Warm Homes Local Grant 2026: Free Upgrades Explained

What Is the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Who Is It For?

£15,000 or more in free home upgrades. That's what some households are getting through the Warm Homes: Local Grant, and most of them had never heard of the scheme before their council got in touch. See our guide on energy efficient windows for more detail.

This is one of the newer parts of the government's Warm Homes Plan, which replaced the previous patchwork of local energy efficiency programmes. The idea is simple: central government allocates funding to local authorities, and those councils decide how to spend it based on what their area actually needs. A Victorian terrace belt in the North East has different problems to a 1960s estate in the Midlands, and this scheme is designed to reflect that.

So it's not one national application form. It's dozens of local programmes, each with slightly different rules.

That makes it both more flexible and more confusing than schemes like ECO4 or the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, where the rules are the same wherever you live. With the Warm Homes: Local Grant, your neighbour in the next borough might qualify for something you can't get, and vice versa. The grant amounts vary by local authority, and so do the specific measures on offer, the income thresholds, and even the application process.

Here's the honest bit: this inconsistency frustrates people. We see it regularly. Someone reads about a council funding air source heat pumps in full, contacts their own council, and finds out their local programme only covers insulation. That doesn't mean the scheme is bad. It means you need to check what your specific council is offering, not what someone on a forum said theirs did.

The scheme is open now and runs until 31 March 2028, so there's genuine time to apply. But funding is allocated in waves, and once your council's allocation is spent, you're waiting for the next round.

What Free Home Improvements Can You Get in 2026?

The specific measures depend on your council, but the Warm Homes: Local Grant generally covers the same categories of work across the country. What changes is which ones your local authority has prioritised and how much they'll spend per household.

Typical upgrades funded through the scheme include:

Loft insulation. The cheapest and most common measure. If your loft has less than 100mm of insulation (or none at all), this is almost always the first thing a surveyor will recommend. Topping up to 270mm of mineral wool can knock a full band off your EPC rating.

Cavity wall insulation. Available for properties built between roughly the 1930s and 1990s that have unfilled cavities. Our guide to cavity wall insulation costs covers what's involved, but through this grant you shouldn't pay a penny.

External and internal wall insulation. This is where the big money is. Solid-wall homes, typically pre-1930s, lose heat at roughly twice the rate of cavity wall properties. External wall insulation can cost £8,000 to £22,000 privately, which is why grant funding makes such a difference. Some councils are funding external wall insulation in full through this scheme.

Heating system upgrades. Some local authorities are using Warm Homes: Local Grant funding to install air source heat pumps, replacing old gas boilers entirely. Others are fitting first-time central heating in homes that still rely on electric storage heaters. Whether your council offers heating upgrades or sticks to insulation depends on their local strategy and remaining budget.

Solar panels. Less common, but a handful of councils include solar PV as part of a whole-house retrofit approach. Don't count on this being available in your area.

Windows and doors. Single-glazed windows are a priority in some areas. If your home still has original single glazing, check whether your council's programme includes window and door replacements.

One thing worth knowing: most councils won't just do one measure in isolation. They'll send a surveyor to assess your home and recommend a package of improvements. You might apply expecting loft insulation and end up getting cavity wall insulation and a new boiler too. The surveyor's assessment drives the work, not your request.

Do You Qualify? Income and Property Eligibility Explained

This is where people get tripped up, because the eligibility rules aren't uniform.

Every council sets its own criteria within the broad framework the government provides. But there are common threads across most local programmes:

Income. Most councils target low-income households, but the definition of "low income" varies. Some use a hard threshold, often around £31,000 to £36,000 household income. Others use a more flexible assessment that considers household size, housing costs, and fuel poverty risk. A few councils don't means-test at all for basic insulation measures, focusing instead on property type and EPC rating.

Property type and tenure. Owner-occupiers are always eligible. Private tenants sometimes qualify, though the landlord usually needs to give consent and may be asked to contribute. Social housing is typically excluded because housing associations have their own funding streams. Your home usually needs to be your main residence.

EPC rating. Most councils prioritise homes rated D, E, F, or G. If your home is already rated C or above, you're less likely to qualify. Don't know your rating? You can look it up for free on the EPC Register, or read our guide on how to improve your EPC rating to understand what the bands actually mean.

Fuel poverty indicators. Some councils use proxy indicators: if you're in a postcode with high deprivation scores, if your home is off the gas grid, or if you're spending more than 10% of your income on energy, you move up the priority list.

And here's something that catches people out. You don't necessarily need to be receiving benefits to qualify. ECO4, by contrast, is almost entirely benefits-based. The Warm Homes: Local Grant has a broader reach in many areas, specifically because councils can use local knowledge to identify households that are struggling but don't tick the benefits boxes.

Honestly, the only way to know for sure is to contact your council or check their website. We can't give you a definitive yes or no because the answer literally depends on your postcode.

How to Apply Through Your Local Council

Right, so you think you might qualify. What now?

The process varies, but it usually follows this sequence:

1. Find your council's energy efficiency or housing team. Search "[your council name] Warm Homes Local Grant" or look for their home energy improvement page. Some councils have branded their programme with a local name, which makes it harder to find. Try searching for "free insulation" plus your council name if the official scheme name draws a blank.

2. Fill in an expression of interest form. This is usually online, sometimes a phone call. You'll give basic details: your address, tenure, rough household income, and what kind of heating you have.

3. Wait for a surveyor visit. If you pass the initial screening, the council (or their delivery partner) will send someone to assess your home. They'll check your insulation levels, heating system, window glazing, and general condition. This visit is free.

4. Receive a recommendation. The surveyor's report determines what work gets done. You don't get to pick from a menu.

5. Installation. The council appoints approved contractors. You don't need to find your own installer. The work is typically completed within a few weeks of approval, though complex measures like external wall insulation can take longer.

One frustration we hear about constantly: response times. Some councils reply within days. Others take months. If you haven't heard back in four weeks, chase them. Be politely persistent. Council teams running these programmes are often small and overwhelmed.

There are no application fees. If anyone asks you to pay upfront to "process your application" for a government grant, that's a scam. Full stop.

How the Warm Homes Local Grant Compares to ECO4 and BUS

Three schemes, all offering free or subsidised home energy upgrades. So which one should you go for?

So here's how we'd think about it.

If you're on qualifying benefits like Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or Child Tax Credit, start with ECO4. It's the most generous scheme for benefits-receiving households, and it can fund a complete package of measures including a new heating system. But ECO4 closes at the end of 2026, so don't sit on it.

If you're not on benefits but you're on a modest income, the Warm Homes: Local Grant is probably your best route. The income thresholds are higher than ECO4's benefits requirement, and some councils don't means-test at all for basic insulation.

If you specifically want a heat pump and your household income is too high for either of the above, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives you £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump regardless of income. No means test. Our guide on whether heat pumps are worth it breaks down the real running costs.

Can you combine schemes? Sometimes. A council might fund your insulation through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and then you could separately apply for BUS to get a heat pump installed. But you can't get the same measure funded twice by two different schemes. The surveyor or installer should flag if there's an overlap.

One more thing. The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS), which some people still ask about, closed in March 2026. It's no longer accepting applications. If you were relying on that, the Warm Homes: Local Grant is the closest replacement for council-tax-band-based insulation funding.

What to Do If You Are Unsure Which Grant Suits You

Look, the grant system is messy. Three active schemes with different rules, different application routes, and different delivery partners. Nobody expects you to memorise all of it.

If you're unsure, start with the simplest action: check your EPC. That single document tells you your home's current rating, what upgrades would improve it, and roughly how much those upgrades would save. Most grant schemes use your EPC as a starting point, so having it to hand speeds everything up.

Then try our eligibility checker. It takes about two minutes and matches your situation against all currently open schemes, not just the Warm Homes: Local Grant. You'll get a clear answer on what you're likely to qualify for.

If you're the type who prefers to go direct, contact your council's housing or energy team and ask specifically about the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Have your postcode, tenure status, and rough household income ready. That's usually enough for them to tell you whether it's worth submitting a full expression of interest.

And if your council's programme is fully subscribed or your area isn't covered yet? Don't give up. Funding comes in waves. Ask to be put on a waiting list, and in the meantime check ECO4 eligibility if you're on benefits. These schemes aren't mutually exclusive, and your situation might fit more than one.