Warm Homes Plan 2026: Everything You Need to Know
The short answer
- £15 billion of public investment to upgrade up to 5 million homes by 2030
- 31 December 2026 is when ECO4 closes, with no successor supplier scheme; GBIS closed on 31 March 2026
- £7,500 heat pump grant continues, or £9,000 for oil or LPG homes with no mains gas until 31 March 2027
The Warm Homes Plan is the government's £15 billion programme of public investment to upgrade up to 5 million homes and lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030. Published on 21 January 2026, it brings the supplier schemes, ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme, to a close and puts the money into grants for low-income homes, low and zero interest loans, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. This guide explains what is confirmed, what you can apply for now, and what is still being set up.
What the Warm Homes Plan includes
Low-income grants, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, £2bn of consumer loans and a new Warm Homes Agency. The Warm Homes: Local Grant is open through councils now, while the loan scheme is still signing up lenders.
| Scheme | Funding | Who it helps | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-income grants | £5bn to 2030, including £0.6bn from the Warm Homes Fund | Low-income and fuel-poor households, all tenures | Through the two schemes below; one merged scheme intended from 2027/28 |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) | £500m | Low-income households in privately owned homes in England, EPC D to G | Open through councils, delivery to 31 March 2028 |
| Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund | £754m, including extra funding in 2026/27 | Social housing, applied for by landlords | Active |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | £2.7bn, 2025/26 to 2029/30 | Property owners in England and Wales | Open: £7,500, or £9,000 for off gas oil or LPG homes until 31 March 2027 |
| Consumer loans (Warm Homes Loan Scheme) | £2bn | Low and zero interest loans for households | Signing up lenders; first lender window closed July 2026 |
| Warm Homes Fund, innovative finance | £2.7bn | Investment in and loans to the home upgrade sector | Being set up |
| Warm Homes Agency | New public body | Coordinates delivery; impartial advice for households from 2027 | Being set up |
Read the detail
The data behind this table
Source: GOV.UK Warm Homes Plan, January 2026, corrected March 2026; Warm Homes: Local Grant guidance, July 2026; Warm Homes Loan Scheme, September 2026. The £150 Warm Home Discount continues alongside the plan, reaching around six million households this winter.
What happens to ECO4 and GBIS
GBIS closed on 31 March 2026 and ECO4 closes on 31 December 2026, with no successor supplier scheme. If you qualify for ECO4, apply now, because the work has to be installed by that date.
Read the detail
GBIS ended on 31 March 2026 as planned. ECO4 has been extended by nine months to 31 December 2026, without any increase in its delivery targets, which also gives time to put right poor installations. The plan says supplier obligations did not represent strong value for money, so there will be no successor supplier scheme.
This means the transition period is now. If you qualify for ECO4, apply now: the work has to be installed by 31 December 2026. In England, the Warm Homes: Local Grant is already open through councils, with published rules: household income below £36,000, a listed means-tested benefit, or an eligible postcode, and a home rated D to G.
Apply for ECO4 while it lasts
GBIS closed on 31 March 2026. ECO4 closes on 31 December 2026 and still provides free or part funded insulation and heating upgrades. Do not wait for the merged low-income scheme planned from 2027/28; apply for what is available today. Use our grant eligibility checker.
What has the plan committed to?
Up to 5 million home upgrades and solar on up to 3 million more homes by 2030. The £7,500 heat pump grant continues, £2 billion backs new loans, and private rentals must reach EPC band C by October 2030.
Read the detail
Up to 5 million home upgrades by 2030. The plan aims to upgrade up to 5 million homes with insulation, clean heating, and renewable energy, and to lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty.
Triple rooftop solar. The plan aims to put solar panels on up to 3 million more homes by 2030. Combined with battery storage, this aims to reduce household electricity costs and grid dependence.
£7,500 heat pump grant continues. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is funded to 2029/30 with a total budget of £2.7 billion, £400 million of it in 2026 to 2027. Air-to-air heat pumps now qualify for a £2,500 grant, and until 31 March 2027 homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas get £9,000.
Low and zero interest loans. £2 billion backs a new consumer loan offer, delivered through banks and other lenders under the Warm Homes Loan Scheme for owner occupied and privately rented homes. The first window for lenders to join closed in July 2026 and another is planned later in 2026, so the loans are not yet something you can apply for directly. Check back before committing to paying cash.
Tighter landlord standards. Privately rented homes will need to meet EPC band C by October 2030, unless the property has a valid exemption. This replaces the existing EPC E minimum.
What does it mean for you?
If you are on a low income, apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant and ECO4 now rather than waiting. Other owners can still get the £7,500 heat pump grant, and landlords need band C by October 2030.
Read the detail
If you are on a low income or benefits
You are the primary target. In England the Warm Homes: Local Grant provides free upgrades through your local council, and ECO4 runs until 31 December 2026, so apply for both now rather than waiting for the merged scheme planned from 2027/28. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own schemes, which our grant checker covers.
If you are a homeowner not on benefits
GBIS, the insulation scheme with no benefits test, closed on 31 March 2026. The £7,500 BUS grant for heat pumps is open to every owner in England and Wales regardless of income, and in England the Warm Homes: Local Grant has an income route for households under £36,000. The new low and zero interest loans will come through lenders once they have signed up.
If you are a landlord
Start planning now. Rented homes will need EPC band C by October 2030, unless exempt. Read our EPC for landlords guide and use our EPC improvement planner.
If you are a social tenant
Your housing association should be applying to the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund on your behalf. Contact them to ask what upgrade plans are in place for your home.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Warm Homes Plan?
The government's £15 billion programme of public investment, published on 21 January 2026, to upgrade up to 5 million homes and lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030. It includes grants for low-income homes, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, new low and zero interest loans, and higher standards for rented homes. It brings the supplier schemes ECO4 and GBIS to a close.
Does the Warm Homes Plan replace ECO4?
Yes. ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026 with no successor supplier scheme. Support for low-income households moves to government grants: the Warm Homes: Local Grant in England now, and from 2027/28 a single low-income scheme the government intends to create. Apply for ECO4 now while it exists.
Can I get a loan for energy improvements?
Not yet directly. The plan puts £2 billion behind low and zero interest loans, delivered through lenders under the Warm Homes Loan Scheme. The first lender window closed in July 2026 and another is planned later in 2026, so check back before paying cash for a heat pump, solar panels or insulation.
Data sources
The plan and its funding table come from GOV.UK. Local Grant rules come from the July 2026 guidance, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme budget from DESNZ and the ECO4 end date from the government's extension response.
Show every source
Warm Homes Plan and its funding table from GOV.UK. Local Grant rules from the Warm Homes: Local Grant guidance, July 2026. Loans from the Warm Homes Loan Scheme page. Boiler Upgrade Scheme budget from DESNZ, April 2026. ECO4 end date from the government response Extending the ECO4 end date.