Heating Grants Swindon: What You Can Apply For

Two schemes matter most for Swindon households now. One targets lower-income homes with poor energy ratings; the other helps anyone switch to a heat pump. The supplier schemes that funded free insulation in the past are closing.

Swindon at a glance

Who owns and rents: 63.7% of Swindon households owned their home in 2021, 19.3% rented privately and 15.6% rented from the council or a housing association. Source
Council homes: Swindon Borough Council is running a £48m energy programme on its own homes from 2024 to 2029. A £10m heating contract covers around 1,800 homes, with 412 new A-rated condensing boilers fitted by March 2026. Source
Local grant: The Warm Homes: Local Grant is open to privately owned homes in England rated EPC D to G, usually where household income is £36,000 or less. You apply on GOV.UK and the local council arranges the survey if it has funding. Source
Supplier schemes: The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026. Source
Energy ratings: About 39% of homes with an EPC in Swindon are rated band D or below (median score 71, band C), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Warm Homes: Local Grant

The home must be privately owned, by you or a landlord, and rated EPC D, E, F or G. Household income usually needs to be £36,000 or less, though certain benefits or postcodes can qualify you above that.

You apply through the GOV.UK eligibility service. If you qualify and Swindon has funding available, the council arranges a survey and pays for agreed improvements. These can include insulation, solar panels and heat pumps.

Landlords can apply for homes they let to private tenants. Expect the council to ask for proof of ownership and the tenant's agreement to the survey.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

This gives £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump and £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump. There is no income limit, and your MCS certified installer claims it. Homes on oil or LPG with no gas main get an extra £1,500 until March 2027. Full rules are in our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.

ECO4 and GBIS

Ofgem has confirmed that the Great British Insulation Scheme stopped taking Swindon applications on 31 March 2026. ECO4 is ending too, so treat any cold call promising a free boiler with caution and never pay an upfront fee to check eligibility.

Swindon homes and what they need

Estates from the 1970s to today

Many 1990s and newer homes already rate EPC C, which puts them outside the local grant. The heat pump grant has no EPC band requirement, but the installer may recommend insulation first.

Victorian railway-era terraces

Solid-walled terraces are more likely to rate D or below, so these are prime candidates for the local grant if income fits.

Postwar semis

These often need cavity and loft insulation, which are among the first measures funded.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Swindon work across areas including Old Town, Wroughton, Highworth, Stratton St Margaret, Haydon Wick, Royal Wootton Bassett, Wichelstowe, Penhill, Freshbrook and Covingham.

View Swindon on Google Maps

Questions people in Swindon ask

I'm a council tenant. Can I apply?

Not for the Warm Homes: Local Grant, which is for privately owned homes. Swindon Borough Council is upgrading its own housing through a separate programme, so ask your housing officer.

How do I find my EPC rating?

Look it up by address on the GOV.UK find an energy certificate service. Where there is no certificate, or the house has changed since it was issued, a fresh assessment may be needed before any grant work.

Sources

Also nearby: Heating grants in Oxford, Heating grants in Reading, Heating grants in Bristol, Heating grants in Gloucester

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