Housing Executive heating & insulation for tenants

Who qualifies

• You are a Northern Ireland Housing Executive tenant
• Housing association tenants: your association is responsible for your heating — contact them rather than the Housing Executive

What it covers

Heating repairs and servicing, replacement of old or inefficient heating systems, conversions to natural gas as the network reaches more areas, insulation, and — so far on a pilot basis — whole-house low-carbon retrofits.

How it works

The Housing Executive replaces heating systems through planned programmes, working through its homes area by area, and converts homes to natural gas as the gas network extends. If your boiler is old or unreliable, ask whether your home is included in an upcoming scheme.

It has also run a Low Carbon Programme, retrofitting a few hundred homes with an air-source heat pump, a 4kW solar array and a 10kW battery alongside insulation, with energy advisers supporting tenants before, during and after the work. These are pilot projects rather than something you can apply for, but they show the direction future upgrades are likely to take.

A heating failure in severe weather, where you have no other source of heat, is treated as an emergency repair.

What to do

1. Report heating faults to the Housing Executive repairs line on 03448 920 901. It takes emergency calls outside office hours too.
2. If you smell gas, call the gas emergency service on 0800 002 001 straight away.
3. If your system is old or inefficient but still working, call 03448 920 900 or contact your local office and ask whether your home is in a planned heating or insulation scheme.
4. For free advice on bringing your bills down, contact the NI Energy Advice Service on 0800 111 4455.

Watch out for

• Arranging work yourself: check with the Housing Executive first — it's their property, and changes usually need their permission.
• Applying to Affordable Warmth or NISEP: neither is open to Housing Executive tenants.
• Help with the cost of heating, rather than the heating system, comes through benefits — Cold Weather Payments, Winter Fuel Payment and a Make the Call benefits check.

Questions people ask

Can I get a grant for a new boiler as a Housing Executive tenant?

You don't need one — the Housing Executive is responsible for your heating system. Report faults to the repairs line, and ask your local office whether your home is due a replacement.

My heating has broken down in freezing weather. What should I do?

Call 03448 920 901. Heating failure in severe weather where you have no alternative heating is treated as an emergency repair.

Will I get a heat pump?

Only some homes have so far — the Housing Executive's low-carbon retrofits have been pilot projects. Ask your local office whether any programme covers your area.

Not sure this is the right scheme?

Run the one-minute eligibility check

Other schemes