How to get UK government grants for double glazed doors and windows

• ECO4 scheme provides funding to energy-poor households on benefits
• The Home Upgrade Grant is available to low-income, off-grid households
• The Home Energy Scotland Loan is available to most Scottish residents
• The Affordable Warmth Scheme applies in Northern Ireland
• Households in Wales should apply through the ECO4 scheme

When it comes to reducing your energy bills, one of the most effective things you can do to is to install double glazed windows and doors. 

As well as feeling more cosy and quiet in your home, you will cut out cold draughts, condensation and mould.

The average UK double glazing installation cost is £11,000 – no small fee. The good news is, government grants and funding schemes are available to help cover these costs.

In some cases, you could get your home fully fitted out with new windows and doors without paying a penny. 

Read on to find out how.

There are no grants for windows and doors specifically, but double glazing is covered by various energy-saving home improvement schemes.

Here’s a quick overview of what’s available, with further details about each scheme and how to apply below:

What government grants are available for double glazing?

There isn’t a grant specifically for double glazing, but the following three grants for energy efficient home improvements can be used to get double glazing installed:

• ECO4: provides funding for energy efficient retrofits to fuel-poor households, or ones with occupants on certain benefits
• The Home Upgrade Grant: provides funding for energy saving improvements to low-income households not connected to the gas grid
• The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan: provides interest-free loans for double glazing to residents in Scotland

If you live in an older property, we’ve answered whether you can install double glazing on a listed building.

ECO4

ECO4 is the fourth version of the government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, which ends in March 2026.

The scheme obliges a list of select energy providers to pay for energy efficient home improvements for low-income and energy-poor households.

Improvements that the Ofgem-administered scheme covers include cavity wall insulation, boiler replacements, heat pump installation, and double glazing (replacing single glazing with double glazing, or replacing old double glazing).

There’s no set amount to how much funding you can receive with ECO4, since it’s dependent on what your chosen energy supplier decides your home needs.

ECO4 eligibility requirements for solar panels

You might be eligible to get double glazing with ECO4 if:

• Your home has a low EPC rating (D to G)
• AND someone in your household receives at least one of the following benefits:
  • Child Benefit
  • Pension Guarantee Credit
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • Income Support
  • Tax Credits (Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits)
  • Universal Credit
  • Housing benefit
  • Pension credit saving credit

You don’t need to own your home to receive funding from ECO4, it’s open to both private tenants (with their landlord’s permission), and those in social housing.

See Ofgem for further details.

Potential savings with ECO4

ECO4 could potentially cover 100% of the cost of double glazing, saving you £11,005, the average cost of installing double glazing in a three-bedroom house.

How to apply for ECO4

To apply for ECO4, contact one of the energy providers participating in the scheme.

This doesn’t need to be your current supplier, and Ofgem actually recommends that you contact multiple suppliers to find the best deal.

Energy suppliers that can carry out improvements under ECO4

Here’s a list of the energy suppliers that are part of ECO4 and how to contact them:

• British Gas: application portal
• E (Gas & Electricity): email James.thornicroft@e.org
• E.ON: application portal
• Ecotricity: email compliance@ecotricity.co.uk or call 07529 902172
• EDF: application portal
• Octopus Energy: application portal
• Outfox the Market: email hello@outfoxthemarket.co.uk or call 0800 103 2702
• OVO Energy: application portal
• Scottish Power: application portal
• Shell Energy: email eco@shellenergy.co.uk
• SO Energy (including ESB Energy): application portal
• The Utility Warehouse: call 0333 777 0777
• Utilita Energy: application portal

Alternatively, you can also apply through the Gov UK website. 

Most companies will have an online application to confirm your eligibility.

Once you have done this, you’ll receive an email containing a unique reference number and a document. You will be asked for your permission to contact the Department of Work and Pensions to confirm your benefits. 

Within a week, you should be contacted to arrange a free survey. This survey will ask you to carry out a 10-15 minute inspection of your home’s energy efficiency measures and is designed to be minimally intrusive. 

ECO Flex

ECO Flex is a mechanism in the ECO4 scheme that allows local authorities, the Scottish and Welsh governments, and energy suppliers to refer households for energy improvements funding, even if they don’t meet the benefits criteria of ECO4.

The key here is being referred by an authorised body. It was designed to open up grants to more low-income households, as many don’t meet the threshold to receive benefits.

Check with your local authorities and/or energy provider to see if you qualify for the window replacement grant.

ECO Flex eligibility requirements for double glazing

To be eligible for ECO Flex through a referral from your local authority or devolved nation, you must live in an energy inefficient home AND:

• Have a household gross annual income of £31,000
• OR a person in your household has a health condition that makes them vulnerable to the cold (a cardiovascular condition, a respiratory disease, limited mobility, or immunosuppression)

To get referred to ECO Flex by your energy supplier, you must:

• Be on a non-Pre-Payment meter and have been in fuel debt for over 13 weeks
• OR be on a Pre-Payment meter and have self-disconnected, OR have received supplier discretionary/friendly credit within the last 13 week, OR be in a debt repayment plan with their energy supplier, OR be repaying your fuel debt through 3rd party deductions

Contact your local authority or devolved nation to find out if you’re eligible for ECO Flex. You can usually find contact details on their website.

Energy suppliers usually refer customers, but you can still contact them if you think you qualify for ECO Flex and they haven’t yet done so.

Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2)

The Home Upgrade Grant offers households between £3,000 and £24,000 for home improvements that increase a property’s energy efficiency. Up to 40% of the total amount granted can be spent on double glazing.

The Home Upgrade Grant is only available in 45 local authorities in England, and will run until March 2025.

It’s open to low-income households that are off the gas grid, including homeowners, renters, and those living in social housing.

Home Upgrade Grant eligibility requirements

You might be eligible for the Home Upgrade Scheme if:

• Your household income is less than £31,000 a year
• AND you’re off the gas grid
• AND your home has an EPC rating of D, E, F, or G
• AND you live in one of the 45 local authorities that applied for the grant

Potential savings with the Home Upgrade Grant

The Home Upgrade Grant could cover up to 87% of the cost of double glazing.

Double glazing costs the average three-bedroom house £11,050, and 40% of the up to £24,000 grant can be spent on windows. This means you’d be saving £9,600 on double glazing.

How to apply for the Home Upgrade Grant

You can find the list of local authorities participating in the grant, and their contact information, on the government’s website.

Get in touch with them. They’ll be able to tell you what the next steps are.

Alternatively, you can use the government’s eligibility checker and application tool to make sure you qualify.

Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan

Home Energy Scotland is a scheme funded by the Scottish Government that will help you replace single glazing with double glazing, among other energy saving home improvements.

Grant funding isn’t available for double-glazing, but you can get an interest-free loan to replace single-glazed windows and doors with double-glazed ones.

The loan cannot be used to replace old double glazing.

Home Energy Scotland eligibility requirements

You might be eligible for the Home Energy Scotland loan if you meet one of the following requirements:

• You’re a homeowner living in Scotland
• You’re building your own home
• You’re not a landlord
• You’re not a property developer

How to apply for the Home Energy Scotland

Home Energy Scotland is advising applicants to complete a Home Energy Check before reaching out to them.

Once you’ve done that, you can phone 0808 808 2282 or use Home Energy Scotland’s email contact form. Someone will run through the best options for your home with you.

You can find a full guide of the application process on the Home Energy Scotland website.

Affordable Warmth Scheme (Northern Ireland)

The Affordable Warmth Scheme was launched in 2014 and aims to protect low-income homes in Northern Ireland from fuel poverty by providing £7,500 toward energy efficiency improvements, such as the installation of new double glazing.

If you are a homeowner or private property tenant in Northern Ireland and your total gross income is less than £23,000 per year, you may be eligible for assistance getting new windows. The amount you qualify for will be determined after an inspection of your home and your specific needs.

This assessment will also determine the extent of work needed to be carried out, but it can quickly provide sufficient funding for a grant for double-glazed windows.

How much can you save with double glazing grants?

You could save on 100% of the cost of buying and installing double glazing with the ECO4 grant, and the Home Upgrade Grant could save you 87%.

The Scottish Home Energy Loan could save you hundreds of pounds, since it’s an interest free-loan, making paying in instalments much cheaper than if you’d gone with an installer’s financing option.

If you want to get started on making your home more efficient, take a look at our 7 easy ways to improve your property’s EPC rating, and our guide to government grants for insulation that can help fund your projects.

Expired or paused window and door grants

The following funding schemes are no longer available:

ECO+

ECO+ has been paused until further notice. It is intended to be replaced with the Great British Insulation Scheme, a new grant scheme. 

Green Homes Grant

The Green Homes Grant expired at the end of 2021. This scheme offered eligible applicants a voucher worth up to a maximum of £5,000 government contribution.

Welsh Government Warm Homes Nest Scheme

The Welsh Government’s Nest scheme ended in March 2024, and new applications have been paused, except vulnerable people without heating or hot water at home.

A new scheme, focused on low carbon heating and renewable technologies has replaced it. To find out if you are eligible, call freephone 0808 808 2244 or visit the Nest website.

If you live in Wales, you should apply for funding through your energy company through the ECO4 scheme.

I don’t qualify for any double glazing grants – now what?

If you don’t qualify for any double glazing grants, there are other ways to reduce costs. Here are just a few:

• Get at least three quotes from different double glazing installers and negotiate to find the best deal
• Go for the least expensive materials and designs, such as uPVC casement windows
• Choose fixed panes, which are cheaper than windows you can open, for entrance halls, corridors, and other rooms that don’t need an open window
• Opt for double glazed windows with a lower energy rating – B or A – as they’re cheaper than A+++ windows and still more insulating than single glazing
• Have your windows installed in winter, especially right before Christmas, when demand is low and prices go down. Some installers also have sales in January

Hopefully these tips can help you reduce costs. Just remember to be wary of cheap double glazing. Price can be a reflection of quality, and as with most things in life, if something is too good to be true, it probably is.

Finance for double glazing

Most of the biggest window companies in the UK offer financing for double-glazed windows and doors.

Everest offers one of the best financing options, with customers able to pay for their windows over 180 months, essentially 15 years, at a 12.9% fixed interest rate.

Clearview lets you pay over 96 months at a 18.9% fixed rate, and Britelite over 63 months at a 12.9% fixed rate.

You can find out more about these companies and their finance options by going to our guide on the best double glazing companies.

Next steps

There are two government grants that can be used for double glazing: the ECO4 Scheme and the Home Upgrade Grant. Unfortunately, the Home Energy Scotland Grant can’t be used for double glazing, but you can get an interest-free loan through the scheme.

It never hurts to check if you’re unsure whether you meet the criteria for any of these government schemes; they could save you thousands of pounds on your installation.

If you’re not eligible for any grants, it’s still worth investing in double glazing if you can. According to the Energy Saving Trust, replacing single glazing with double glazing can save you up to £180 a year on energy bills.

We can make getting quotes easier for you.

Just fill in our short form, and we’ll pass your details on to professional double glazing installers. They’ll contact you to give you a competitive quote based on your requirements.

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