These are the schemes open to homes in Northern Ireland, from the government, councils, energy companies and charities. Put in your postcode to see which of them match your home and household.
Checked against each scheme's official page. Last updated 2 November 2026.
Grant · Whole UK · Family Action (charity)
Usually £200 to £300
A one-off grant for essential household goods such as a cooker, fridge freezer or washing machine.
Who can get it: People aged 66 and over on Universal Credit or Pension Credit who need essential household goods. Other groups are closed until January 2027.
Grant · Whole UK · Family Fund (charity)
Grant items, value not published
Grants for families raising a disabled or seriously ill child, which can include a new cooker, fridge, freezer or washing machine.
Who can get it: Parents or carers on a low income or benefits who are raising a disabled or seriously ill child, and have lived in the UK for 6 months.
Grant · Whole UK · Macmillan Cancer Support (charity)
£350 one-off payment
A one-off £350 payment for extra costs of cancer, such as heating bills, in some council areas.
Who can get it: People with an active cancer diagnosis on a low income who live in one of the council areas on Macmillan's list.
Grant · Whole UK · Royal British Legion (charity)
Amount not published
A quick grant for serving and ex-serving people and their families who cannot afford everyday essentials.
Who can get it: Anyone who has served at least one day in the UK Armed Forces, and their immediate family, who is struggling to pay for essentials.
Grant · Whole UK · SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity
Amount not published
SSAFA caseworkers help forces families with priority debts like gas and electricity and apply to charities for household costs.
Who can get it: Anyone who has had at least one day's pay from the British Armed Forces, including Reserves, and their immediate family.
Grant · Northern Ireland · Department for Communities, run by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Up to £7,500, or up to £10,000 for solid wall insulation
A grant of up to £7,500 (or £10,000 for solid wall homes) for insulation, draught proofing, a new oil or gas heating system or boiler, and replacing single glazed windows.
Who can get it: Homeowners and private tenants in Northern Ireland with a total gross household income under £23,000 a year.
Grant · England, Wales, Northern Ireland · Your local council
Up to £30,000 in England (Wales up to £36,000, Northern Ireland up to £25,000); some councils give more
A council grant to adapt your home for a disabled person, which can include a heating system suited to their needs or easier-to-use heating controls.
Who can get it: Owners, tenants or landlords where a disabled person (including a child) lives or will live in the home for the grant period, usually 5 years.
Grant · Northern Ireland · Department for the Economy · Opening
Not yet announced
A planned grant to help homeowners switch to low carbon heating such as heat pumps, similar to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in Great Britain. Amounts and rules are not decided.
Who can get it: Homeowners in Northern Ireland. Rules not yet decided.
Grant · Northern Ireland · Utility Regulator (NISEP) and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Free to the tenant
Free solar panels, a hybrid inverter and battery storage for some Housing Executive homes outside the gas network.
Who can get it: Housing Executive tenants in single storey homes outside the gas area with oil or electric heating, single income under £28,000 or couple under £35,000.
Grant · Northern Ireland · Utility Regulator, administered by Energy Saving Trust, delivered by named scheme managers
Fully funded, no cost to you
A free new A-rated oil or gas boiler or central heating (or high heat retention storage heaters), with cavity wall and loft insulation, plus small extras like LED bulbs, smart heating controls and draught proofing. One scheme also does solid wall insulation.
Who can get it: Homeowners in Northern Ireland on a single income under £28,000, or a couple or single parent family under £35,000, who have no central heating, solid fuel heating, a boiler over 15 years old or broken, or old Economy 7 heaters.
Grant · Northern Ireland · Utility Regulator, administered by Energy Saving Trust, delivered by named scheme managers
Fully funded, no cost to you
Free cavity wall and loft insulation, plus small extras like LED bulbs, a hot water tank jacket, radiator panels and draught proofing.
Who can get it: Homeowners in Northern Ireland on a single income under £33,000, or a couple or single parent family under £40,000.
Grant · Northern Ireland · Utility Regulator, administered by Energy Saving Trust, delivered by Refresh NI and McGaffin Mechanical
Fully funded, no cost to you
A free air source heat pump with cavity wall and loft insulation. The Toasty Homes Heat Pump and Solar scheme can also add solar panels, and the official list mentions battery storage.
Who can get it: Homeowners in Northern Ireland on a single income under £28,000, or a couple or single parent family under £35,000, with no central heating, solid fuel, an oil or LPG boiler over 15 years old or broken, or old Economy 7 heaters.
Grant · Northern Ireland · Utility Regulator, administered by Energy Saving Trust, delivered by named scheme managers
40% grant, up to £650 per insulation measure or £1,000 for cavity extraction and refill
40% off cavity wall or loft insulation, up to £650 per measure (up to £1,000 for removing and refilling old cavity wall insulation), plus a free hot water tank jacket.
Who can get it: Homeowners and private tenants in Northern Ireland at any income level who do not qualify for other NISEP schemes.
Grant · Northern Ireland · Utility Regulator, administered by Energy Saving Trust, delivered by named scheme managers
60% of heating cost paid, insulation free
60% off a new gas or oil central heating system or high heat retention storage heaters, with free cavity wall and loft insulation. You pay the other 40% of the heating cost.
Who can get it: Homeowners and private tenants in Northern Ireland on a single income under £45,000, or a couple or single parent family under £50,000, with no central heating, solid fuel, an oil or LPG boiler over 15 years old or broken, or old Economy 7 heaters.
Grant · Northern Ireland · Department for Communities · Opening
Not yet announced
A new main scheme for making private homes warmer and cheaper to heat, planned to replace the Affordable Warmth Scheme. Details of what it pays for are not yet final.
Who can get it: Low income households in private homes in Northern Ireland. Final rules not yet published.
Payment · Whole UK · Fuel Bank Foundation (charity)
About 7 to 10 days of fuel
An emergency voucher to top up a prepayment gas or electricity meter when you have run out or are about to.
Who can get it: Households on a prepayment meter who have run out of credit, or soon will, and cannot afford to top up.
Payment · Northern Ireland · Department for Communities
£25 for each 7-day cold spell
£25 for each 7-day spell when the average temperature in your area is, or is forecast to be, 0°C or below.
Who can get it: People in Northern Ireland getting Pension Credit, or Universal Credit, income-related ESA or Support for Mortgage Interest with extra conditions such as a disability premium, a child under 5 or a health condition.
Payment · Northern Ireland · Department for Communities (Finance Support Service)
Amount depends on need; grant or interest-free loan
A grant or interest-free loan to help with short-term living costs or replacing essential household items, such as a cooker, when you face a crisis.
Who can get it: People in Northern Ireland aged 18 or over (or 16 with no parental support) in a crisis that puts health or safety at serious risk, with combined income after deductions of no more than £29,741.40 a year.
Payment · Northern Ireland · Department for Communities
£100 prepaid card, one per address
A £100 digital prepaid card to spend with any Northern Ireland heating oil supplier.
Who can get it: Households in Northern Ireland that use heating oil as their main heating and either get a qualifying benefit (such as Pension Credit, Universal Credit or PIP) or have a net income under £30,000 for a single person or couple.
Payment · Northern Ireland · Department for Communities
£100 to £300 a year
A tax-free yearly payment of £100 to £300 to help older people with heating bills.
Who can get it: People living in Northern Ireland born on or before 27 June 1960.
Loan · Whole UK · Approved lenders (banks, credit unions and finance firms), backed by DESNZ
Lower-interest loan; amount, rate and term set by each lender.
A cheaper loan from a high street or specialist lender, part-funded by the government, to pay for a heat pump, solar panels, a home battery and similar upgrades.
Who can get it: Anyone who owns their home (with or without a mortgage) anywhere in the UK, subject to the lender's credit and affordability checks.
Discount · Northern Ireland · Department for the Economy, through your electricity supplier
£63 off in 2026
An automatic £63 off your electricity bill, or £63 credit on a keypad meter, paid by government each year from 2026 to 2028.
Who can get it: Every household with a domestic electricity account in Northern Ireland. It is not means tested.
Offer · Northern Ireland · Budget Energy
Payment plans and support
Budget Energy offers repayment plans based on what you can afford, worked out with a Common Financial Statement questionnaire.
Who can get it: Budget Energy electricity customers in Northern Ireland who have fallen behind or are worried about paying.
Offer · Northern Ireland · Click Energy
Payment plans and support
Click Energy will discuss payment arrangements if you are struggling and says it always assesses your ability to pay.
Who can get it: Click Energy electricity customers in Northern Ireland who are struggling to pay.
Offer · Northern Ireland · Power NI
Payment plans and support
Power NI's specialist team helps customers who are struggling to pay with payment plans, benefit checks and referrals to support agencies.
Who can get it: Power NI electricity customers who are finding it hard to pay.
Offer · Northern Ireland · SSE Airtricity
Payment plans and support
SSE Airtricity can set up a payment plan that suits you, review your account and refer you to an advice agency.
Who can get it: SSE Airtricity electricity or gas customers in Northern Ireland who are struggling to pay.
Offer · Northern Ireland · firmus energy
Payment plans and support
firmus energy will agree a suitable arrangement, such as a repayment plan, and can pass your details to free advice services with your permission.
Who can get it: firmus energy gas customers in Northern Ireland who are in unexpected financial difficulty.
Tax saving · Whole UK · HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) · Closing
0% VAT instead of 5% on installed energy-saving products
No VAT is charged when an installer fits insulation, solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, heating controls and similar products in a home. This saves you 5% compared with the normal reduced rate.
Who can get it: Anyone having qualifying products installed in a home (or charity building) in the UK. Applied by the installer.
Tax saving · Whole UK · HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), applied by your electricity supplier
About £45 to £50 a year off a typical electricity bill
VAT has been taken off home electricity bills, cutting them by about £45 to £50 a year. It happens automatically.
Who can get it: All households in Great Britain, including prepayment customers. Northern Ireland is expected to get the cut from April 2027.
Free advice · Whole UK · Various occupational charities (found through Turn2us)
Varies by fund
Many trades and professions have their own charity that can help past and present workers with bills and essentials.
Who can get it: People who work or used to work in a particular job, and often their partners and children. Each fund sets its own rules.
Free advice · Whole UK · MoneyHelper (Money and Pensions Service, government backed)
Free advice
A free online tool that finds free, confidential debt advice by phone, online or face to face where you live.
Who can get it: Anyone in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland looking for free debt advice.
Free advice · Whole UK · StepChange Debt Charity
Free advice
Free debt advice online or by phone, including help with gas and electricity arrears.
Who can get it: Anyone in the UK who is worried about debt, including energy bill debt. You do not need to be behind on payments to ask for help.
Free advice · Whole UK · Turn2us (charity)
Free search tool
A free online search that matches you to charity grants from over 1,700 UK organisations.
Who can get it: Anyone living in the UK who needs help with essentials. You answer a few questions and it lists grants you may get.
Free advice · Whole UK · Warm Welcome Campaign, Good Faith Foundation (charity)
Free to use
A map of free, welcoming community spaces near you where you can keep warm, have a hot drink and meet people.
Who can get it: Anyone. You do not need to qualify or be referred.
Free advice · Northern Ireland · Advice NI
Free advice
Free, independent debt and money advice in Northern Ireland, including help with fuel and energy debt.
Who can get it: Anyone in Northern Ireland who is worried about debt or paying energy bills.
Free advice · Northern Ireland · Age NI (charity)
Free advice
A free advice line that helps older people in Northern Ireland check benefits and find help with heating costs.
Who can get it: Older people in Northern Ireland and people worried about an older person.
Free advice · Northern Ireland · Consumer Council for Northern Ireland
Free complaints service
A free service that helps with unresolved complaints about energy suppliers in Northern Ireland.
Who can get it: Households in Northern Ireland with a complaint about their electricity or gas supplier that the supplier has not put right.
Free advice · Northern Ireland · Utility Regulator and all NI electricity and gas suppliers
Free help from your supplier
Extra winter protections from every Northern Ireland electricity and gas supplier for households struggling to pay.
Who can get it: All households in Northern Ireland, but most useful if you are struggling, in debt or need extra support.
Free advice · Northern Ireland · Department for Communities, delivered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Free advice
Free, impartial advice on grants, heating, bills, damp, insulation, renewables and switching supplier, plus referrals to grants and the Oil Savings Network for cheaper heating oil through buying clubs.
Who can get it: Any household in Northern Ireland, not just Housing Executive tenants.
Put in your postcode and answer a few optional questions to see which of these you look eligible for.
