Grants and Schemes news, page 4
- March 2026
Winter Fuel Payment scheme for Winter 2025-2026 closes
The Winter Fuel Payment scheme for Winter 2025-2026 has closed, with details of future schemes stated as becoming available later in 2026.
- February 2026
Forthcoming changes to OZEV grants from 1 April 2026 announced
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has set out changes to its electric vehicle chargepoint grants taking effect from 1 April 2026, with five schemes running to 31 March 2027.
OZEV home and workplace grants terms and conditions published on GOV.UK
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has published the terms and conditions covering customers, installers and installer representatives applying for or claiming its home and workplace grants.
Warm Home Discount costs to move from standing charges to unit rate
Ofgem has confirmed that Warm Home Discount costs will move from standing charges to the unit rate, cutting standing charges by an average of £13 for dual fuel customers from April.
Energy Saving Trust publishes response to Scottish Government equity loan call for evidence
Energy Saving Trust has published its response to a Scottish Government call for evidence, backing expansion of the Home Energy Efficiency Equity Loan Pilot into a nationwide support scheme.
Government response published confirming ECO4 Order amendment
The government has published its response to a consultation on amending the ECO4 Order, confirming that the Order will be changed to name the government grants from which ECO4 measures cannot receive money.
Northern Ireland announces Warm Healthy Homes Fund launching 2027
Northern Ireland's Department for Communities has opened a consultation on a Warm Healthy Homes Fund, due to launch in 2027 with £150 million of investment over its first five years.
Domestic battery installations resume under WH:SHF
Domestic battery installations alongside solar panels have resumed under the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund from 2 February 2026, after an interim solution was developed to fill a gap in product standards.
- January 2026
Government confirms Warm Home Discount continuation to 2030/31
The Government has confirmed the Warm Home Discount will run for a further five years to 2030/31, with a single Core Group in England and Wales and expanded eligibility in Scotland.
Warm Home Discount expanded to more people on means-tested benefits this year
The Warm Home Discount has expanded this year to include more people on certain means-tested benefits, the consumer body Which? has reported, setting out the £150 payment and other winter support.
House of Lords debates the Warm Homes Plan Statement
Peers debated the Warm Homes Plan on 27 January 2026, questioning its effect on bills, a six-month gap between schemes, solar supply chains and the running costs of heat pumps.
ECO4 extended to 31 December 2026
The government has extended the Energy Company Obligation to 31 December 2026 so suppliers can meet existing targets and put right non-compliant insulation installations.
Government response confirms ECO4 extended to 31 December 2026
The government has confirmed ECO4 will run for nine more months to 31 December 2026, with no extension to the Great British Insulation Scheme and no increase in supplier targets.
Welsh Government announces £98.75 million for next round of Optimised Retrofit Programme
The Welsh Government has announced £98.75 million for the next round of the Optimised Retrofit Programme, taking total investment in social housing energy efficiency since 2020 past £466 million.
BUS funding for 2026-2030 announced
Ofgem has confirmed the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will run to 2030, with funding for 2026 to 2030 announced on 21 January 2026 under the Warm Homes Plan and rule changes in force from 28 April 2026.
New warm homes agency to be established and Salix abolished
The government has set out a Warm Homes Plan allocating £15 billion, abolishing the ECO scheme and Salix, and creating a new warm homes agency to consolidate delivery functions.
Warm Homes Plan first published
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published the Warm Homes Plan on 21 January 2026, a policy paper setting out how it intends to cut energy bills and upgrade homes.
First universal grants for heat batteries and air-to-air heat pumps announced
The Government has set out a £15 billion Warm Homes Plan, including a first universal £2,500 grant for heat batteries and air-to-air heat pumps alongside £7,500 for conventional heat pumps.
Government launches £15 billion Warm Homes Plan
The government has launched a £15 billion Warm Homes Plan to upgrade up to five million homes, cut bills and lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.
Nesta analysis finds Warm Homes Plan could save households up to £1,000 on bills
Nesta analysis published on 20 January 2026 projects that a household adding a heat pump, solar panels and a battery under the Warm Homes Plan could cut its annual energy bill by about £1,000.
Crisis and Resilience Fund page first published
The Department for Work and Pensions has published guidance for the Crisis and Resilience Fund, a grant scheme running in England from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029.
Consumer Scotland publishes response opposing moving Warm Home Discount costs to unit rate
Consumer Scotland has told the UK government not to move Warm Home Discount costs from standing charges to unit rates, saying higher-use households would pay more and the change should wait for Ofgem's wider review.
Consultation on WHD cost recovery closed
The government has confirmed that energy suppliers should recover Warm Home Discount costs from the unit rate rather than the standing charge from 1 April 2026, after a consultation that drew 778 responses.
Citizens Advice responds to consultation on amending ECO4 order for grant-funded cost recovery
Citizens Advice has backed amending the ECO4 order so suppliers are paid through Exchequer funding rather than higher bills, while warning that retrospective payments must not cut future fuel poverty funding.
Warm Homes Plan launched
The UK's Warm Homes Plan launched in January 2026 with £15 billion of public investment, covering grants, loans and supplier-funded schemes to upgrade homes across the UK.
BUS to include air-to-air heat pumps by early 2026
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme will pay £2,500 towards air-to-air heat pumps in domestic properties from early 2026, with heat batteries added later and the scheme extended to 2030.
Debt Relief Scheme to launch in early 2026
Ofgem has set the energy price cap for 1 January to 31 March 2026 and confirmed a Debt Relief Scheme for around 195,000 people on means-tested benefits will launch in early 2026.
ECO4 end date extended to 31 December 2026 with no additional funding
The Warm Homes Plan confirms ECO4 will run until 31 December 2026 rather than ending on 31 March, with no additional funding attached to the extension.
Funding confirmed to 2029/30 through the Warm Homes Plan
Government statistics confirm Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding runs to 2029/30 under the Warm Homes Plan, with £400 million allocated for 2026/27 and over £560 million paid out in the first four years.
Government consultation on continuing the Warm Home Discount concluded
A government consultation on continuing the Warm Home Discount has concluded, with changes to the scheme made in response from April 2026 onwards.