The government launched a consultation on 18 November 2025 to explore alternative heating technologies, including heat batteries and biomass, alongside other options. It will remain open until 10 February 20261. The consultation sits within the Warm Homes Plan, the government's programme of public investment in home upgrades published under the 2024 to 2026 Starmer Labour government1.
"On 18 November 2025 we launched a consultation to explore these and other alternative heating technologies. The consultation will remain open until 10 February 2026."
The plan sets out £15 billion of public investment to upgrade up to 5 million homes and lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 20301. Within that total, £2.7 billion is allocated to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, £2 billion to consumer loans, £5 billion to low-income schemes, £1.1 billion to heat networks, £2.7 billion to innovative finance through the Warm Homes Fund, and £1.5 billion to other programmes and the devolved administrations1. The government states that the increase in heat pump grant values to £7,500 in 2023 led to a significant and sustained increase in demand1.
The document also confirms several related measures and dates:
| Measure | Detail |
|---|---|
| Future Homes Standard | Implementation planned for Q1 20261 |
| Great British Insulation Scheme | Ends as planned on 31 March 20261 |
| ECO4 extension | Consulted on a 9-month extension to 31 December 2026, with no increased delivery targets or impact on consumer bills1 |
| Smart functionality | Consultation on secondary legislation intended to take effect in 2027, requiring heat pumps and in-scope electric heating appliances to have smart functionality1 |
| Warm Homes Fund call for evidence | To launch early in 20261 |
| UK Cooling Outlook | To be published in 20261 |
The plan cites an example of alternative technologies already in use: in 2023, Thurrock Council and Kensa replaced inefficient night storage heaters in nearly 300 council flats in Chadwell St Mary with compact heat pumps and heat batteries, supported by government funding1. The government also states that the 2025 Autumn Budget took an average of £150 of costs off energy bills from April 20261.
Why it matters for households
The consultation covers technologies that sit outside the main grant-funded route for a gas boiler replacement, so its outcome could affect what counts as an eligible heating upgrade in future. Heat batteries store heat rather than generating it on demand, and biomass boilers burn wood-based fuel; neither is a heat pump, and the consultation is the mechanism by which the government would decide whether and how to support them1.
For a household weighing up a heating change, the practical relevance is the shape of support rather than any single product. The plan confirms grant funding through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for eligible households in England and Wales, a loan offer backed by £2 billion of government support, and low-income support delivered initially through the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund and Local Grant1. Grant arrangements differ by nation, with separate schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Energy independence in the home, as the plan frames it, means reducing exposure to international fossil fuel markets by electrifying heat and generating power on site1. The plan states that homes and buildings are responsible for around one fifth of UK emissions, and that solar panels, batteries, insulation and heat pumps can save families hundreds of pounds a year1. It also states that the Solar Roadmap, published in June 2025, called for a "rooftop revolution" deploying solar PV on homes and buildings1.
The plan confirms new minimum energy efficiency standards that privately rented properties will need to meet by 2030, and sets out proposals for the social rented sector1. It does not give the specific standard for privately rented homes in Scotland in this document; that is covered separately in the Scottish rented sector standards. Proposals for social and rented housing are set out in the Housing Quality Standards material.
What happens next
The consultation closes on 10 February 20261. The Future Homes Standard is planned for implementation in Q1 2026, so that new homes are built with solar and clean heating as standard1. A Call for Evidence on where else the Warm Homes Fund can deliver impact is to launch early in 20261. The Great British Insulation Scheme ends on 31 March 2026, and the consulted ECO4 extension would run to 31 December 20261. Secondary legislation requiring smart functionality in heat pumps and in-scope electric heating appliances is intended to come into effect in 20271. The UK Cooling Outlook is due in 2026, and a fourth National Adaptation Programme is due in 20281.
The government has not reported the outcome of the alternative heating consultation, nor which technologies will be supported as a result. The consultation process itself, and how proposals become rules, is set out in the guide to energy consultations and how policy is made.
Sources1 cited
- Warm Homes Plan (HTML) - GOV.UK, gov.uk