The Welsh Government's Warm Homes Nest scheme published its annual report for 2023-24 on 28 January 2025, setting out the action it has taken to support fuel poor homes across Wales and to prepare homes for winter1.
During 2023-24, 12,809 households received free and impartial energy saving advice and 4,816 households benefited from a home energy improvement package, leading to an average annual energy bill saving of £5951. Since 2011, the scheme has installed energy efficiency improvements in more than 60,000 homes across Wales1. One Caerphilly couple, identified only as Mr and Mrs Miles, saved approximately £487 per year after a new boiler, new radiators and solar panels were installed through the scheme1.
The report was published alongside research commissioned by Nest and conducted by Beaufort Research Ltd, based on online interviews with a sample of 1,000 adults in Wales aged 16 and over between 1 and 10 November 20241. It found that 53 per cent of Welsh households say they experience stress when thinking about their energy bills, and that 23 per cent have not made energy efficient home improvements1. Among that group, 43 per cent said renting their property is a barrier and 35 per cent believed the cost of taking action is too expensive1. The findings come as the energy price cap increased again in January1.
A new Welsh Government Warm Homes programme launched on 1 April 2024, with a greater focus on low carbon technologies, including heat pumps and solar panels1. It supports the Welsh Government's ambition to make Wales net zero by 20501. Residents in Wales who own their home or rent from a private landlord may be eligible for free home heating insulation measures if they or someone they live with receives a means tested benefit, or has a chronic respiratory, circulatory or mental health condition, and has an income below defined thresholds1. The Nest and Warm Homes Programme in Wales page sets out how the scheme sits within the wider programme, and Nest: The Welsh Government Home Energy Scheme covers eligibility in more detail.
Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government Jayne Bryant said:
"Our Warm Homes Programme has continued to make a significant contribution to improving the quality of our homes, supporting people struggling to meet their fuel costs. This year, we are investing more than £30 million in support for low-income households living in cold, damp homes and at the same time reducing carbon emissions."
Why it matters for households
The figures describe a scheme that reaches a small share of Welsh homes each year relative to the 60,000 improved since 2011, and an average saving of £595 against a backdrop of bill stress reported by 53 per cent of households1. For a household weighing up grants and schemes, the reported barriers are practical rather than technical: tenure and upfront cost account for the two most commonly cited reasons for not acting1. Private renters face a split responsibility, since the eligibility route for the current programme covers owner occupiers and people renting from a private landlord, but not social housing tenants1. The shift towards heat pumps and solar panels under the programme that began in April 2024 changes the kind of work on offer compared with earlier insulation-led rounds, which affects what a home can expect to have installed and how its running costs may change over time1. Households in Wales can also approach Regional Retrofit Advice Services for independent guidance, and Green Homes Wales covers a separate Welsh scheme.
What happens next
The new Warm Homes programme has been running since 1 April 2024, with more than £30 million committed this year to support for low-income households in cold, damp homes1. No further dates for the 2024-25 reporting cycle have been reported.
Sources1 cited
- Nest scheme publishes 2023-24 annual report - Energy Saving Trust, energysavingtrust.org.uk