Free help with boilers and heating in Newcastle

Updated 7 November 2026

A broken boiler is expensive, and some households can get help with a repair or replacement, a safety check or their heating bills. This guide lists what's available on Tyneside right now. We checked each scheme on the official websites on 7 November 2026.

Most of these depend on your income, your benefits or who lives with you, and funding can run out, so check the official page before you rely on one. We're a private referral service and aren't part of any council or government scheme.

If your gas boiler has stopped working

LEAP boiler scheme

The LEAP boiler scheme repairs or replaces broken gas boilers for homeowners on a low income. Newcastle City Council says you can apply from October 2026 if all three of these apply:

You own your home and your gas boiler doesn't work.
Your household income is under £31,000 a year, or someone gets a means-tested benefit.
Someone living with you is 65 or over, or under 5.

It pays for the boiler only, not radiators, pipework or controls. LEAP doesn't take applications straight from the public, so ask the council's energy team (energy@newcastle.gov.uk) or call LEAP free on 0800 060 7567 to check whether you can be referred. If you live in Gateshead or North Tyneside, ask LEAP whether it covers you. Details are on the LEAP boiler scheme page.

ECO4

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) has paid for new boilers and repairs for some people on benefits. It officially runs until 31 December 2026, but Newcastle City Council says funding is extremely limited and it isn't aware of any energy supplier or local installer with money left. The government has said no new supplier scheme will replace it.

If you rent

Repairing the boiler is normally your landlord's job, not yours. Tell them in writing straight away. If you rent from the council or a housing association, report it to their repairs line.

If your home has never had gas central heating

Newcastle City Council says Northern Gas Networks can help some households get a gas connection and central heating for the first time, through Communitas Energy. You need a long-term health condition that the cold makes worse, a household income under £31,000 after tax, and low savings. Landlords pay 30% of the cost, and help depends on funding being available. See Communitas Energy.

Free gas safety help

A free yearly gas safety check. Citizens Advice says you might get one from your gas supplier if you own your home and get a means-tested benefit, such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit). You also need to live with a child under 5, or be disabled, chronically ill or of State Pension age and live alone or with others who are. Ask your gas supplier.
The Priority Services Register. If you're of State Pension age, disabled, have a long-term health condition, are pregnant or have children under 5, you can join your energy companies' Priority Services Register for extra support, such as help in a power cut. It's free, and you only need to sign up with your electricity network, which you can find at thepsr.co.uk.
Check your engineer. You can check that an engineer is registered, for free, on the Gas Safe Register before they start.
If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency number free on 0800 111 999, at any time.
If you rent, your landlord must arrange a gas safety check every 12 months. Our landlord gas safety guide explains the rules.

Grants for insulation and heat pumps

Warm Homes: Local Grant. This pays for things like insulation, heat pumps, smart heating controls and solar panels. The home must be in England, privately owned (by you or your landlord) and rated EPC D, E, F or G, and household income usually has to be £36,000 a year or less. If you qualify, the council pays for the work it agrees with you, though landlords may need to pay towards it. It doesn't pay for gas boilers. Apply on GOV.UK or call 0800 098 7950. Newcastle City Council says its funding is oversubscribed, so new applications go on a waiting list.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme. If you're replacing gas, oil, LPG or electric heating with a heat pump, you can get £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump. It doesn't cover gas boilers or hybrid systems. See GOV.UK.

Help with heating bills

Warm Home Discount. If on 23 August 2026 you or your partner got Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related ESA or Pension Credit, and one of your names is on the electricity bill, you'll usually get £150 off your electricity bill automatically this winter, as long as your supplier is part of the scheme. Letters go out between late October 2026 and early January 2027. See GOV.UK.
Free energy advice. Newcastle City Council points residents to North East Warm Homes on 0808 175 9345, including home visits for homeowners and private tenants. If your supplier can't help with a bill, call Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133.

Gateshead and North Tyneside

Apart from the Newcastle details above, the schemes on this page apply wherever you live in England. For anything local, contact Gateshead Council or North Tyneside Council, as each council runs its own help.

Watch out for "free boiler" cold callers

Some firms cold call or knock on doors offering free boilers or grants. Before you sign anything or give your bank details, check the scheme on GOV.UK or with your council.

If you don't qualify

Most households won't qualify for a free boiler, and the schemes can take weeks. If you need the heating back on, a local Gas Safe registered engineer can look at it and tell you whether it's worth repairing. Use the form below and we'll pass your details to one engineer, who'll ring you with a price before any work starts.

Where this information comes from

We read these pages on 7 November 2026 and summarised them in our own words. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Need it sorted? Boiler repair in Newcastle typically costs £150 to £450. A local engineer will give you a price before starting.