Home Upgrade Grant (HUG): closed

The Home Upgrade Grant was a government-funded scheme that paid for energy-saving improvements in low-income, low-efficiency homes that are not connected to the mains gas grid. Its last phase, HUG2, ran through local councils across England and could fund a package of measures rather than a single product. That package could include solar panels, insulation, low-carbon heating such as a heat pump, and other efficiency upgrades.

Its defining feature was the off-gas-grid focus: it was for homes heated by oil, LPG, electric storage heaters, solid fuel or similar, because those households tend to face the highest bills. HUG is now closed to applications, and gov.uk points households to Warm Homes: Local Grant.

We are an independent information service, not the government or an installer: our free check shows whether Warm Homes: Local Grant or ECO4 may apply, and we reply by email.

They are separate schemes. Warm Homes: Local Grant is run by councils in England and is based on income, EPC band or postcode. ECO4 is an obligation on larger energy suppliers across Great Britain, runs until 31 December 2026, and is usually linked to qualifying benefits (or a council's LA Flex route). Both can fund solar panels for suitable homes, and solar fitted by an MCS-certified installer can usually earn Smart Export Guarantee payments.

Warm Homes: Local Grant, like the Home Upgrade Grant before it, applies to England only. If your home is elsewhere in the UK, the equivalent support comes through different national schemes, so it is worth knowing which door to knock on.

• Scotland — Home Energy Scotland typically offers solar PV as an interest-free loan (commonly up to £5,000, listed for hybrid solar PV-T panels) rather than a grant, while Warmer Homes Scotland provides fully funded measures for eligible low-income and vulnerable households. Standalone solar PV is generally the loan route, not a grant.
• Wales — Nest (Warm Homes Wales) can provide free energy-efficiency measures for eligible households. Nest can fund solar panels for eligible households.
• Northern Ireland — the Housing Executive's Affordable Warmth Scheme covers insulation, heating and windows for households with a gross income under £23,000; solar PV is not on its list. ECO4 is a Great Britain scheme and does not run in Northern Ireland.

Wherever you live, energy-supplier schemes such as the Smart Export Guarantee can still pay for exported solar electricity in Great Britain once panels are installed (in Northern Ireland, export is handled through supplier arrangements). If you are unsure which national scheme covers you, a quick eligibility check will point you to the right one rather than leaving you guessing.