GBIS closed on 31 March 2026. Learn what that means for landlords, existing installations and the funding routes still worth checking.
No. The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026. A landlord cannot treat an old eligibility page, supplier form or installer message as a route to a new GBIS-funded job now. The useful question is what happened to an application or installation already in the system, and which live route fits the property today.
Start with the rental’s current EPC, the tenant household and the exact measure being proposed. A free EPC assessment can show whether insulation is actually the lowest-cost credible route from D to C before you chase funding or sign an installation contract.
The quick answer for landlords in October 2026
- GBIS is closed. Ofgem says the scheme began in April 2023 and closed on 31 March 2026.
- A historic application does not create a new 2026 entitlement. Ask the named supplier or installer for the status, scheme name, measure, contribution and contract in writing.
- An installation completed under GBIS still has a paperwork, guarantee and complaint trail. Scheme closure does not make defective work or missing documents irrelevant.
- ECO4 is a separate, targeted supplier obligation and is due to end on 31 December 2026. It is not a like-for-like replacement for GBIS and availability is not universal.
- Warm Homes: Local Grant is a separate council-led route in England. It is household- and property-led, and a landlord contribution can apply.
The maintained grants and funding hub is the right place to compare current routes. Do not reuse GBIS council-tax-band or household rules as though they automatically apply to ECO4, Warm Homes: Local Grant or a local programme.
Why GBIS still appears in searches and paperwork
GBIS ran across Great Britain and mainly supported single insulation measures. Historic guidance described eligible D-to-G homes, household routes and council-tax-band conditions. Those rules explain past decisions; they do not reopen the closed scheme.
Ofgem still keeps GBIS guidance, forms, reports and contact pages online because suppliers, auditors, landlords and households need an administrative record. Some combined ECO4-and-GBIS forms also remain visible, but Ofgem states that after the GBIS end date they apply only to ECO4 projects. A form carrying both names is therefore not proof of current GBIS funding.
This distinction matters when a landlord is approached with a broad promise of “government insulation”. Ask which live scheme is being used, who makes the eligibility decision, who holds the installation contract, whether the tenant must qualify and what the owner must contribute. A familiar scheme name is not a substitute for those answers.
If you applied before GBIS closed
All GBIS measures had to be completed by 31 March 2026. If work did not reach handover by that date, do not assume the old application can simply be finished under GBIS. Contact the energy supplier or installer named on the application and ask for a written explanation of its status.
- Confirm whether the application was accepted, rejected, cancelled, transferred to another route or left incomplete.
- Ask for the scheme name and funding source now being proposed. “The paperwork is the same” is not enough.
- Request the assessment, proposed measure, owner contribution, installer details, warranties and cancellation terms before agreeing to a replacement offer.
- Keep emails, surveys, declarations, photographs and payment records with the property file.
A landlord should not tell a tenant that funding is approved until the relevant supplier, council or scheme delivery body has confirmed it. Cucumber Eco can compare the property and possible routes, but it does not make a scheme’s eligibility decision.
If insulation was installed under GBIS
Keep the installation evidence even if the property already has a valid EPC. The useful pack can include the survey, pre- and post-installation declarations, specification, installer and retrofit-coordinator details, completion date, guarantee, photographs and any Unique Measure Reference. These records help with maintenance, complaints, future sales and a later EPC assessment.
Insulation does not automatically change the EPC register. A qualified assessor must inspect the dwelling, accept the available evidence and lodge a new certificate before the recorded rating changes. For hidden cavity work, use the cavity-wall insulation evidence checklist rather than assuming an invoice alone will settle every assessment question.
Do not commission a new EPC simply to prove that a grant existed. Commission it when the evidence and completed work may materially affect the model, when a valid certificate is required, or when the landlord needs a reliable D-to-C decision.
What to do if the insulation looks faulty
Scheme closure does not end the complaint route. If there is damp, mould, cracking, detached render, blocked ventilation, water entry or another suspected defect, document the condition and use the official process rather than paying an unsolicited caller to “repair” it immediately.
Government guidance says households with relevant internal or external wall insulation installed through GBIS or ECO4 may be contacted as part of quality checks. For other concerns, Ofgem directs consumers towards the installer, scheme provider, TrustMark process or relevant ombudsman route. Keep the original documents and verify the identity of anyone arranging an inspection.
This is not a technical diagnosis or legal advice. Urgent building-safety, electrical or moisture risks need an appropriately qualified professional. The official poor-quality wall-insulation guidance explains the current contact and audit route.
Which funding routes are still worth checking?
Warm Homes: Local Grant in England
The Warm Homes: Local Grant application service covers privately owned homes in England with an EPC of D, E, F or G. Household income must usually be £36,000 a year or less, although benefits or an eligible postcode can provide another route. The council arranges a survey and approves any package; in a private rental, the landlord may need to contribute.
A qualifying tenant can open the route, but the landlord does not become universally eligible just because the property is D-rated. Council funding, household evidence, survey findings, tenure consent and the local package all matter. See the Warm Homes Plan guide for the wider programme context.
ECO4 in its final months
ECO4 is a Great Britain supplier obligation aimed at eligible low-income and vulnerable households. Ofgem’s current ECO4 delivery guidance reflects the extension to 31 December 2026. The government says the extension supports an orderly close and remediation rather than adding new delivery targets.
That makes ECO4 a live but time-limited, delivery-dependent route; it is not a blanket landlord insulation grant. A supplier or its delivery chain decides whether a household and project proceed. Read the ECO4 end-date and replacement guide before relying on an installer’s deadline or “free upgrade” claim.
Other measure-specific or local routes
A council may have a local programme, while an eligible heat-pump project can follow the separate Boiler Upgrade Scheme rules. Neither should be presented as a replacement GBIS application. Check the nation, council, household, tenure, property EPC, proposed measure and decision-maker for each route. The landlord heating-grants decision guide helps separate insulation, heating and specialist EPC routes.
Should a landlord wait for another grant before planning EPC C?
Usually not. Funding can reduce the cost of a suitable measure, but it should not decide the measure before the property has been assessed. Start with the rating gap, construction, existing evidence and realistic options. The D-to-C landlord plan explains how to compare documentary evidence, testing, small measures and larger upgrades.
For covered private rentals in England and Wales, today’s minimum remains EPC E unless a valid exemption applies. The government’s confirmed policy direction is a higher standard from 1 October 2030, subject to the planned legislation. An existing-style EER C lodged before 1 October 2029 is intended to be recognised until that EPC expires or is replaced.
That transition gives a D-rated landlord a reason to assess early, but not a reason to buy insulation that does not fit the property. A measured or documentary evidence route may be cheaper; another property may genuinely need fabric or heating work. Funding availability and EPC suitability are separate decisions that should meet only after both have been checked.
A five-step decision process after GBIS
- Check the current EPC. Record the score, recommendations, construction descriptions and entries marked assumed, not inspected or not rated.
- Close the old GBIS question. Confirm in writing what happened to any historic application or installation and retain the evidence pack.
- Check live funding. Use the current scheme owner or council, not a search snippet or an installer’s recycled eligibility page.
- Model the property route. Compare insulation with accepted evidence, testing, heating controls and other proportionate measures before authorising work.
- Agree the commercial terms. Identify the installer, contract holder, contribution, exclusions, guarantee and effect of a failed eligibility or survey decision.
Cucumber Eco can review the current certificate and identify the lowest-cost credible route before you commit to a measure. Start your free EPC assessment.
Primary sources checked on 6 October 2026
- Ofgem: Great British Insulation Scheme: confirms the 31 March 2026 closure.
- UK government: Warm Homes Plan: records the planned GBIS closure and ECO4 wind-down.
- UK government: current domestic MEES guidance: explains today’s EPC E floor and exemptions in England and Wales.
- UK government: future private-rented standard response: sets out the 2030 policy and pre-October-2029 transition.
Frequently asked questions
Can landlords apply to the Great British Insulation Scheme now?
No. Ofgem says GBIS closed on 31 March 2026. Historic guidance and forms remain online for administration, reporting and complaints, but they do not create a new application route.
What if an installer says my old GBIS application is still active?
Ask the installer and named energy supplier to confirm the current scheme, funding source, measure, contract and contribution in writing. GBIS installations had to be completed by 31 March 2026, so do not rely on the old scheme name alone.
Did ECO4 replace GBIS?
No. ECO4 is a separate, targeted supplier obligation with different household and project rules. It has been extended to 31 December 2026, but delivery depends on the supplier route and eligibility is not universal.
Will funded insulation guarantee EPC C?
No. Funding approval and EPC performance are separate decisions. The completed measure must be accepted in a new assessment and modelled with the whole dwelling before a new EPC can be lodged; no single insulation measure can ensure a C rating.
