Can pensioners get free loft insulation?
No government grant gives free loft insulation for being a pensioner or reaching a certain age. The main grant is for homes rated D to G where someone gets Pension Credit or another listed benefit, or the household income is £36,000 or less. If that is not you, we give a discount to over 60s and the survey is free.
Is there free loft insulation for the over 70s?
Not now. There was a rule that favoured the over 70s, and it ended on 31 December 2012.
A government order in 2008 made energy suppliers carry out part of their energy saving work in a priority group of households. That group included anyone who was at least 70 years old, whatever their income. A later order set the end of that programme as 31 December 2012.
That is the likely reason people still hear "free for over 70s". There is no loft insulation grant for pensioners as such today. Nothing we found uses age as the test.
Sources: The Electricity and Gas (Carbon Emissions Reduction) Order 2008; the 2010 amendment order. All read 10 October 2026.Does getting Pension Credit mean I qualify?
For a pensioner it is the claim that matters most. It gets you past the income test, and the home has to pass too.
The grant's rules list Pension Credit, both the savings part and the guarantee part.
The person getting it does not have to be the owner. The rules say anyone in the household can, other than a lodger or an adult in full time education.
The energy certificate has to show a rating of D, E, F or G. Our loft checker shows what yours says.
It is not on the list of benefits. Pension Credit is a separate claim, and GOV.UK says you can get it even if you have other income, savings or own your home.
Can pensioners not on benefits get free loft insulation?
Some can. Without a listed benefit, the test is the whole household's income: £36,000 a year or less, before tax.
The rules count the income of every adult in the household, apart from anyone in full time education. For a retired couple that is both State Pensions and any private pensions together. Attendance Allowance is left out of the sum.
Meeting the rules is not the same as getting the work. The money is limited and handed out by financial year. Loft insulation grants in Cambridgeshire has who runs it here and where to check today's position.
Sources: Warm Homes: Local Grant policy guidance, July 2026; GOV.UK, apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant. All read 10 October 2026.Over 60? There is a discount.
The survey is free and you get a written price before any work starts.
Is the Winter Fuel Payment for insulation?
No. It is a yearly payment to help with heating bills, and most people who are eligible get it automatically.
It is the one payment in all of this that goes by age, which is probably why people expect insulation to work the same way. It does not pay for insulation and it is not a grant for work on the house. GOV.UK has this winter's amounts and who gets it.
Source: GOV.UK, Winter Fuel Payment. Read 10 October 2026.What if I do not qualify?
Then it is a job you pay for, and there are four things in your favour.
- There is a discount for over 60s. Mention it when you enquire.
- The survey costs nothing. We look at what is there and give you a written price before any work starts.
- Most lofts here need it. 75.5% of lofts with a recorded depth in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have less than the 270mm the Energy Saving Trust recommends.
- You get a straight answer from us. We are not part of any grant scheme, so we have no reason to tell you that you qualify or that you do not.
Short answers
Someone rang to say I qualify because of my age. Is it genuine?
No grant goes by age, so that is not how it works. How to tell a free loft survey from a scam.
Is the grant open in Cambridgeshire?
The grant is run in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by Action on Energy, and whether it has money changes through the year. Our grants article has the last position we checked and a link to their page.
Can a pensioner get help with the cost of loft insulation without a grant?
With us, yes. There is a discount for over 60s, the survey is free, and you get a written price before any work starts.
Does the State Pension count as a benefit for the grant?
No. The listed benefits are Housing Benefit, income based Jobseeker's Allowance, income related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit and Universal Credit.
How do I check if I can get Pension Credit?
GOV.UK has a Pension Credit calculator. It asks about your income and savings and tells you what you might get.
Find out what your loft needs
A free survey tells you what is up there now and what it would take to put right.
Written by Ben Criddle, who runs Complete Loft Services. Published . Facts checked on .