News from 3 July 2026
Read the EPC guide for England and Wales.
Guidance for England’s Warm Homes: Local Grant was updated on 2 July 2026. The programme is delivered through local authorities and can support eligible privately rented homes as well as owner-occupied properties.
What has changed
The Warm Homes: Local Grant page now links to July 2026 versions of the policy guidance and delivery guidance for grant recipients. GOV.UK says the 2 July update reflects publication of the Warm Homes Plan and increases scheme cost caps. It also adds new and revised guidance on which households and measures are eligible, plus clarification on TrustMark and Microgeneration Certification Scheme requirements.
The broad scheme design remains familiar. Local authorities use allocated funding to install energy performance upgrades and low carbon heating in eligible homes. Measures may include insulation, solar panels and air source heat pumps where suitable. GOV.UK says upgrades should be tailored to individual homes, and occupants will not contribute to the cost of upgrades.
The scheme applies in England and is focused on households that are low income, privately owned and rated EPC D to G. That includes owner-occupied homes and privately rented homes. Local authority applications for funding closed in December 2024, and the government says eligible councils that submitted expressions of interest have been allocated funding.
