Act on Energy has closed the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) to new applications across Wolverhampton and several surrounding areas, stating on pages updated on 6 July 2026 that applications "will no longer be processed" in those places1. The charity, which administers the scheme locally, has published the same closure notice for Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Stratford, Warwick and Worcestershire1.
The Home Upgrade Grant was aimed at households that do not use mains gas to heat their homes, though Act on Energy notes that households connected to mains gas for something other than heating, such as cooking, remained eligible1. The grant paid for "a range of energy efficiency measures including insulation and heating upgrades"1. No figures for remaining funding, the number of completed installations or the value of individual awards appear on the pages.
"Please note this is scheme is now closed and applications will no longer be processed for the Home Upgrade Grant in this area."
The closure notices are identical across the five areas, and none of the pages states a reason for the closure or a final date on which applications stopped being accepted1. The pages carry the title "Warm Homes: Local Grant" but describe the Home Upgrade Grant as closed, with the newer scheme named only as something expected later in the year1.
Why it matters for households
For a home that is not heated by mains gas, the Home Upgrade Grant was one of the few routes to funded insulation and heating work, since the Energy Company Obligation and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme operate on different terms. With applications no longer processed in these areas, households that had not applied, or that applied and have not had work confirmed, have no open route through this scheme1. That leaves the timing of any future work dependent on a scheme that has not yet opened, and on eligibility rules that have not been published. Homes that already had measures installed under HUG2 keep the benefit of that work regardless of the closure.
Act on Energy has not said whether applications already submitted will still be assessed, and this has not been reported1. The pages also do not say whether the closure affects the wider Home Energy Grants in England landscape beyond these five areas.
What happens next
Act on Energy states that a new grant, Warm Homes: Local Grant, is expected later this year, and that it will update its website with application details once more is known1. No opening date, funding total or eligibility criteria for that scheme appear on the pages. Households in the affected areas can check the Warm Homes: Local Grant eligibility and income limits page for what is currently known, and the closed home energy grants page for schemes that have already shut.
Sources5 cited
- Wolverhampton Warm Homes Local Grant | Act on Energy, actonenergy.org.uk
- Stratford Warm Homes Local Grant | Act on Energy, actonenergy.org.uk
- Warwick Warm Homes Local Grant | Act on Energy, actonenergy.org.uk
- Worcestershire Warm Homes Local Grant | Act on Energy, actonenergy.org.uk
- Birmingham Warm Homes Local Grant | Act on Energy, actonenergy.org.uk