The full details of the Warm Homes Plan are not expected to be published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) until October 2025, according to Energy Systems Catapult, writing in June 20251. The plan was a key plank of Labour's 2024 manifesto, and the government has committed to invest £13.2 billion across this parliament to deliver it1. Which? states the plan is due to be published in October and will set out the government's strategy for heat in buildings over the next decade2. Green Alliance describes it as due in October 20253.
The plan is expected to sit alongside other measures. Which? reports that the government has consulted on proposals that would require all private sector housing to meet EPC C (on a scale of A-G) by 2030, or by 2028 in the case of new tenancies2. Green Alliance gives the same dates, describing them as applying from 2028 for new tenancies and to all tenancies from April 20303. Green Alliance estimates the proposed uplift in minimum energy efficiency standards for rented properties could result in up to 4.5 million rented properties being upgraded with better insulation by April 20303.
On bill support, Green Alliance and OVO both state that the expanded Warm Home Discount will provide a £150 annual rebate to all households in receipt of means tested benefits from October 2025, removing the previous "high cost to heat" eligibility threshold3. Both state that 6.1 million households across Britain on means tested benefits will be eligible for support in the winter of 2025-26 once the discount is expanded, increasing the number of households helped by 2.7 million3. Both state the expansion will add £37 to each household's bill per year through a levy on the standing charge, costing £1 billion in total3. Both state the Warm Home Discount expires in 2026 and that the government urgently needs to decide what will come next3.
Energy Saving Trust, writing on 9 October 2025, states that the publication of both the Warm Homes Plan and the Local Power Plan this autumn presents a clear opportunity5. It states the Local Power Plan is set to support 8GW of local and community power by 2030, and that the government has a target of upgrading 5 million homes through the Warm Homes Plan5.
"The publication of both plans this autumn presents a clear opportunity"
Why it matters for households
The Warm Homes Plan is the document expected to set out how homes are upgraded and how the transition away from gas and oil heating is supported. Which? states an important objective will be to support homeowners in the transition from gas and oil heating to electric heating such as a heat pump, and that for some homeowners this will also include insulation, draught proofing and ventilation, while solar panels and batteries will help to reduce bills2. Which? gives the average cost of installing a heat pump as £13,000, though most households will be eligible for a £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant2. It states seven in 10 homeowners said a heat pump would be too expensive for them to install, and almost half (46%) of those who think they need more insulation said they cannot afford it2.
Energy Systems Catapult states that electricity currently costs roughly four times more per kWh than gas, meaning heat pumps need to be four times as efficient as gas boilers to compete on running costs1. It states the government has an opportunity to address this through its long-awaited consultation on how to allocate the costs of environmental policies, which are currently imposed on electricity bills1. Which? states the government should reduce the price of electricity compared to gas by addressing the outdated allocation of policy costs, in a way that protects low income consumers from higher energy bills2.
Energy Saving Trust states that community energy organisations are well placed to support the delivery of warm homes, with a strong understanding of their local community, its characteristics and needs, and that they can act as trusted messengers within the local community5. It cites Carbon Co-op supporting an area-based retrofit scheme in South Manchester, where the community energy group acted as an intermediary between the professional parties involved and local residents5. It also cites Repowering London and Brighton and Hove Energy Services Co-Operative enabling the installation of solar panels on homes and apartment buildings5.
Green Alliance states that with the Warm Home Discount expiring in 2026, the government urgently needs to decide what will come next, and recommends replacing the flat rate rebate with a social tariff3. It states a "same cost, higher impact" tariff matching the current £2.25 billion cost of the Warm Home Discount and Winter Fuel Payment schemes could reduce the number of households spending ten per cent of their income on domestic energy, after housing costs, by 12 per cent in England and Wales, potentially assisting over a million households out of fuel poverty at current rates3.
What happens next
The Warm Homes Plan is expected in October 20251. Green Alliance states the government is also preparing to publish a revised Fuel Poverty Strategy3. Energy Saving Trust states the Local Power Plan is also due this autumn5. The Warm Home Discount is set to expire in 2026, and both Green Alliance and OVO state the government urgently needs to decide what will replace it3. Green Alliance states both the Warm Home Discount and Winter Fuel Payment are set to end in 20283.
Sources5 cited
- Five ways the Warm Homes Plan can support clean energy innovation – Katrina Young & Fay Holland - Energy Systems Catapult, es.catapult.org.uk
- The Warm Homes Plan: recommendations for supporting homeowners - Which?, which.co.uk
- Affording-warm-homes.pdf, green-alliance.org.uk
- Affording-warm-homes_The-case-for-a-social-tariff-to-address-fuel-poverty.pdf, company.ovo.com
- Delivering warm homes through community power - Energy Saving Trust, energysavingtrust.org.uk