Domestic Energy Efficiency Grants
Warm Homes Social Housing Fund – WH:SHF
Please note that this energy efficiency grant was formally known as the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF). It was renamed and rebranded into Labour’s Warm Homes Plan following their election success of 2024.
Whilst we’ve included details of the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) it’s not a grant you, as a private individual, will be able to apply for. Instead, it’s available to registered social housing providers only.
The Government has confirmed that £1.29 billion has been committed to the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) latest Wave 3 across 3 years – money which will all be spent on improving the energy efficiency of their housing stock between now and 2028.
It will be allocated as follows:
- 2025/26: £374 million
- 2026/27: £459 million
- 2027/28: £459 million
Further funding towards decarbonisation and to tackle fuel poverty will be considered as part of Phase 2 of the Spending Review.
Measures Funded Under The Warm Homes Social Housing Fund:
The Warm Homes Social Housing Fund will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock currently below Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C up to that standard (estimated at around 1.2million properties). It will support the installation of energy performance measures in social homes in England, and help:
- deliver warm, energy efficient homes
- reduce carbon emissions
- tackle fuel poverty
- support green jobs
- develop the retrofit sector
- improve the comfort, health and well-being of social housing tenants
The current wave 3 builds on the allocations made under the previous waves of SHDF.
WH:SHF aims to upgrade homes to meet an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to a minimum of Band C. It does this through 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 using measures such as external wall, loft, cavity wall, and underfloor insulation.
Some properties will also receive renewable technologies such as solar photovoltaic panels or air source heat pumps, moving away from reliance on fossil fuels to power and heat these buildings.
Eligibility For WH:SHF Funding
Available to registered social houising providers only:
- local authorities
- combined authorities
- registered providers of social housing (including housing associations and arms-length management organisations (ALMOs) that are registered providers)
- registered charities that own social housing
The application window for Warm Homes Social Housing Fund ran from 30th Sept to 25th Nov 2024 and works need to be completed by September 2028.
How To Apply For The Funding
As explained, WH:SHF can only be applied for if you are a registered social housing provider and only when the application process is open.
There are 2 routes to access funding:
- the Challenge Fund
- Strategic Partnerships
Further detail on both routes is available within the official government scheme guidance.