Grants and funding
Grants and funding for home-energy upgrades
Some UK households can get government or local-authority support towards solar panels, insulation, smart controls or a heat pump. Eligibility and funding vary by nation, income, property and installer, so treat these as schemes to check, not promises to bank on.
Checked 15 September 2026
Two main routes, two different rules
The schemes sit in different parts of government and work in different ways.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is delivered through local councils and is aimed at lower income households in homes with poor energy ratings. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a national upfront discount on low-carbon heating, applied through your installer. They are not alternatives to each other: a household might be eligible for one, both, or neither.
Warm Homes: Local Grant
England only. Free energy-saving improvements for eligible households, arranged by the local council.
Scheme at a glance
- Nation
- England only
- Who arranges it
- Your local council, through approved contractors
- Who pays
- The council pays for approved work directly
- Likely measures
- Solar panels, insulation, smart controls, air-source heat pumps
The property generally must be privately owned or privately rented and have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D, E, F or G. Household income is usually £36,000 a year or less, but some postcode-based or benefit-based routes can qualify above that figure, so income alone does not rule you in or out.
The local council arranges a survey and pays for approved work. You do not receive cash; the improvements are installed and funded through the scheme.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
England and Wales. An upfront discount on low-carbon heating, applied for by your installer.
Current grant values
£7,500
Eligible air-to-water and ground-source heat pumps, including water-source
£2,500
Eligible air-to-air heat pumps
£5,000
Eligible biomass boilers
£9,000
Eligible off-gas-grid properties replacing oil or LPG with qualifying air-to-water or ground-source heat pumps, available until 31 March 2027
The scheme is installer-led: you choose an MCS-certified installer, and the installer applies for the grant on your behalf. The grant value comes off the quoted price rather than being paid to you separately. The scheme runs in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland operate separate arrangements.
The £9,000 off-gas-grid uplift is time-limited and currently available until 31 March 2027. These are current grant values checked September 2026, not permanent promises: schemes, values and end dates can change.
Which route sounds like you?
A rough first filter, not an eligibility check.
- 01Lower income, lower EPC rating, England: check the Warm Homes: Local Grant official eligibility for your council area. The council arranges the survey and pays for approved work.
- 02Replacing your heating, England or Wales: check the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and speak to an MCS-certified installer, who applies for the grant and deducts it from your quote.
- 03Self-funding solar, battery or EV charging: grants generally do not apply here. Use the Housebright calculators and your own quote research to judge value.
Important: what Housebright is and is not
Official sources
Always check the live scheme page before acting, because values and end dates change.
- GOV.UK — Apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant
- GOV.UK — Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get
- Ofgem — Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) for property owners
Checked 15 September 2026. Sources: GOV.UK, Ofgem.
Work out what fits your home
Grants reduce the cost of a heat pump; they do not change whether the design suits your house. Run your own numbers alongside any grant you might claim.