The House of Commons Library published "Help with energy efficiency, heating and renewable energy in homes" on 13 May 20261. The briefing outlines the financial support available across the UK for installing energy efficient measures, heating and renewable energy in homes1. Cornwall Council's winter wellbeing pages, which record the publication, describe it as covering the various support schemes rather than setting out new funding of its own1.
A second Library briefing, "High cost of living: Impact on households", was published on 15th May 20261. It covers how the high period of inflation in the UK from 2021 to 2024 continues to affect household incomes, spending, poverty, savings and debt1.
The Cornwall pages also set out local fuel poverty rates, sourced to DESNZ Fuel Poverty statistics 2025 using 2023 data1:
| Area | Households in fuel poverty | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Cornwall | 32,422 | 12.2% |
| Isles of Scilly | 174 | 17.1% |
| England | Not given | 11.4% |
| South West | Not given | 10.2% |
Both Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly sit above the England and South West rates on those figures1.
The same pages list support delivered through the Winter Wellbeing partnership, which has run for over 15 years1. It reports over 50,000 households helped to stay warm, well and safe, 1,013 hospital admissions prevented, and 713 households remaining in work or progressing towards work1. On energy specifically, 9,170 households were helped with energy payments through the Household Support Fund, 2,316 were assisted through the Warm Home Discount Industry Initiative, funded by OVO and previously SSE, and 2,583 were supported to make their homes warmer under local authority flexible eligibility within the Energy Company Obligation ECO41. Two Winter Wellbeing Guides are printed annually, 22,000 for Cornwall and 500 for the Isles of Scilly1.
"The House of Commons Library published “Help with energy efficiency, heating and renewable energy in homes” on 13th May 2026. This briefing outlines the various financial support available across the UK for installing energy efficient measures, heating and renewable energy in homes."
Why it matters for households
The Library briefing is a consolidated account of what grant funding exists for insulation, heating and renewable technology, and how it differs between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For a household weighing up a boiler upgrade or insulation work, that is the document that sets out which scheme applies where, rather than a single national pot. The separate high cost of living briefing deals with the income, debt and savings side, which is the context in which crisis and hardship funds operate.
The Cornwall figures show how unevenly fuel poverty falls. At 12.2% of households in Cornwall and 17.1% on the Isles of Scilly, both exceed the England rate of 11.4%1. Rural and off-gas areas carry higher costs for the same home, which is why oil heating under NISEP and local authority flexible eligibility matter more in those places. The delivery numbers also show the split between bill support, such as the Warm Home Discount, and fabric measures that cut demand over the long term, which is the part that bears on a home's energy independence.
What happens next
Cornwall Council states a new focus on prevention from April 2026, with the new Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF)1. No further detail on the CRF's eligibility, funding level or administration is given on those pages. The Library briefings themselves carry no announced follow-up.
Sources2 cited
- Winter wellbeing - Cornwall Council, cornwall.gov.uk
- Winter wellbeing - Cornwall Council, cornwall.gov.uk