Warm Homes Plan

This story has been covered in length by other news outlets like the BBC. You can also read about how it impacts Letchworth Garden City homes and homeowners here. In brief, here are some more specifics about the plan...

Direct Financial Support

Help for low-income households through a dedicated funding pot delivered locally (via local authorities and mayors), with additional investment expected alongside this in social housing.

Affordable Finance To Spread Costs

Low and zero-interest loans proposed to help households cover upfront costs for measures such as solar panels, batteries, and potentially clean heating (alongside any grant support).

Support To Improve The Home Itself

Depending on your home, the proposals describe support for upgrades such as:

● Insulation and energy efficiency measures to reduce heat loss and improve comfort.

● Solar panels and home batteries to generate and store electricity and cut bills.

● Clean heating options such as heat pumps (including mention of additional heat pump types), and other emerging technologies.

● Heat networks, with investment proposed to expand these where appropriate.

Help With Delivery And Navigating The Process

● A proposed Warm Homes Agency intended to co-ordinate delivery and support consumers.

● Simpler, stronger consumer protection is described as a goal, alongside efforts to reduce friction in getting work done.

● Reducing practical barriers for heat pumps, including proposals to make it easier to install them without needing a planning application in more cases.

Protections And Standards

● Private rented homes: proposals to raise minimum energy performance standards so tenants benefit from warmer, better-quality homes, with a stated aim of reaching EPC Band C by October 2030, alongside exemptions and a proposed spending cap (up to £10,000) where upgrades would be disproportionate.

● The plan links upgrades to improved living conditions, including reducing risks associated with cold homes such as damp and mould.