Help with heating your home

Warm Homes Local Grant funding is available until 31 March 2028 for home insulation and renewables such as heat pumps and solar panels. The grant has been made possible by funding from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.

Grants are available for homes which have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) that is Band D, E, F or G. You can check on the Energy Performance Certificate Register for your address. If your property doesn't have a Certificate, we can help you to arrange one if you qualify for this scheme.

The amount of grant you can apply for varies depending on your property and the type of work that is needed. Homeowners are typically not expected to pay anything towards the scheme unless building repairs are needed before the insulation or renewables can be installed; in private rented properties, the landlord is expected to make a minimum 50 per cent contribution to the scheme after the first property.

Typical improvements to your home that may be carried out using the grant are:

• solid wall insulation (internal or external)
• cavity wall insulation
• loft, room-in-roof and flat roof insulation
• under-floor insulation
• heat pump
• solar PV for electricity generation
• high heat retention electric storage heaters, where a heat pump isn't suitable
• heating controls

The target is for the energy efficiency measures to improve your Energy Performance Band by at least 2 bands - for example, if your home is Band E, it should reach Band C or above with the planned improvements.

To qualify, you must be a homeowner who is living in the property as their main residence, or a private tenant, and meet the income criteria:

• You receive an income related benefit (for example, Universal Credit, Pension Credit Guarantee, Council Tax Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or Tax Credits), or
• Your total household income before tax, National Insurance and other deductions is no more than £36,000, or
• Your total household income before tax, National Insurance and other deductions is no more than £20,000 after your housing costs have been deducted (by housing costs we mean mortgage payments, rent payments and Council Tax)

When we calculate your household income, we will ignore any disability benefits (such as Personal Independence Payment or Attendance Allowance) so this will not count towards your household income.

If you think you may be eligible complete the apply for help with private housing heating and insulation form.

We will contact you to confirm your eligibility (we will ask you to provide us with documents to confirm your income) and explain the next steps.

If your heating has broken down we can provide a short term loan of an oil-filled heater. This should only be used for urgent situations as plug-in heaters are not the most affordable way of heating your home. Contact us on 0300 123 5017 (select option 4 then option 3) to request help.

The grant is for 75% of the cost of work, up to £2,000, for urgent heating improvements (such as boiler repairs, replacement boilers or new heating appliances). To qualify, you must be a homeowner living in the property, and meet one of the following criteria:

• you receive an income related benefit,
  or
• your only income is a state retirement pension, and you have less than £8,000 in savings (£16,000 for a couple)

This grant is also available to owner occupiers needing urgent heating to be able to come home from hospital. This is not means tested.

Grants are not available retrospectively; do not proceed with any work until the grant has been approved.

To find out more about this grant, complete the apply for help with private housing heating and insulation form.

Small grants of up to £200 are available if you are concerned about gas safety in your home. You might need your gas boiler servicing, or need a gas safety check or repair to your gas fire, cooker, boiler or water heater, or have concerns about the gas pipework or flue. If you are sleeping in the same room as a gas appliance such as a fire or boiler, we recommend that you have regular gas safety checks and install a carbon monoxide detector. If you are a homeowner, have a low income and/or a disability you may qualify for this grant - complete the apply for help with private housing heating and insulation form.

Grants are not available retrospectively; do not proceed with any work until the grant has been approved.

These schemes are coming to an end; an extension has been agreed to the scheme until 31 December 2026 to support a controlled closure and allow suppliers additional time to meet existing targets. There may be very limited opportunities to access funding through these schemes now.

Major gas and electricity suppliers have to provide funding towards energy efficiency such as heating (gas boilers and heat pumps) or insulation for roof spaces or walls; if you are in receipt of any of the following welfare benefits you may qualify for help.

• Child Tax Credit
• Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Pension Credit Guarantee
• Universal Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Benefit (income thresholds apply, depending on your household composition)

You can contact one of the major energy suppliers (you don't have to be their customer to qualify), or search for an ECO installer.

ECO Flex

Please note that the scheme is closing and the funding is likely to be very limited now.

Funding is available through ECO for people who don't receive one of the qualifying benefits, but does meet the criteria in Cheshire East's Flexible Eligibility Statement of Intent. We will provide written confirmation to Ofgem and an installer if you meet the criteria, and they will make the final decision on whether they can provide funding for heating (gas boilers and heat pumps) and/or insulation (roof spaces and walls).

The main qualifying criteria is household income of less than £31,000, or certain health conditions, and the Energy Performance Certificate for the home is Band D to G. The full criteria is set out in the Flexible Eligibility Statement of Intent v.2 (PDF, 334KB) published on 22 December 2023. To apply, complete the apply for help with private housing heating and insulation form.

Withdrawn statements of intent

Flexible Eligibility Statement of Intent v.1 (PDF, 180KB), published on 11 October 2022, withdrawn on 12 May 2023.

Flexible Eligibility Statement of Intent v.1.1 (PDF, 170KB), published on 12 May 2023, withdrawn on 11 August 2023.

Flexible Eligibility Statement of Intent v.1.2 (PDF, 177KB) published on 11 August 2023, withdrawn on 22 December 2023.

The following local and national services provide information and advice on reducing your energy use, information about any grants that are available, and managing your fuel bills:

• Energy Projects Plus (a local service that also offers home visits) - tel 0800 043 0151 or email advice@epplus.org.
• National Energy Action's Warm and Safe Homes (a national service) - tel 0800 304 7159
• Find ways to save energy in your home (a Government service) - visit GOV.UK or tel 0800 444 202
• Energy Savings Trust (online information)

Insulation

Many residents are interested in improving the energy efficiency of their homes and it can be difficult to know what will work for your home and who to trust to do the work. The types of insulation you can add to your home will vary depending on the design of your home.

There are several ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home, from a fabric first approach where insulation is added to the roof, walls or floor as well as upgrading your windows. Creating a more airtight home can also cut down on heat loss, but having proper ventilation is key.

Getting it right can cut bills and make for a warmer and more comfortable home and reduce bills from heating. Getting it wrong can lead to damp and other issues. Reassuringly, there are things to look out for that guarantee the competence of the installer and offers protections should anything go wrong.

Solar PV

Solar panel technology has come down in price a lot and increasingly people are having it installed on their roofs to reduce their electricity bills. The Energy Savings Trust's comprehensive guide to solar panels offers guidance on whether your home will be suitable for solar, so you can be informed when you receive quotes from suppliers.

Installers of solar panels often offer a range of guarantees and warranties, it is important to check this as well as the terms and conditions before agreeing to any solar PV installation.

Heat Pumps

Air source and ground source heat pumps are a method of heating your home that relies on electricity instead of gas or fuel-oil. They are increasingly being used to decarbonise heating in our homes. Like all retrofit solutions, their success depends on the quality of the installation as well as other factors like the insulation, airtightness and ventilation in your home. The Energy Saving Trust's in-depth guide to heat pumps provides information, advice and guidance on the different heat pump solutions.