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What is the Warm Homes: Local Grant?Am I Eligible for the Warm Homes: Local Grant?More on Property EligibilityWhat Home Upgrades Are Covered by the Warm Homes Grant?How Can I Apply for the Warm Home: Local Grant?Alternative Funding Options for Solar, Heat Pumps and Energy EfficiencyWarm Homes Grant FAQs
What is the Warm Homes: Local Grant?Am I Eligible for the Warm Homes: Local Grant?More on Property EligibilityWhat Home Upgrades Are Covered by the Warm Homes Grant?How Can I Apply for the Warm Home: Local Grant?Alternative Funding Options for Solar, Heat Pumps and Energy EfficiencyWarm Homes Grant FAQs
The Warm Homes Local Grant is a government-backed scheme helping households across the UK upgrade their heating, insulation or renewable energy systems. The aim of this grant is to reduce energy bills and keep homes warmer throughout the winter.
With living costs rising and energy prices still a major concern, the grant offers a lifeline for many people in the UK. Whether you want to install a heat pump, improve home insulation, or switch to renewable energy such as solar panels, the scheme provides targeted funding to make these upgrades more affordable.
However, eligibility for the Warm Homes Grant depends on factors such as your income, property type and the current energy efficiency of your home.
Therefore, in this article, you’ll find out all the key details about the Warm Homes Grant, including who can apply, how the application process works and what financial help is available.
Curious about the cost of upgrading your heating? Simply fill in the form below to get a free heat pump quote and speak with one of our specialists about how the grant could help you:
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is part of the Government’s wider plan to make homes across England warmer, greener and cheaper to heat. It’s a key part of the national Warm Homes Plan, a long-term programme aiming to upgrade five million homes over the next five years. The goal is to lower energy bills, reduce carbon emissions and help more families live in safer, more comfortable homes.
This initiative supports the Government’s mission to turn Britain into a clean energy superpower by 2030. By investing in low-carbon heating, better insulation and renewable energy technology, such as solar panels and battery storage, the scheme will help move households towards clean, affordable energy and support the UK’s target of reaching net zero by 2050.
Through the Warm Homes: Local Grant, funding is distributed to local authorities across England. These councils work with local partners to deliver energy-saving upgrades directly to low-income households living in the least energy-efficient homes. Whether your home uses mains gas, electricity, oil, or LPG, you could be eligible for support to improve your home’s efficiency and cut rising energy costs.
The Government has committed £3.4 billion overall to the Warm Homes Plan, with £500 million of that funding allocated specifically to the Local Grant. This funding, running from April 2025 to March 2028, will help deliver essential improvements such as insulation, solar panels and modern low-carbon heating systems. In total, 74 projects involving 271 local authorities, covering more than 97% of eligible councils in England, have already received funding to get the scheme underway.
The primary goal of the Warm Homes: Local Grant is to help reduce fuel poverty by upgrading homes to reach at least Energy Efficiency Band C by 2030. This means lower energy bills and warmer homes for those who need it most. At the same time, the scheme supports the UK’s journey to net zero by cutting carbon emissions through cleaner heating solutions and energy-saving improvements.
Beyond helping households, the scheme brings wider benefits to local communities. It supports new green jobs, strengthens local supply chains and boosts the retrofit economy, all while helping ensure that the homes built and upgraded today are better prepared for the future. Importantly, lessons from earlier schemes such as the Local Authority Delivery (LAD) and Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) have been built into its design, ensuring the process is more effective and accessible.
For local authorities taking part, additional guidance and technical support are available through RISE (Retrofit Information, Support and Expertise), a dedicated facility created by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to help deliver the scheme successfully.
This article is based on information from the Warm Homes: Local Grant Policy Guidance for Local Authorities (updated 16 June 2025).
To qualify for the Warm Homes: Local Grant, your household must meet certain criteria based on income and property eligibility. The good news is that there are three different ways you can qualify for funding and you only need to meet the requirements for one of them to apply successfully.
Alongside income checks, your local council will also need to confirm some basic details such as proof of address, home ownership or tenancy, and an up-to-date Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for your property. Depending on how you qualify, you may also be asked to provide evidence of income or benefit entitlement.
If your home is located in one of England’s most income-deprived areas, it could automatically qualify for support. This is based on official data known as the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) which ranks every postcode area in England according to income levels and living conditions.
Homes in the IMD income bands 1 or 2, the two lowest deciles, meet the requirements for the scheme without needing to go through an income check. Your local authority will simply need to verify your address. This pathway helps focus funding on areas where fuel poverty is highest, supporting multiple households at once to make heating and insulation upgrades more efficient to deliver.
If you don’t live in an eligible IMD area, you might still qualify if someone in your household receives a means-tested benefit. These include:
Housing Benefit
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Income Support
Pension Credit (Guarantee or Savings Credit)
Universal Credit
Receiving one of these benefits could make you eligible for the Warm Homes: Local Grant, as long as your home meets the property requirements.
Another option under this pathway is through the ECO4 Flex Route 2, which allows councils to use alternative ways of verifying low-income households. If your home meets at least two of the criteria under this route and has an EPC rating between E and G, you could still qualify for help.
Even if you don’t live in an IMD 1–2 area or receive benefits, you might still be eligible based on your household income. If your total annual income (before tax and deductions) is £36,000 or less, your household could qualify under this route. This figure includes the income of all adults living in the property, except those who are full-time students.
If your income is slightly above the £36,000 limit, you may still qualify if your ‘After Housing Costs’ income, what’s left after paying rent or mortgage, is below the set threshold for your household size. This ensures that families with higher housing costs aren’t excluded if they’re still struggling with energy affordability.
When calculating income, certain disability-related benefits, such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Attendance Allowance, aren’t included because they’re intended to pay for specific care or support needs.
To receive funding through the Warm Homes: Local Grant, you only need to meet one of the three pathways:
Living in a qualifying low-income area.
Receiving means-tested benefits or meeting ECO Flex Route 2 criteria.
Having a total household income of £36,000 or less, or a lower ‘after housing costs’ income.
Bear in mind, to qualify you also need all of the following:
Live in England.
Own your home or rent from a private landlord.
Live in a home with an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of D to G.
If you think your home might qualify, you can check your eligibility and apply on the government website.
As briefly mentioned above, to qualify for the Warm Homes Grant, your home needs to meet certain property requirements in addition to the income and household criteria. These rules make sure the funding goes to homes that will benefit most from energy improvements.
The grant is only available for homes in England with an EPC rating between bands D and G. In other words, your property must currently have lower energy efficiency, an EPC score of 68 or below. Homes rated A to C are already considered energy efficient and therefore aren’t eligible for funding.
If you don’t know your EPC rating, you can check it for free on the official EPC register. Park homes don’t always have EPCs, but these can still qualify under separate assessment methods to show they meet a similar efficiency standard.
Only existing homes are covered by the scheme. That means new builds or self-built properties that haven’t been lived in before aren’t eligible. The grant is specifically for upgrading homes that people already occupy and that need better insulation or heating systems.
Park homes can be included if they are your main residence and are expected to remain in place for the full guarantee period of any work done. These homes are assessed to make sure they’re equivalent to EPC bands D to G before receiving funding.
If you own and live in your home, upgrades are fully funded under the grant. You won’t have to make any financial contribution toward the eligible improvements, unless you choose to pay for extra, optional work such as aesthetic upgrades.
The scheme also supports the private rented sector (PRS), meaning landlords can apply if their tenants meet the income requirements. The first eligible rental property per landlord can receive 100% funding, but additional properties will require the landlord to contribute 50% of the costs.
To ensure fairness and compliance, landlords must confirm they meet subsidy rules and agree not to increase rent as a result of receiving grant-funded improvements. Their details are recorded in a central database managed by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
For social housing, upgrades are only allowed where they form part of a larger, area-based project. For example, when improving multiple homes on the same street. In these cases, social housing can make up no more than 10% of a local project, and housing providers must contribute at least half the total cost of upgrades.
The grant applies to all main types of home heating, whether your property uses gas, oil, LPG, electricity, coal or solid fuels. Homes connected to a district heating network can also qualify.
While the scheme particularly encourages off-gas grid homes (those without a mains gas connection) to switch to low-carbon heating like heat pumps, households using other fuel types can still access funding if they meet the wider eligibility rules.
If your home has previously benefited from energy-efficiency funding, such as through the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) or Local Authority Delivery (LAD) scheme, you may still qualify for further improvements under the Warm Homes Grant.
This is allowed as long as the new upgrades either raise your property’s EPC to band C or include low-carbon heating. Homes that only received measures through other government schemes, like the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), can also reapply for additional improvements under this programme.
To be eligible, your home needs to:
Be located in England.
Have an EPC rating between D and G (unless it’s a park home assessed separately).
Be an existing property, not a new or self-build.
Meet ownership or tenancy requirements depending on your situation.
Use any common heating fuel type.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant offers funding for a wide range of home improvements designed to make your property warmer, more energy efficient and cheaper to run. The grant includes two main funding caps, one for energy performance upgrades and one for low-carbon heating systems. Each has a limit of £15,000 per home, meaning several upgrades can be included as long as the total average cost stays within these caps.
You can use the energy performance funding cap to pay for improvements that boost your home’s overall efficiency. This includes upgrades that stop heat escaping and make your home easier to keep warm, such as:
Insulation for walls, roofs and floors.
Draught proofing and air sealing.
Double or triple glazing.
Energy-efficient doors.
Alongside these fabric improvements, the grant can also cover smart energy measures that help you save money and cut carbon. Examples include:
Solar panels (PV).
Smart heating controls.
Battery storage systems that store solar power for use later in the day.
By combining several of these measures, your home can maintain a comfortable temperature all year round while reducing your energy bills and carbon footprint.
The second funding cap is dedicated to clean heating solutions, helping you transition away from older fossil fuel systems. This funding can be used for modern, efficient heating upgrades such as:
High heat retention storage heaters.
These technologies provide reliable warmth while cutting your home’s carbon emissions compared to traditional gas, oil or coal systems. The Government expects this part of the grant to encourage widespread heat pump installation, especially for homes not connected to the mains gas grid. For many households, switching to a heat pump could lead to substantial long-term savings on energy bills.
Applying for the grant is a straightforward process, but the exact steps will depend on your living situation (if you own your home or rent for example).
If you own and live in your home, you can apply through your local council’s website or dedicated energy grants team. Many councils will have an online form where you can check your eligibility and register your interest. You’ll likely need to share some basic details such as your address, income level and current heating type.
Once your information is reviewed, your local authority will contact you to arrange a home assessment. This visit helps determine which upgrades are most suitable for your property, whether it’s better insulation, solar panels or a new heat pump. If you qualify, the council will organise approved installers to carry out the work at no cost to you (as long as it falls within the grant’s limits).
Remember, you won’t be asked to contribute any money toward the improvements unless you choose to add optional extras such as cosmetic upgrades or non-standard fittings.
Another easy way to apply is through the Government's website.
If you rent your home from a private landlord, you can still benefit from the grant but your landlord will need to be involved in the application process. Your council will check if you meet the household income criteria, and the landlord must agree to the energy upgrades.
Landlords can get full funding for one qualifying property. If they apply for additional properties, they’ll need to cover 50% of the cost themselves. The landlord must also agree that your rent will not increase because of the improvements being installed using government funding.
To start, speak with your landlord first and then contact your local council’s housing or environmental services team to find out if your area has an open Warm Homes: Local Grant project.
If you live in social housing, such as a council home or housing association property, you won’t normally apply through this scheme directly. Instead, your housing provider may take part in separate funding called the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. However, some social homes might be included in the Warm Homes: Local Grant as part of an area-wide project. If that’s the case, your provider will contact you when your home is eligible for upgrades.
When applying, you’ll typically need to provide:
Proof of identity and address (e.g., utility bill or council tax statement).
Proof of income or benefit entitlement if you’re applying under an income-based route.
Your home’s EPC rating or address so the council can check it for you.
For tenants, written permission from your landlord to carry out upgrades.
After you apply, your local authority or their delivery partner will handle everything, from property surveys to arranging installations and ensuring quality standards. Funding for the grant runs from April 2025 to March 2028, so it’s worth checking early whether your local council is taking part and opening applications soon.
If you don’t qualify for the Warm Homes Grant, there are still several other ways to get help with home energy improvements across the UK. From nationwide schemes to regional support, these programmes can help you lower installation costs and make your home warmer, greener, and more affordable to run.
Below are some of the main alternative funding options currently available:
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers air source heat pump grants and ground source heat pump grants to help homeowners in England and Wales switch from fossil fuel heating to low-carbon alternatives. If you’re eligible, you can get up to £7,500 off the cost and installation of a heat pump or biomass boiler, making it one of the most generous clean heating incentives available.
The ECO4 Scheme is designed to support low-income and fuel-poor households across Great Britain. It can help fund insulation, heating and other energy efficiency measures. Energy suppliers deliver these improvements directly through their approved installers, ensuring your home becomes easier and cheaper to heat.
If you live in Scotland, the Warmer Homes Scotland programme offers support for energy-saving upgrades such as insulation, heating replacements and renewable systems like solar panels. The amount of funding depends on your circumstances, but you may be eligible for free or heavily discounted measures designed to reduce energy bills long-term.
The Nest scheme helps households in Wales improve their energy efficiency, particularly those struggling with high energy costs. Depending on your income and home condition, you could qualify for free upgrades including boiler replacements, solar panel grants and insulation improvements.
If you already have solar panels or plan to install them, the Smart Export Guarantee ensures you’re paid for any excess electricity you export back to the grid. This is not a grant but a payment scheme run by energy suppliers that helps you earn money and make your solar system even more cost-effective over time.
To make home improvements more affordable, the government has cut VAT to 0% on energy-saving materials, like solar panels, insulation and heat pumps, until at least 2027. This tax relief applies to both the purchase and installation, helping you save hundreds of pounds upfront.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is a government-funded scheme that helps eligible households in England make their homes more energy efficient. It provides funding for upgrades like insulation, renewable energy systems and clean heating solutions to reduce energy bills and cut carbon emissions.
If you’re a homeowner, upgrades are fully funded under the scheme, you won’t need to contribute unless you choose to pay for optional extras. Private landlords will receive full funding for one eligible property, but must contribute 50% for additional properties.
Yes, the Warm Homes Grant can cover renewable energy and heating upgrades such as solar panel installations and the replacement of old boilers with efficient heat pump. This support can significantly reduce your solar panel and heat pump costs, helping you save on upfront expenses while cutting your long-term energy bills.
You’ll need proof of identity, address and income (or benefit entitlement). If you rent your home, your landlord must also provide written permission for any upgrades.
Once your application is approved, your local authority will arrange a property assessment and then schedule the work. The exact timescale can vary depending on the type of improvements and local installer availability.
