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VAT on energy-saving products

You’ll pay a rate of either 5% or 0% VAT when certain energy-saving products are installed in your home if you’re eligible.

Not all products or installations qualify for the lower rate and you cannot buy or install them yourself.

Your installer will be responsible for charging you the correct rate of VAT.

The rate you pay and your eligibility depends on whether you are in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) or Northern Ireland.

If you’re in Great Britain

You’ll pay a rate of 0% VAT on both:

  • certain products supplied by your installer

  • the cost of all work to install those products in your home

If you’re in Northern Ireland

To be eligible for the reduced rate you must be over 60 or getting at least one of the following:

  • Child Tax Credit (but not the family element)

  • Council Tax Benefit

  • Disability Living Allowance

  • Personal Independence Payment

  • a disablement pension

  • Housing Benefit

  • Jobseeker’s Allowance (income-based)

  • Income Support

  • War Disablement Pension

  • Working Tax Credit

  • Armed Forces Independence Payment

What rate you’ll pay

The rate you pay depends on how the installation costs are split.

The total cost of installation is made up of two parts:

  • the cost of the products

  • the cost of the labour

If the cost of the products (not including VAT) is 60% or less of the total cost of the installation (not including VAT), you’ll pay 5% VAT on everything.

If the products cost more than 60% of the total cost of installation, you’ll only pay 5% VAT on the labour. You’ll pay the standard rate of 20% VAT for the products.

Example - insulation materials are 60% or less of the total cost of installation

Your installer charges you a total of £1000 (excluding VAT) for installation – £400 for the materials and £600 for the labour. This means the value of the materials (£400) is only 40% of the total cost of installation (£1000). Your installer can charge you the reduced rate of 5% VAT on the total installation cost.

Example - solar panels and battery materials are more than 60% of the total cost of installation

Your installer charges you a total of £5,385 (excluding VAT) for installation – £3,500 for the materials and £1,885 for the labour. This means the value of the materials (£3,500) is 65% of the total cost of installation (£5,385). Your installer can charge you standard 20% VAT on the materials part and 5% VAT on the labour part.

Energy products that qualify for a reduced rate

The products that qualify for a lower rate of VAT are:

  • central heating and hot water controls
  • draught stripping, for example insulation fixed around windows and doors
  • to reduce draughts
  • insulation on walls, floors, ceilings and lofts
  • solar panels
  • ground-source heat pumps
  • air-source heat pumps
  • micro combined heat and power units
  • wood-fuelled boilers
  • wind turbines (Great Britain only)
  • water turbines (Great Britain only)

If heating equipment is funded through an energy efficiency grant

In Great Britain or Northern Ireland, you’ll pay 5% VAT on heating equipment work funded through an energy efficiency grant if you’re eligible.

Energy products that do not qualify

You pay 20% VAT for:

  • heating equipment that is not funded through an energy efficiency grant
  • energy efficient boilers
  • secondary or double glazing
  • low emission glass
  • energy efficient fridge freezers
  • wind turbines (Northern Ireland only)
  • water turbines (Northern Ireland only)
View a printable version of the whole guide

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