The Warm Homes Plan is the government programme, published in January 2026, to upgrade around 5 million homes by 2030 with about £13.2bn of funding. It is not one grant you can apply for. It is a family of funds: a council run grant for low income owner occupiers, a social housing fund, money devolved to mayors, a planned loan fund for everyone else, and the tail end of ECO4. Which one applies to you depends on who owns your home and your household income.
Key takeaways
- Warm Homes Plan: about £13.2bn to 2030, around 5 million homes, published January 2026.
- Warm Homes: Local Grant is the part for private homes: low income owner occupiers in EPC D to G homes, through councils, 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028.
- Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 (£1.29bn) and £58.7m devolved to London go to councils and housing associations for their tenants.
- The Warm Homes Fund, roughly £5bn of low or zero interest loans for homeowners who do not qualify for grants, is expected to open during 2027.
- ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026 with no successor; GBIS closed on 31 March 2026.
- For most London homeowners the live support in 2026 is 0% VAT on insulation, solar and heat pumps until 31 March 2027, plus the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
What are the five parts of the Warm Homes Plan?
When people search for "the Warm Homes grant" they usually mean one of these. Each has a different pot of money, a different buyer and a different route in.
| Fund | Money | Window | Who it is for | How you get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) | £500m nationally, £53.47m for London | 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028 | Low income owner occupiers in EPC D to G homes; landlords at 50% on a first rented property | Apply to your council; in London through Warmer Homes London. The council appoints the installer |
| Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 | £1.29bn, 144 projects | 2025 to 2028 | Council and housing association tenants | Your landlord applies and delivers the work |
| Devolved retrofit funding to mayors | £58.7m to London, announced 22 July 2026 | 2026 to 2028 | Social homes in London | Through the GLA and Warmer Homes London to social landlords |
| Warm Homes Fund | About £5bn in low or zero interest loans | Consulted on in 2026; expected to open during 2027 | Homeowners who do not qualify for grants | Direct to homeowners once open; terms not yet published |
| ECO4 | Energy supplier obligation | Ends 31 December 2026, no successor | Low income households | Through energy suppliers and their agents, closing |
Alongside the plan, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme continues to pay £7,500 towards a heat pump (£9,000 for oil or LPG homes with no mains gas until 31 March 2027) and is funded through to 2029/30. That is covered in the heat pump grants guide.
Which part is for homeowners?
If you are on a low income: Warm Homes: Local Grant
Owner occupiers with a household income under £36,000, or on means-tested benefits, or living in a deprived postcode area, whose home is EPC D to G, can apply to their council. It funds insulation, ventilation, solar PV and battery, heat pumps and other measures, up to £15,000 for energy performance measures and £15,000 for low carbon heat per home (raised to £16,600 each in the July 2026 guidance, averaged across a council's project). The council procures and manages the installers, so you cannot choose a firm. Details are in Warm Homes: Local Grant in London.
If you are not: Warm Homes Fund loans, from 2027
The plan accepts that most homeowners will not get a grant, and its answer is finance. The Warm Homes Fund is planned as roughly £5bn of low or zero interest loans for homeowners who do not qualify for grants. The design was consulted on in 2026 and the fund is expected to open during 2027. Until the terms are published we cannot say what it will lend, over how long, or on what measures, so treat it as something to watch rather than to plan around.
Warm Homes Plan timeline to 2030
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 April 2025 | Warm Homes: Local Grant delivery begins |
| January 2026 | Warm Homes Plan published: about £13.2bn to 2030 |
| 31 March 2026 | Great British Insulation Scheme closes |
| 21 July 2026 | Boiler Upgrade Scheme rises to £9,000 for oil or LPG homes with no mains gas |
| 22 July 2026 | £58.7m devolved retrofit funding to London announced |
| July 2026 | WH:LG guidance raises the cost caps to £16,600 for energy performance and £16,600 for low carbon heat |
| 31 December 2026 | ECO4 ends; no successor obligation |
| During 2027 | Warm Homes Fund loans expected to open |
| 31 March 2027 | 0% VAT on energy-saving materials ends, rate due to become 5%; £9,000 BUS uplift ends |
| 31 March 2028 | Warm Homes: Local Grant delivery closes |
| 2029/30 | Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding runs to |
| 2030 | Warm Homes Plan target date; EPC C target for private rented homes |
The date that matters most for a private homeowner is 31 March 2027, when the 0% VAT rate ends. The one that matters most for anyone on a low income is 31 March 2028, when the council grant stops.
What should a London homeowner do now?
- Check your EPC band. If it is D to G and your household income is under £36,000 (or you receive means-tested benefits or live in a deprived postcode area), apply to Warmer Homes London before you spend anything. Search "Warmer Homes London" on the GLA website.
- If you do not qualify, use the 0% VAT window. Insulation, draught proofing, solar, batteries and heat pumps are 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. On a £15,000 external wall insulation job that is £3,000 against the standard rate.
- Book a free heat loss survey. It tells you which measure gives the most for the money in your particular house, so you do not spend a loan or a grant on the wrong thing. Book a free heat loss survey.
- Insulate before a heat pump. The £7,500 grant is not conditional on insulation any more, but a well insulated home needs a smaller, cheaper heat pump. See do I need to insulate before a heat pump.
- Landlords: plan for EPC C. Government has confirmed an EPC C target for private rented homes by 2030; check the current rules for the detail. Our landlord EPC C packages are built around it.
We install insulation with our own team, PAS 2030:2023 certified and TrustMark registered, and arrange solar, batteries and heat pumps through accredited, MCS certified installers. We do not deliver council grant work. What we can do is tell you where you stand and quote the private price with 0% VAT shown. Get a free quote when you are ready.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Warm Homes Plan?
The government programme published in January 2026 to upgrade around 5 million homes by 2030, with about £13.2bn of funding. It includes the Warm Homes: Local Grant for low income owner occupiers, a social housing fund, money devolved to mayors and a planned loan fund for other homeowners.
Is the Warm Homes grant the same as the Warm Homes Plan?
No. The Warm Homes: Local Grant is one part of the plan. It is run by councils for owner occupiers on a low income in EPC D to G homes, until 31 March 2028. The plan as a whole also covers social housing and future loans.
When do the Warm Homes Fund loans start?
The loan fund was consulted on in 2026 and is expected to open during 2027. It is planned as roughly £5bn of low or zero interest loans for homeowners who do not qualify for grants. The terms have not been published.
Can I apply for the Warm Homes Plan directly?
There is no single application. Low income owner occupiers apply to their council for the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Social tenants go through their landlord. Everyone else waits for the loan fund or uses 0% VAT and, for heat pumps, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Does the Warm Homes Plan replace ECO4?
ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026 and there is no successor obligation on energy suppliers. From 2027 funded insulation work for private homes comes through councils under the Warm Homes: Local Grant, and through the planned loan fund.
Which parts are for councils and social landlords?
Two of the five parts never reach a private household. The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 (£1.29bn across 144 projects, 2025 to 2028) pays councils and housing associations to upgrade their own stock. The £58.7m devolved to London on 22 July 2026 goes the same way, through the GLA and Warmer Homes London, for social homes in the capital.
If you are a council or housing association tenant, the route is your landlord, not a grant application. Ask whether your block or estate is in a funded programme and when the survey is due.