Surrey County Council has made Fairer Warmth available online as the "sister" platform to its Energy Advice Tool, a change it dates to March 20261. The council describes the new platform as a step for residents who want to go further on home energy improvements and to track their progress as they go1.
Fairer Warmth asks for a postcode and a few details about the household, then connects the user with national and local support services1. The council says it provides practical information on energy-saving measures with ballpark costs and complexity, how to find accredited installers, and low-cost "quick wins"1. Items of interest can be added to an Action Plan1. The existing Energy Advice Tool remains in place and covers grants and support, signposting to debt relief grants, fuel vouchers, and where to find services such as clothes and food banks1. The council says that tool will be updated regularly with new schemes1.
The council also reports on the wider support it runs. Its Home Energy Advice Team (HEAT) delivers free in-person energy advice, thermal imaging surveys and light-touch measures to Surrey households, and more than 2,000 households have benefited from the scheme since January 2024, with a satisfaction rate of 4.9 out of 51. HEAT is a collaboration between the council and community and charity partners, led by Zero Carbon Guildford1. Separately, the council has launched its Warm Homes: Local Grant, which it says provides free insulation, heat pumps or solar panels to low-income homes at risk of fuel poverty1. A Home Energy Improvement Guide has also been launched, covering three common Surrey housing types and packages of retrofit measures tailored to different budgets and circumstances1.
The council warns that residents have reported scam calls offering home energy surveys or insulation, and states it will never cold call to offer energy support1. It says HEAT will only call in reply to a message left on its contact number, in response to a submitted application form, or to confirm a visit time requested by an Energy Champion, and that neither Energy Champions nor project coordinators will solicit money by phone1. A free call blocker is offered to prevent scam phone calls1. Guidance on energy grant scams and fake government schemes sets out how such approaches typically work.
"As of March 2026, Fairer Warmth is now available online as the 'sister' platform to the Energy Advice Tool"
Why it matters for households
The platform is a signposting and planning tool rather than a grant or a payment. For a household weighing up insulation, a heat pump or solar panels, its practical value lies in the cost and complexity information and the route to accredited installers, which are the points where decisions on home energy improvements most often stall. The Action Plan function allows a household to hold a sequence of measures in one place rather than working from scattered advice. Because the platform draws on both national and local support services, it may surface schemes a household has not encountered, including the council's own council and local authority energy grants. Eligibility for the Warm Homes: Local Grant depends on income and property criteria, which are set out in the eligibility and income limits guidance. The scam warning is a reminder that unsolicited approaches about energy surveys or insulation are not from the council's service.
What happens next
The council says the Energy Advice Tool will be updated regularly with new schemes and offerings, and that residents should check back for updates1. No further dated steps for Fairer Warmth itself have been reported.
Sources1 cited
- Home energy saving support for residents - Surrey County Council, surreycc.gov.uk