The Government has finally announced the official launching of their Warm Homes Plan.
In a lengthy press release that came out late on Tuesday, January 20th 2026, ministers insisted that families would be big beneficiaries in the “biggest home upgrade plan in British history”.
The Warm Homes Plan aims to upgrade the nation’s homes, help families cut their energy bills, and tackle fuel poverty by taking advantage of schemes that offer upgrades in solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and insulation.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said: “A warm home shouldn’t be a privilege, it should be a basic guarantee for every family in Britain.
“This government’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.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “It is a scandal that millions of people in our country do not have the security of a home that is warm, affordable and safe.
“With this investment, we embark on a national project to turn the tide – waging war on fuel poverty and taking another step forward in tackling the affordability crisis for families throughout Britain.”
The Warm Homes Plan aims to 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.
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 three pillars of the government’s programme are:
- Direct support for low-income familes: Low-income households will receive free of charge packages of upgrades, depending on what technologies are most suitable for their homes- backed by £5 billion of public investment. For example, families could receive fully funded installations of solar panels and a battery, to the full average cost (currently £9,000-£12,000). For social housing residents, this could mean upgrades to entire streets at the same time, lowering bills and improving warmth and comfort for whole neighbourhoods.
- An offer for everyone: The government-backed, zero and low interest loans programme to get solar panels onto the nation’s rooftops and new rules that mean every new home will come with solar panels by default. Making it easier for anyone who wants to get a heat pump, with a £7,500 universal grant for heat pumps, and the first ever offer for “air-to-air heat pumps” that can also cool homes in the summer.
- New protection for renters: Today, 1.6 million children live in private accommodation suffering from cold, damp, or mould. The government believes in a simple principle that if you rent a home, private or social, a landlord has a responsibility to ensure that it is safe, warm, and affordable. By updating protections for renters, and supporting landlords to make these upgrades in a fair way over several years, an estimated half a million families will be lifted out of fuel poverty by the end of the decade.
It is understood that a fabric first approach may not be completely ignored by the new Warm Homes initiative, and maintains a ‘nuanced position’, with insulation (including External Wall Insulation) still included, based on what’s right for each household. But it remains to be seen just exactly what that means for the thousands of workers, suppliers and organisations within the UK’s EWI industry.
Sara Edmonds, Co-Director of the National Retrofit Hub, said: “The National Retrofit Hub welcomes the government’s Warm Homes Plan as an opportunity to expand the definition of success in retrofit, focusing on the real impact retrofit has on people’s lives. Meeting fuel poverty and carbon targets is vital, and evidence shows people value warm, healthy, affordable homes with greater comfort and less damp and mould.”
Across the Westdale Group our dedicated teams stand ready to play a part in helping the country’s households enjoy better energy efficiency and lower costs.
To read the full press release from the Government, click here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/families-to-save-in-biggest-home-upgrade-plan-in-british-history
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