Government launches Warm Homes Plan to upgrade the nation's homes, help families cut their energy bills, and tackle fuel poverty.
- Government launches £15 billion Warm Homes Plan to help millions of families benefit from solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and insulation that can cut energy bills.
- A plan for all types of households, with targeted interventions for those on low incomes; upgrades for social housing; new protections for renters; and a universal offer for all households to upgrade homes if and when they want to.
- Plan will help lift up to one million families out of fuel poverty and tackle long term energy costs, following Government’s intervention to take an average of £150 of costs off energy bills for all families this April.
Families across the country will see lower energy bills as a result of the Government’s comprehensive plan to upgrade the nation’s homes.
The Warm Homes Plan will deliver £15 billion of public investment, roll out upgrades to up to 5 million homes that could save them hundreds on energy bills and help to lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.
The Government has already taken immediate action on the cost of living at the Budget, taking an average of £150 of costs off energy bills from April. On top of this, around six million households will receive the £150 Warm Home Discount - a total package of £300.
Upgrading homes is one of the best ways to bring down bills for good, and this Plan is a vital next step in addressing the long-term issue of energy affordability for the country. Home insulation installations fell by more than 90% between 2010 and 2024, and millions of households have paid higher energy bills as a result.
The British people are currently showing record demand for home clean energy products like solar panels and heat pumps. The cost of these products continues to fall, but they are still out of reach for too many - and this plan will help bring these costs down so working people can benefit.
The Warm Homes Plan targets help at low-income families, alongside a universal offer, to ensure that working families can feel the benefits of products that can cut their bills.
Alongside this, the Plan will support consumer choice for all households, so people can choose the technologies that work for them as and when they want. Homeowners will be able to apply for government-backed, low and zero interest loans to install solar panels - unleashing a 'rooftop revolution'.
These loans will also be available for batteries and heat pumps, making it easier than ever for every home to access clean energy technologies that can lower bills. Low-income households and those in fuel poverty could receive support that would cover the full cost of having solar panels put on their rooftop, or insulation installed, alongside new rules to ensure landlords invest in upgrades to cut bills for renters and social tenants.
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said: 'A warm home shouldn’t be a privilege, it should be a basic guarantee for every family in Britain. Today’s plan marks a turning point. It will help to slash energy costs and lift up to a million people out of fuel poverty. This is a government bearing down on the cost-of-living crisis. By driving bills down for good and upgrading millions of homes, we’re giving people the security and the fair shot they need to get on in life.'
The Warm Homes Plan will also:
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Transform people’s experience of home upgrades through the new Warm Homes Agency. This will reverse the inherited situation where there is a fragmented and overly complex system to navigate for energy efficiency upgrades ensuring consumers have access to quality installations, from initial advice to installation. The new agency will bring together existing functions from across the regulator and other government arms-lengths bodies, providing new consumer support while removing duplication and waste in the current delivery landscape.
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Put local mayors in the driving seat for rolling out home upgrades in their area, backing local leaders to deliver on behalf of their residents.
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Create good jobs across the country, with 180,000 additional high-quality, well-paid, future-proofed jobs in energy efficiency and clean heating by 2030. The UK has one of the best gas boiler industries in the world, and this plan will be back these workers to ensure that they seize the opportunities of clean tech, with a new aim to ensure that at least 70% of heat pumps installed in the UK are made in the UK, and trebling the Government’s investment in the heat pump supply chain to £90m to support investment across the country.
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Unlock £38 billion in total investment across the Parliament, and with additional funding for skills, innovation and UK manufacturing, the plan will ensure that British workers and businesses reap the benefits.
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Strengthen the UK’s energy security by reducing our reliance on gas and protecting families from future price spikes.
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Help to mitigate and adapt to climate change, as buildings are currently responsible for over a fifth of the UK’s territorial greenhouse gas emissions. These home upgrades will also ensure more people are protected from cold in the winter and heat waves in summer.
Home upgrades available under government schemes will include: solar panels (Photovoltaic and thermal), heat pumps (ground source, air source (including air to air)), home and heat batteries, smart controls, insulation (wall, floor, and roof) and draught proofing.
These loans will also be available for batteries and heat pumps, making it easier than ever for every home to access clean energy technologies that can lower bills.
We will set out more detail later this year on how consumers will be able to access low-interest loans, following further engagement with the finance sector and consumer groups.
Click here for full announcement
Source: GOV.UK
