Government grants for windows and secondary glazing
There is no standalone UK grant for windows or secondary glazing. This guide explains which schemes can still fund glazing as part of a wider upgrade, who qualifies in each nation, and why the 2030 landlord EPC rules make it worth acting now.
The short answer
Glazing is treated as a secondary measure by every UK scheme. Funding is realistic if you are a low-income household in an EPC D–G home in England (Warm Homes: Local Grant), or you qualify for ECO4 before it closes in December 2026. Scottish owner-occupiers can borrow interest-free. Everyone else pays full cost and 20% VAT, but landlords may be able to count the spend towards the 2030 EPC C cap.
Scheme by scheme: does it fund glazing?
Every active UK energy-efficiency scheme, plus the one closed scheme that is still routinely misquoted as a windows grant.
- Who qualifies
- Low-income households in privately owned or privately rented homes with an EPC rating of D to G. Delivered by participating local authorities, so availability depends on where you live.
- Funding
- Up to £15,000 for energy performance measures (plus a separate low-carbon heating allowance)
- Apply via
- Your local council
- Who qualifies
- Households on means-tested benefits, or referred under ECO4 Flex by a local authority on low-income or health grounds. Home must usually be EPC D to G.
- Funding
- No fixed cap; the installer funds measures to reach a target EPC band
- Apply via
- An obligated energy supplier or an accredited ECO installer
- Who qualifies
- Owner-occupiers in Scotland. Grant funding is available for insulation and heating, but windows are loan-only.
- Funding
- Up to £8,000 interest-free loan for glazing
- Apply via
- Home Energy Scotland
- Who qualifies
- Low-income households and those with health conditions. Welsh homeowners may instead access interest-free Home Improvement Loans of £1,000 to £35,000 via their council.
- Funding
- Not applicable for glazing
- Apply via
- Nest / your local authority
- Who qualifies
- Owner-occupiers and private tenants with a gross annual household income under the scheme threshold.
- Funding
- Measures prioritised by the Housing Executive; glazing is low priority
- Apply via
- Your local council or the NI Housing Executive
- Who qualifies
- Was aimed at EPC D to G homes in council tax bands A to D (A to E in Scotland). Listed here because it is still widely, and wrongly, cited as a windows grant.
- Funding
- Not applicable
- Apply via
- Scheme closed
Landlords: the 2030 EPC C deadline
For landlords the question is less about grants and more about compliance. Glazing sits inside the mandatory fabric element of the new minimum energy efficiency standard, so single-glazed rental stock will need attention regardless of funding.
- All private rented homes in England and Wales must reach EPC C by 1 October 2030 (new tenancies from 2028).
- The new standard is dual-metric: a mandatory fabric performance element covering insulation, glazing and draught-proofing comes first.
- The spending cap is £10,000 per property. Third-party funding such as Warm Homes: Local Grant counts towards that cap.
- Properties already rated C or above before 1 October 2029 stay compliant until that EPC expires.
Listed buildings and conservation areas
Replacement double glazing is frequently refused in listed buildings because it alters historic fabric. Secondary glazing is the usual route: an independent internal pane that leaves the original window untouched and can be removed later.
Written listed building consent is still required before installation, and conservation officers will usually want to see slim-profile frames that follow existing glazing bars. Specialist installers deal with these applications routinely — see the installer directory on our building energy efficiency guide.
Historic England position
Secondary glazing is identified as one of the least intrusive ways to improve the thermal and acoustic performance of historic windows, and is normally acceptable where it is reversible.
Historic England guidanceCommon claims, checked
Glazing funding attracts a lot of out-of-date and misleading marketing. These are the claims we see most often.
There is a government grant specifically for secondary glazing.
There is not, anywhere in the UK. Secondary glazing is only ever funded as one measure inside a wider whole-house retrofit, and most schemes prioritise insulation and heating first.
Energy-saving materials are zero-rated for VAT, so glazing is too.
The 0% VAT rate for energy-saving materials covers insulation, heat pumps, solar and similar. Windows, double glazing and secondary glazing are standard-rated at 20%.
The Great British Insulation Scheme pays for new windows.
It never did, and it closed on 31 March 2026. Any site still advertising GBIS windows funding is out of date.
Listed buildings cannot have secondary glazing.
Secondary glazing is usually the preferred option for listed buildings precisely because it is reversible and leaves original windows intact. You still need written listed building consent before work starts.
Work out what glazing saves you
Whether or not you qualify for funding, reduced heat loss lowers your energy bills, your carbon footprint and any Climate Change Levy exposure. Use the calculator to put a number on it.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Warm Homes: Local Grant; Energy Company Obligation (ECO4); Great British Insulation Scheme closure notice; Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for the private rented sector (2030).
- HMRC — VAT Notice 708/6, energy-saving materials and heating equipment.
- Home Energy Scotland — Grants and loans for owner-occupiers.
- Welsh Government — Warm Homes Nest scheme; NI Housing Executive — Affordable Warmth Scheme.
- Historic England — Energy efficiency and historic buildings technical advice.