One scheme for three council areas
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is government funding that councils deliver locally. In this part of the North West it is run jointly: Warrington Borough Council's page says it delivers the scheme as part of a consortium with Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council, with Cheshire East managing it, and that funding is available until 31 March 2028. So the rules below apply to homes in all three areas.
Who can apply
| Condition | What the council says |
|---|---|
| The home | An Energy Performance Certificate rated D, E, F or G. If there is no certificate, the council can help arrange one for households that qualify. |
| Who lives there | A homeowner living in the property as their main residence, or a private tenant. |
| Income | An income-related benefit (for example Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Tax Credits); or household income before tax of no more than £36,000; or no more than £20,000 after housing costs (mortgage or rent and Council Tax). |
| Disability benefits | Ignored when household income is calculated. |
What it can pay for
Warrington's page lists typical improvements: solid wall insulation (internal or external), cavity wall insulation, loft, room-in-roof and flat roof insulation, underfloor insulation, an air source heat pump, solar PV, high heat retention electric storage heaters where a heat pump is not suitable, and heating controls. The target is to improve the home's energy rating by at least 2 bands, for example from E to C. Which measures a home gets depends on an assessment, so the outcome may be insulation first, a heat pump, or both.
What it costs the household
The council says homeowners are typically not expected to pay anything towards the work unless building repairs are needed before the insulation or renewables can be installed. For privately rented homes, the landlord is expected to contribute at least 50 per cent after the first property. That matters in an area where private renting is common: 15.5% of Cheshire East households, 15.7% in Cheshire West and Chester and 15.2% in Warrington rented privately in 2021.
How it differs from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
- Who it is for. The consortium scheme is income-tested and aimed at less efficient homes; the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is open to most property owners replacing fossil fuel or electric heating.
- Who decides the work. The consortium assesses the home and chooses measures; under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme the owner chooses a heat pump and an installer applies.
- How much. The consortium varies the amount with the work needed; the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays a fixed sum off the quote.
- Overlap. GOV.UK says the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cannot fund a property that has already had government funding or support for a heat pump, so do not plan on both for the same heat pump.
Applying
- Check the home's EPC rating on the government register.
- Check the household meets one of the income tests.
- Apply through the route on your council's page; Warrington's page links to the application.
- The council confirms eligibility, asking for documents to show income, and explains the next steps.
The scheme is in Warrington's words available "until 31 March 2028", but funding is limited, so apply when the household qualifies rather than waiting. The route finder shows whether this or the Boiler Upgrade Scheme fits your answers better.
For the three areas' off-gas homes
The scheme is not only for off-gas homes, but they are often the ones with the lowest ratings: oil- and LPG-heated rural houses and electrically heated homes. Census 2021 counted 23,245 households across the three areas heated by electricity alone, which is the group for whom the scheme's storage heater and heat pump options are both relevant.
If you rent privately
Private tenants are within the scheme if the household meets an income test, but the work is to the landlord's property, so the landlord has to agree. Because the consortium expects landlords to contribute after their first property, it is worth raising early. A tenant can show the landlord the council's page and the home's EPC.
If you are a landlord
A landlord with one property let to an eligible tenant may find the first property treated differently from later ones; after the first, the council expects a contribution of at least half. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a separate route open to landlords as owners, with a fixed sum off an installer's quote, but it cannot fund a heat pump that has already had other government funding.
If the home has no EPC
Some rural homes have never had an Energy Performance Certificate, particularly where they have not been sold or let for many years. Warrington's page says the council can help arrange one for households that qualify. The rating matters because the scheme is for homes rated D to G and aims to lift them at least two bands.
Funding is finite, so the council may not be able to help every household that qualifies.
If the household does not qualify, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is the route instead: oil and LPG homes covers its higher band for homes off the gas grid, ground source in Cheshire the options for homes with land, and the rural route finder brings the routes together for your answers.