The Buildings Retrofit Pilot opened for applications in June 2025, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has said. The programme is aimed at retrofitting homes and public buildings across the region, with a stated focus on abating fuel poverty in all homes, particularly social housing, and decarbonising public buildings1.
The Pilot will deliver £167 million of funding over three years initially1. Up to 14,000 of the oldest and coldest homes in the region will be upgraded, supported by £130 million of housing investment secured by West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, which the WMCA says will unlock a further £80 million of investment in housing from councils and their housing providers1. Over £36 million will also be invested in public sector buildings, including those of councils, schools, colleges, the NHS and emergency services, to make them cheaper to heat and power1.
Eligible organisations are local authorities, housing associations and public sector organisations in the WMCA county, meaning the constituent metropolitan authorities1. The Pilot replaces three centrally funded retrofit programmes: the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF), the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). Organisations eligible for the Pilot will not be able to apply for the national schemes and must draw down funding through the WMCA1.
The WMCA says the Pilot moves away from classically competitive programmes to a more allocative approach, with funding calculated on a fair-share basis using the same formulae as the WMCA's Integrated Settlement1. Access runs in two stages: project development, covering preparatory works, tenant and community engagement, retrofit assessments or feasibility studies and monitoring and data collection; and project delivery, covering procurement and contracting and measure installation, including energy efficiency, low-carbon heating systems and on-site generation1.
"By improving the energy efficiency of buildings, the Retrofit Pilot will help reduce households and public sector energy bills"
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total funding, first three years | £167 million |
| Housing investment secured by the Mayor | £130 million |
| Further housing investment unlocked from councils and providers | Around £80 million |
| Public sector buildings investment | Over £36 million |
| Homes to be upgraded | Up to 14,000 |
Why it matters for households
The Pilot is aimed at the region's oldest and coldest homes, which are typically the most expensive to heat and the hardest to bring up to a reasonable standard of energy independence. The WMCA states that improving the energy efficiency of buildings will help reduce household and public sector energy bills1. Because the funding is devolved, decisions on which buildings are upgraded are taken at regional level rather than through national competitive rounds, and the WMCA says the programme will encourage place-based, cross-tenure and holistic approaches that take a joined-up view of the local area1. The Pilot's stated focus on social housing means much of the work is expected to reach tenants rather than owner-occupiers, though the WMCA has not reported a breakdown of how the 14,000 homes will be split by tenure. It has also not reported how individual households will be selected, what measures will be installed in any given home, or what the work will cost a household, if anything.
What happens next
Applications are open, and the WMCA asks that all applications or documents be submitted to Devolved.Retrofit@WMCA.org.uk1. The WMCA has published a letter of intent, scheme guidance, a grant framework agreement, a public buildings application form and a development plan in its resource library1. No closing date for applications has been reported.
Sources1 cited
- The Buildings Retrofit Pilot, wmca.org.uk