall insulation. By installing external wall insulation, a typical three-bedroom semi-
detached house with gas heating might save about £235 annually on heating costs, compared
to about £480 for an oil-heated detached home.