Domestic Energy Efficiency Grants

Home Upgrade Grant – HUG

The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) is available in England only and via your local authority. The latest phase (HUG2) runs up to March 2025.

The aim of the scheme is to improve the warmth and comfort of homes that are off gas grid and hence don’t have mains-gas heating, whilst also reducing energy bills, carbon emissions and levels of fuel poverty across the county.

There’s quite a strict criteria and not all Local Authorities ahve signed up to the scheme but eligible households could receive free energy efficiency improvements or clean heating (such as air source heat pumps) for their homes, following a home assessment.

Measures Funded Under HUG

If you’re off gas grid and deemed to be eligible, your local council will arrange a home survey to see how your home could be made more energy efficient.

The property assessment will be carried out as part of a formal retrofit process which must comply with the latest PAS 2035 guidance. It will examine the energy efficiency and needs of the whole property and make recommendations by addressing the fabric of the building first, such as insulation.

More than one visit may be required to assess your home and survey for specific recommended measures.

Recomended improvements are property specifuc but may include installing:

  • Insulation: wall, loft and underfloor
  • Heating: air source heat pumps
  • Heating: electric radiators

You will not be charged for the assessment or the resulting installation of any recommended energu efficiency measures.

Eligibility For HUG

To be eligible for a Home Upgrade Grant, you must:

  • own and live in the property you’re applying for
  • be off gas grid and not use a gas boiler as your home’s main heating system
  • have an up to date energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G

If you’re not sure if your home has an EPC you can check the EPC register >>>

In addition to the above  criteria you’ll usually need to have a household income of £31,000 a year or lower. That said, you may still be eligible if you earn more than that in certain postcode areas.

There is a handy official tool which enable your to check you eliogibility via just a few simple questions: check your eligibility >>>

If you think you are eligible you’ll also need to check the list of local authorities awarded funding under the latest phase of the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG 2) to be delivered from April 2023 until March 2025. These local authorities have funding in principle based on meeting certain conditions set out by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero: list of local authoroities awarded funding >>>

How To  Apply For A Home Upgrade Grant

The application process is made very simple. Before you can apply you’ll need to check your eligibility by way of an official questionaire on the Government website (it’s very simple and only yakes a minute or two). Start Now >>>

You’ll be asked:

  • if you have a gas boiler
  • your address
  • if you own the property
  • the type of benefits anyone living in the property receives – you may be eligible for additional support

If you’re deemed eligible for support, your Local Authority will then contact you and arrange an assessment of the property.

At this stage there is no commitment – once you have all the details and costs you can then decide whether to go ahead or not.

HUG - Check Eligibility & Apply