Which government schemes GOV.UK names for homes, what each is aimed at, why the insulation under a roof is where support is most likely, and what to ask before you sign for anything.
Anyone pricing a new roof sooner or later asks: is there a grant for this? It is a fair thing to ask, given what a re-roof costs. The straight reply has two halves. First, none of the schemes that GOV.UK lists for homes is described as paying for a new roof covering. Second, there is help with some of the things that happen around a re-roof, mainly heating and insulation, and whether you qualify depends on your circumstances, not on the roof.
This piece walks through what GOV.UK actually lists, in plain terms, and says what each scheme is aimed at. It explains why the loft insulation is the part worth asking about, how to check what is open to you at the moment, and what to ask before you agree to any work paid for through a scheme. It cannot tell you that you will be eligible, because we do not decide that and neither does the roofer. For the roof itself, our page on roof replacement and installation explains how a survey leads to a written price.
What the government energy grants page lists
GOV.UK has a collection called Find energy grants for your home (Help to Heat). It names five funding streams: the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Warm Homes: Local Grant, Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, the Energy Company Obligation and the Great British Insulation Scheme. It says this funding is not delivered directly by the government but through installers, local authorities, energy companies and other bodies.
Read what each stream is for. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives grants to property owners to install low carbon heating, such as heat pumps. Warm Homes: Local Grant is for energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating in low income households in England. The Social Housing Fund is for social landlords, who contact their own tenants. The Energy Company Obligation requires energy suppliers to help households cut heating costs by fitting energy-saving measures. The page describes support for heating, insulation and other energy-saving measures. It does not describe help with a new roof covering.
That is why our written price for a roof never counts on a grant. If a scheme does fund part of a job at your address, it will normally be the insulation or heating part, and the scheme's own installer arranges it. A roofer cannot decide that for you.
Be wary of anyone who says a grant will cover a roof. The GOV.UK page above is the reference to hold them to: a real scheme is named there or on its own GOV.UK page, and the paperwork says who pays what and to whom.
The schemes at a glance
The table sets out what GOV.UK says about each stream. Details change, so use it as a guide to what to look up, not as an offer. The Social Housing Fund is left out because it is for social landlords, who contact their own tenants; if you own your home it does not apply. A heat pump is sometimes discussed alongside a roof job, so mention the roof to the heating installer, who will want to know how well insulated the loft is.
| Scheme | Aimed at | Comes through |
|---|---|---|
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | Heat pumps and similar heating | Installers |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant | Insulation and heating, low income | Local authority |
| Energy Company Obligation | Energy-saving measures | Energy suppliers |
| Great British Insulation Scheme | Insulation | Energy suppliers |
One of the four streams in the table needs a warning. GOV.UK's page on the Great British Insulation Scheme says the service for checking eligibility has closed, that some energy suppliers were still accepting applications, and that installations had to be finished by 31 March 2026, when the scheme ends. That date has passed, so the scheme is not one to plan a roof around now.
GOV.UK also warns that there are quality issues with some solid wall insulation fitted through government schemes. That is about walls, not roofs, but it is a reason to read the paperwork closely whenever a scheme is paying.
Why insulation is the part worth asking about
A slate, tile or membrane keeps the rain out. It does not hold heat in. That job belongs to the insulation in or under the roof, and the Building Regulations care about it. When a roof is renovated, Approved Document L, Table 4.3, gives 0.35 as the U-value threshold for a roof and 0.16 as the improved figure, where a lower U-value means less heat escapes. The regulations treat adding a new layer to a roof, or replacing one of its layers, as renovation.
So a re-roof is the natural moment to improve the loft, because the roof is already open and the work is the same trade. Paragraph 4.13 of the guidance eases the target where the improved figure cannot be achieved in practice, or where the saving would take more than 15 years to repay the cost. Your building control body decides how it applies. Colder lofts also make ventilation matter more, so insulation and airflow are planned together. Approved Document L 2026 takes effect on 24 March 2027.
- Ask the roofer what insulation is in the loft now, and what the new roof would leave in place.
- Ask whether a scheme could pay for the insulation part of the job.
- Ask for the insulation to be described in the written price, not left as an extra.
- Ask whether your energy supplier names an installer, and who would be on site.
- Ask how the loft will stay ventilated, since BS 5250:2021 is the standard for moisture.
The covering is a need, while extra insulation is an upgrade that may be funded separately. Whether that applies to your loft is a question for the survey, not for guesswork on a web page.
How to check what is open to you
Nobody can tell you from outside whether you qualify, so the steps are about finding the people who can.
- Use GOV.UK's tool for finding ways to save energy in your home. If you own a property in England or Wales, it gives recommendations, each with an estimated cost, the bills it could save and the next steps.
- Open the Help to Heat collection and read the current wording for each stream.
- Ask your energy supplier about the Energy Company Obligation. GOV.UK says different suppliers have different amounts of support and offer different improvements, so you need to check with your own.
- Ask your district council whether it takes part in Warm Homes: Local Grant, which GOV.UK files under support through your local authority.
- Keep a written record of every answer, including the date.
A tool like that will sometimes recommend roof insulation. It does not recommend a new roof covering as such.
If a scheme assessment turns up costs you disagree with, GOV.UK says you can decide not to go ahead. You are never obliged to accept an offer you do not understand. Ask for the scheme name in writing, with the installer's details, so that you can check it against GOV.UK.
Complaints about insulation fitted under a scheme go through Ofgem's energy company obligation complaints guidance, as GOV.UK's scheme page explains. Be cautious about unsolicited calls or a knock on the door offering free work: check the scheme and the firm on GOV.UK before anyone visits, and never let a surveyor onto the roof or into the loft without knowing who sent them.
Paying for a new roof yourself
Where no scheme applies, the roof is paid for from savings, borrowing or, in the case of sudden damage, a successful insurance claim. Insurance is unlikely to pay for a roof that has simply reached the end of its life, because wear and tear and gradual damage are common exclusions. Our page on insurance cover for a new roof covers the difference.
It helps to know the scale. Which? Trusted Traders (November 2025) puts a whole new roof on a typical three-bedroom home at £7,000 to £21,000 before VAT. HomeBuilding (30 September 2025) puts plain concrete tiles on a 65 m2 three-bedroom semi at £10,000 to £15,000, and Welsh slate at up to £18,000. MyJobQuote (October 2026) gives around £5,250. Both guides expect upper-end prices in the South East, which includes Kent. If the roof is failing now, a repair or a staged plan may buy time while you look at funding, and the survey says how much time. These are typical UK ranges, not what a roof here will cost. A written price arrives after the survey. VAT is 20 per cent, and the Which? figures exclude it, so check whether any quote includes it.
- Our price is one written total, so you can compare like with like.
- Citizens Advice recommends 3 or more written quotes before you decide.
- Some jobs can be split into stages; see paying for a new roof in stages.
Questions to ask before you sign
A contract made at your home, including one that follows an assessment visit, is an off-premises contract. For a service, the cancellation period runs to the end of the fourteenth day after the contract is made. A missing cancellation notice stretches your right by up to 12 months. Work inside that window starts only on your written request.
Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the trader must carry out a service with reasonable care and skill, whoever is paying. The Citizens Advice consumer helpline, on 0808 223 1133, can help if something goes wrong.
- Who is the installer, and who pays them: you, the scheme or both?
- What exactly will be fitted, and to what insulation figure?
- What will you pay, in total, and when?
- What happens if you decide not to go ahead after the assessment?
- Who do you contact afterwards if there is a fault?
Keep copies of the contract, any scheme paperwork, the written price and photographs from before and after the work. If a fault turns up later, a complete file saves a good deal of argument.
Work out the roof first and the funding second. A roof that needs repairs now should not wait for an application that may not succeed. If you are unsure whether a repair would do for the time being, the survey answers that, and a repair is the right answer whenever it is enough.
