Somewhere between the adverts for zero-VAT solar panels and the leaflets about energy-saving grants, a perfectly reasonable belief has taken root: new windows save energy, so surely they get some tax relief too? We're asked this weekly. And the honest answer deserves a proper article, because the truthful 'mostly no' comes packaged with several genuine savings that the misleading adverts never get round to mentioning.
What the 0% VAT scheme actually covers
Since 2022 (and it's been extended and expanded since), installing designated energy-saving materials in residential properties carries 0% VAT instead of 20%. It's a genuine, generous relief and it runs until March 2027, after which a 5% reduced rate is scheduled to take over. What's on the list? Insulation for lofts, walls and floors. Solar panels, heat pumps and biomass boilers. Draught stripping, heating controls, ground and water-source works, plus additions like battery storage. Real scheme, real five-figure savings on big retrofits. Which is exactly why its halo keeps getting borrowed by neighbouring industries.
The windows answer, plainly
Replacement windows and doors are not on the list. Glazing is one of the most common energy-efficiency improvements in Britain, yet it has never been designated as an energy-saving material for VAT purposes. New windows carry standard 20% VAT, full stop. The official reasoning is that windows count as improvements with amenity value beyond pure energy saving. Debatable? The industry has certainly lobbied against it for years. But it's the law in 2026, and any window advert implying zero-VAT eligibility is either confused or hoping you are. Treat it as the credibility test it is.
The genuine edge cases
- Draught stripping qualifies: professionally installed draught-proofing of existing windows and doors does sit on the list at 0%. That matters for sash overhaul work, where sealing is a distinct installed measure.
- New-build homes: windows in qualifying new dwellings are zero-rated as part of the construction. Different relief entirely, and the builder claims it.
- Some conversions and renovations (properties empty for 2+ years, certain residential conversions) attract 5% VAT on the whole job, windows included. Worth professional advice on any major project.
- Bundled retrofits: where windows go in alongside qualifying measures, those measures still get their relief, but the windows portion stays at 20%. Insist on itemised invoices so each part is taxed correctly.
The savings that actually exist for window buyers
Forget the imaginary 20% and claim the real reductions instead. Factory-direct purchasing beats national-brand pricing by 20-30% on identical specification, which is a bigger saving than the VAT relief would ever have been, and it's available today; our local-vs-national analysis shows the workings. Ordering by whole house or elevation by elevation trims the per-window cost. A repair-first survey replaces only what genuinely needs replacing, and glass-only unit swaps dodge most of a window's cost entirely. Then there's the running saving, untaxed by definition: £150-£400 a year off energy bills, compounding quietly for as long as you own the house. None of it fits on a leaflet as neatly as '0% VAT'. All of it is real.
Watch the horizon (but don't wait on it)
Could windows join the list one day? Maybe. The industry keeps lobbying, fabric-first policy logic points that way, and the scheme is due a review before its 2027 step-down. So yes, recheck the position each year, against official guidance rather than adverts. But waiting for a possible future relief while failed glazing leaks a 20%-sized sum in heat every couple of winters is arithmetic pointing the wrong way. Buy when the windows need it, from someone whose quote is straight about tax. Every line of ours shows VAT plainly, because a supplier who gets creative with VAT is rehearsing to get creative with everything else.
A worked comparison, to make it concrete
Take two quotes for the same ten-window house. The national brand comes in at £11,800 including VAT, with a leaflet hinting at energy-saving tax advantages that don't exist for glazing. The local fabricator quotes £7,900, including the very same 20% VAT, itemised line by line. The buyer who spent an evening wishing for a VAT exemption was staring at a £2,360 question. The buyer who compared selling models instead banked £3,900 without any change in the law. That's the whole moral of the VAT story. The tax is identical on every honest quote, so the real variable was never the tax at all. It's the margin structure sitting above the window, and unlike HMRC policy, that's a saving you control completely.
Frequently asked questions
Is there 0% VAT on new windows in 2026?
No. Replacement windows and doors carry standard 20% VAT. The zero rate covers designated energy-saving materials like insulation, solar panels and heat pumps, and glazing has never been on that list, despite what plenty of people assume.
Why don't windows qualify as energy-saving materials?
HMRC treats window replacement as a general improvement with amenity value beyond pure energy saving, so it was left off when the list was drawn up. The industry disputes that logic and keeps lobbying for inclusion. Until the law changes, 20% applies.
Does any window-related work get VAT relief?
Some, yes. Professionally installed draught-proofing of existing windows qualifies at 0%. Windows in new-build dwellings are zero-rated as part of the construction, and some renovations of long-empty properties attract 5% on all works. Standard replacement in an occupied home stays at 20%.
Can installers legally offer windows VAT-free?
Not for standard replacements. An installer 'absorbing the VAT' is either just discounting (fine) or misdescribing supplies (not fine, and your problem too if the invoices are wrong). Insist on itemised, correctly rated paperwork.
Will windows be added to the 0% VAT list?
It's actively lobbied for, and the scheme faces a review before the relief steps down to 5% in March 2027, so recheck official guidance yearly. As of early 2026 there's been no announcement. Plan purchases on current law.
How do I actually save money on windows then?
Buy factory-direct (20-30% below national-brand pricing), replace glass units rather than whole windows where the frames are sound, order by whole house or full elevation, and spec honestly per elevation. Those savings exist today, and they beat the mythical VAT one.
Real prices, honest tax, bigger savings
Factory-direct quotes with every line itemised and the VAT shown plainly, plus a repair-first survey that often shrinks the bill more than any relief would. Made in Trafford Park and guaranteed for 10 years.
Call 07533 830717, WhatsApp us a photo for a fast quote, or request a free quote online.