Warmer Kiwi Homes Grant 2026: 90% Heat Pump Rules

What the Warmer Kiwi Homes Grant Pays in 2026

Warmer Kiwi Homes pays 50% to 90% of the cost of ceiling and underfloor insulation, and 90% of a heat pump up to $3,450, depending on who you are and where you live. Here's the full grant table from EECA's programme page, checked on 29 October 2026.

EECA says an average insulation retrofit costs about $4,300, and a well-insulated home can save up to $340 a year on power. The heat pump is sized to heat the room it's installed in, not the whole house, and only high wall heat pumps are funded; ducted and floor-mounted systems aren't.

Extra help that's easy to miss. EECA also funds work that would otherwise block an installation: creating access to ceiling and underfloor spaces, fixing minor leaks in the roof space or underfloor, minor earthing repairs so a heat pump can be fitted safely, and swapping old downlights for LED downlights that can be covered by insulation. These are only available if your home is being assessed for insulation or a heat pump anyway.

Community top-ups. In many areas, councils, trusts, energy and lines companies and charities pay some or all of the part the grant doesn't cover. EECA says this can mean you pay even less, or nothing at all, and your provider will tell you if it applies when your home is assessed.

Who Qualifies for Warmer Kiwi Homes

There are 3 tests for insulation and 4 for heating, and all of them must be met. Grantsights checked each against EECA's programme page on 29 October 2026.

For an insulation grant, you must:

1. own and live in a home built before 2008;
2. have a Community Services Card or SuperGold Combo card, or live in an area EECA identifies as low to middle income (the online checker tests your address); and
3. not already have ceiling and underfloor insulation. A grant at a previous house doesn't stop you applying at your current one.

For a heat pump grant, you must:

1. own and live in a home built before 2008;
2. have a Community Services Card or SuperGold Combo card, or live in an area identified as low income;
3. have ceiling and underfloor insulation installed to EECA standards (a provider will check at no cost if it wasn't done through a government programme); and
4. not have a working heat pump, wood or pellet burner, flued gas heater or central heating system in any living area.

Getting a Community Services Card first can change your grant. The card is income-tested, and you don't have to be on a benefit to get one. According to Work and Income's Community Services Card page (opens in a new tab), read on 29 October 2026, the yearly income limits (before tax) include:

If your household is under the limit but your address is in a 50% area, applying for the card first could lift your insulation grant to 90% and make you eligible for a heat pump.

Who shouldn't bother applying: renters (landlords and tenants are both excluded), anyone wanting wall insulation (not funded), owners of a bach, holiday home or Airbnb, and homes built in 2008 or later. EECA also says funding is limited and grants may not be available in some remote locations and islands.

The 2026 Changes: Wood Burners Out, Middle-Income Homes In

Two changes in the last 15 months reshaped who gets what. The first widened insulation help; the second narrowed heating help.

Middle-income insulation grants (2025). An EECA news release, archived on 5 August 2025, announced that up to 300,000 more homes could be eligible for insulation grants, through a new 50% grant for middle-income households, while 90% grants stay for those in most need. Heating grants stayed focused on the highest-need households. The same release said the programme had delivered over 170,000 heating and insulation retrofits since it began.

Wood and pellet burner grants ended (2026). From 9 January 2026, Warmer Kiwi Homes stopped accepting new applications for wood and pellet burner grants. Existing quotes had to be accepted and processed by the provider by 27 February 2026. EECA says heat pumps generally give better energy efficiency and health outcomes for most households. You can still install a burner at your own cost.

Is Warmer Kiwi Homes Funded After June 2027?

The programme is funded to 30 June 2027, and on 29 October 2026 Grantsights found no government announcement of funding after that date. Here's what's announced, what's in force and what's only being asked for.

The Budget 2026 saving is one line covering three things: unspent Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry Fund contracts, operational costs for Warmer Kiwi Homes, and ending Crown funding for Ara Ake. Together they return $77.352 million in operating funding from 2025/26 to 2029/30, according to the Treasury Budget 2026 Summary of Initiatives. The document doesn't say how much of that is Warmer Kiwi Homes alone, so treat any single figure you see quoted for the programme's share with caution.

What it means for you. If you qualify now, don't wait for next winter. Installation can take up to 4 months, and if funding isn't renewed, providers may wind down before June 2027.

Warmer Kiwi Homes by Region: Grantsights Analysis of Installation Figures

Auckland had 26,807 Warmer Kiwi Homes installs, 21.9% of the national total, according to the government release data from August 2023. Grantsights analysis of that table, the most recent regional breakdown published, found 122,589 installs: 81,920 insulation claims and 40,669 heating claims, so roughly one heater for every two insulation jobs.

Data: "Warmer Kiwi Homes installations to date" table in the Minister of Energy and Resources' release "Over 50,000 more Kiwis to be eligible for insulation grants", 11 August 2023, read on 29 October 2026 as republished by Scoop (the Beehive page showed a security check). Shares calculated by Grantsights. The release doesn't give the date the counts were taken, and they don't include anything installed since mid-2023.

Three things in the data matter for applicants:

Heat pump grants go mostly to the north. In Auckland, 42.4% of installs were heaters; in Tasman it was 11.1% and on the West Coast 15.6%. The heater rule offers one likely reason: a home with a working wood burner in a living area can't get a heat pump grant, and wood burners are more common in colder regions. If you're in the South Island and already have a burner, expect insulation help only.

Delivery has run below the target. Comparing the August 2023 total (122,589) with EECA's mid-2025 figure (over 170,000) gives roughly 47,000 or more retrofits in about two years, which is under the 26,500 a year Budget 2023 funded. Grantsights can't tell from public figures whether that's demand, provider capacity or funding, but it fits EECA's up-to-4-month wait.

Smaller regions rely on community partners. In many areas, local trusts and councils top up the grant, and the programme page says remote locations and islands may not be covered at all. If you live outside a main centre, call 0800 749 782 before assuming a provider covers your address.

How to Apply for Warmer Kiwi Homes: 4 Steps

Applying takes 4 steps and costs nothing until you sign a contract with the installer.

1. Check your eligibility online. EECA's checker takes about five minutes and asks about your home. If you're eligible, it suggests insulation and heating providers who'll contact you. You can also call 0800 749 782.
2. Get a free quote. The provider visits and gives a free, no-obligation quote, and tells you about payment options and any community top-up.
3. Sign and book. If you go ahead, you sign a contract with the provider and pay them the part the grant doesn't cover. The grant goes to the provider, not to you.
4. Installation and checks. Expect up to 4 months. EECA randomly selects installations for quality checks.

Common mistakes:

• Booking a heat pump before insulation. The heating grant needs ceiling and underfloor insulation first. Apply for both and let the provider sequence them.
• Leaving a working heater in a living area. A working heat pump, burner, flued gas heater or central heating in any living area rules out the heating grant.
• Assuming you're in a 50% area. The checker tests your address, but your card status matters too. Check Community Services Card eligibility before you apply.

Scams and Uninvited Sellers

Warmer Kiwi Homes is only delivered through providers contracted to EECA, and you start the process yourself through EECA's checker or phone line. EECA's programme page doesn't list scam warnings, so the safest rule is simple: if someone contacts you first offering a "government insulation grant" or "free heat pump", don't sign anything on the spot.

Consumer Protection's telemarketing and door-to-door sales page (opens in a new tab), read on 29 October 2026, says a sale over $100 negotiated at your home or by phone, when you didn't invite the seller for that reason, is an uninvited direct sale. You can cancel for any reason within five working days of receiving the written agreement and get a full refund, or at any time if the seller didn't meet the legal requirements. You can tell uninvited sellers to leave. Consumer Protection also suggests paying by credit card so you can ask your bank for a chargeback.

Red flags to watch for:

• a caller who already "knows" you're eligible and wants your bank details or a deposit to "hold" a grant;
• pressure to sign the same day;
• an installer who can't name the EECA programme or doesn't arrive via EECA's checker; and
• offers to fund wall insulation, ducted heat pumps or wood burners through Warmer Kiwi Homes, which the programme doesn't fund.

The same tactics turn up with energy rebates elsewhere: Grantsights' Australian solar battery rebate guide covers cold callers and deposit scams there, and the ECO4 scheme guide covers "free" upgrade offers in the UK.

What EECA Doesn't Tell You

EECA's page is clear on the rules. It's quieter on the trade-offs, and here's what Grantsights found when it compared the page against the Budget and regional data.

The heat pump grant is a one-room fix. EECA says the unit is sized for the room it's installed in. That's honest, but many households underestimate how cold the rest of the house stays. Insulation does more for the whole home, which is why the grant requires it first.

The 50% tier still leaves a big bill. To make it specific, a middle-income household with the average $4,300 insulation quote pays about $2,150, and gets no heating help. For many people in that tier, a Community Services Card (if your income qualifies) is worth checking before you accept a quote.

The date that matters is 30 June 2027. Grant percentages haven't been cut, but the programme's end date hasn't moved either, and Budget 2026 already trimmed its operating funding. If you've been putting it off, the risk of waiting is that there's nothing left to apply for.

A pre-2008 home isn't automatically under-insulated. If your ceiling and underfloor are already insulated, you won't get insulation funding, and your heat pump eligibility depends on whether that insulation meets EECA standards.

Household Energy Grants in Other Countries

If you're comparing New Zealand's help with other countries, Grantsights also covers the Australian solar battery rebate, which discounts home batteries through certificates rather than grants. In the UK, the ECO4 scheme funds insulation and heating through energy suppliers, and the Warm Home Discount takes money off winter bills. In Ireland, the SEAI grants guide covers insulation and heat pump grants. Australian first home buyers can read the First Home Owner Grant guide.

Sources Checked

• EECA, Warmer Kiwi Homes programme page (opens in a new tab), read live on 29 October 2026 (wood burner dates from the Internet Archive copy dated 23 October 2026)
• EECA, "More households to benefit from Warmer Kiwi Homes upgrades", news release read as the Internet Archive copy dated 5 August 2025
• Work and Income, Community Services Card (opens in a new tab), read 29 October 2026
• Consumer Protection (MBIE), Telemarketing and door-to-door sales (opens in a new tab), read 29 October 2026
• The Treasury, Budget 2026 Summary of Initiatives (opens in a new tab) (28 May 2026), "Energy Funding Reprioritisation", downloaded 29 October 2026
• Minister of Energy and Resources, "Over 50,000 more Kiwis to be eligible for insulation grants" (11 August 2023), including the "Warmer Kiwi Homes installations to date" regional table, read on 29 October 2026 as republished by Scoop (opens in a new tab)
• Insulation Association of New Zealand, "IAONZ calls for pre-election certainty on Warmer Kiwi Homes to avoid delivery gap" (17 August 2026), read on Scoop (opens in a new tab) on 29 October 2026