Domestic energy efficiency funding
The council is supporting the residents and communities of West Suffolk to improve their home energy efficiency by promoting the government's funding initiatives to support home insulation and renewable energy installations. We have created an Energy saving grants leaflet and eligibility checker to help residents find the best grant to help make their home more energy efficient and warmer.
Some grants are dependent on your home's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating: GOV.UK - Find an energy certificate
If you have any feedback on these materials, please fill out the Domestic Energy Efficiency Feedback Form.
Grants available
Warm Homes: Local Grant - closed to new applicants
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is a government-funded scheme delivered by local authorities that will take the first steps to delivering on the ambitions of the Warm Homes Plan. It will provide grants for energy performance upgrades and low carbon heating to low-income households living in the worst quality, privately owned and rented homes in England to achieve energy bill savings and carbon savings. These upgrades will be open to all fuel types, including households heated by mains gas and by electricity, oil, coal or liquid petroleum gas.
You need to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G to qualify: GOV.UK - Find an energy certificate
If you do not have a valid EPC, one can be arranged as part of our grant funding.
You will need to also meet one of the eligible routes below:
- you have been advised or checked that your household falls within a pre-eligible postcode: Warm Homes - Local Grant: Pre-eligible Postcodes
- you have a health condition which is affected by living in a cold home, which is either cardiovascular, respiratory, immunosuppressed or limited mobility related
- you or someone living in your home with you (other than an a lodger or adult in full time education) receives means tested benefits, for example Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit
- you have a gross (before tax) annual household income of £36,000 or less including all benefits received (except from disability benefits which include Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment.
This grant will be delivered by Warm Homes Suffolk. To start your application, please fill in the following form: GOV.UK - Apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant to improve a home. For more information visit: Warm Homes Suffolk.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) - closed to new applicants
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is a government grant that aims to improve the energy efficiency of domestic homes. This grant focuses on fuel poverty and reducing carbon emissions. It requires energy companies to fund energy efficiency improvements like insulation and heating upgrades for eligible households. The scheme has been extended and will end on the 31 December 2026. This provides obligated suppliers with additional time to meet their targets and ensures an orderly close to the scheme.
Contractor query
ECO4 has been extended until 31 December 2026, to allow suppliers additional time to meet existing targets and remediate non-compliant installations. However, we are aware that energy suppliers have very limited funds and this means that new applications are unlikely to be processed. Unlike previous transitions in the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) series, there will be no successor supplier obligation. The government's Warm Homes Plan will replace the scheme as the primary route for future government-backed home upgrades. If you have any ECO-related queries, please email: eco@eastsuffolk.gov.uk.
Warm Homes Plan
Resident query – if they have experienced quality issues
- Check what to do if you’re concerned about the insulation you’ve had fitted through a government scheme: GOV.UK - What to do if you have poor quality wall insulation
- TrustMark - Find and Fix
- GOV.UK - Action taken to protect households with poor-quality insulation
For ECO or GBIS schemes
Installers are responsible for putting right any issues found with their work and no household should be asked to pay any money to put things right. If you wish to make a complaint about work under ECO4 or GBIS, please see Ofgem website which will provide guidance. Ofgem - ECO complaints process
If you are concerned about issues or have had issues with External Wall Insulation please see GOV.UK - What to do if you have poor quality wall insulation
Schemes
Energy efficiency loans available for West Suffolk homeowners
Homeowners across West Suffolk can now apply for a loan to help fund energy efficiency improvements to their homes, thanks to a new partnership between West Suffolk Council and Lendology.
The scheme offers eligible homeowners access to loans from £2,000 to £15,000 at a fixed interest rate of 2.2 per cent annual percentage rate (APR) loan, with repayment terms of up to seven years.
Borrowers may also repay their loan early without penalty, subject to eligibility and loan terms.
The funding is designed to support residents who want to improve the energy performance of their homes while spreading the cost of installation over a manageable period.
The loan can be used for a range of energy efficiency measures, including:
- solar photovoltaic (PV) systems
- solar battery storage
- solar thermal systems
- ground source heat pumps
- air source heat pumps
- double and triple glazed windows and doors
- loft, wall and floor insulation
- ventilation systems when installed alongside insulation measures.
Installing energy efficiency improvements can help homeowners reduce their energy bills, lower their carbon emissions and create warmer, more comfortable homes. A well-insulated and energy-efficient property can also have positive benefits for residents' health and wellbeing, particularly during colder winter months.
If you would like to start your application, please visit Lendology - Suffolk County Council. If you have any further enquires email environment@westsuffolk.gov.uk.
Landlord Retrofit HUB
The Landlord Retrofit HUB aims to support private landlords in improving their rental properties in line with the new minimum energy efficiency standard coming into place in 2030. The new standard will require rental properties to have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C or above, unless exempted.
GOV.UK - Guidance on PRS exemptions and Exemptions Register evidence requirements.
This new service is free and available to those eligible. To be eligible you must:
- be a landlord located in the East Anglia region
- your rental properties must be in the West Suffolk area
- the EPC of your rental property to be D or below.
The hub will support landlords by:
- helping to complete energy grant applications
- promoting energy grants by holding events for landlords and tenants
- communicating with organisations to help get your applications through smoothly
- assisting with registering an exemption on your property that is eligible for a certain exemption.
You can gain this new service if you are currently a landlord gaining support from the West Suffolk Lettings Partnership (WSLP). If you’re interested in the WSLP, please visit our Help for landlords webpage.
Please complete the landlord assistance survey if you’d like to be contacted:
Landlord Retrofit HUB online sign-up form.
Alternatively, you can contact environment@westsuffolk.gov.uk.
Keep the Heat
Keep the Heat is a Suffolk run scheme where community groups and parish and town councils can borrow a thermal camera for free.
A thermal camera allows you to take a thermal image of your building to show you where heat might be escaping from.
By identifying where heat is lost, you can identify ways to make your home more energy efficient. This will keep it warmer for longer, saving you money and reducing carbon emissions. Living in cold and possibly damp homes can be harmful for our health.
For those interested please email sustainable.suffolk@suffolk.gov.uk
More information can be found at: Sustainable Suffolk - Keep the Heat
Warm Homes Discount Scheme: opens October 2026
The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. If you are eligible, your electricity supplier will apply this discount to your bill. The money will not be paid to you.
If you live in England and Wales, you will qualify if you either:
- get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit
- are on a low income and have high energy costs.
For more information visit: GOV.UK - Warm Home Discount Scheme: Overview
To check if you’re eligible please visit: GOV.UK - Check if you're eligible for the Warm Home Discount
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
The government is offering grants of £7,500 towards the cost of installing a heat pump, £9,000 if you heat your home using LPG or oil, to properties across England and Wales through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
You are eligible for a grant if:
- you own the property you are applying for
- you are replacing fossil fuel heating systems - such as oil, gas, electric or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
- your property has a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): GOV.UK - Find an energy certificate
To find an installer or apply for the scheme, go to Clean Energy - Heat pumps
Find out more here: Ofgem - Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)
Warm Homes Suffolk
Residents in Suffolk can benefit from free energy efficiency measures, when energy grants are available. Eligible households include those with a total annual household income of £36,000 or below and live in a property with an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of D, E, F or G. You can find your EPC rating at: GOV.UK - Find an energy certificate
More information can be found in the following press release: Financial support to help make West Suffolk homes warmer.
Please refer to the GOV.UK (Department for Business and Trade) - Personal information charter for information on how your personal data will be used.
To register your interest, please contact the Warm Homes Suffolk team on 03456 037 686. Please contact: environment@westsuffolk.gov.uk for more information.
Loan of temporary heaters
The temporary heaters are provided by Warm Homes Suffolk to help keep you warm. These heaters are temporary oil filled and electric that we can loan to you if:
- you struggle to keep your home warm
- you have faulty or no heating.
If you are interested in taking up this offer, please email environment@westsuffolk.gov.uk. If you take up this offer, we will stay in contact with you to see if you are benefiting from the heaters and to discuss a time for us to collect the heaters after use.
Switch Together
Switch Together is an innovative scheme offering high-quality solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, battery storage and air source heat pumps. It is a group-buying scheme, which brings Suffolk households together to get high-quality solar panels at a competitive price, helping you through the process and keeping you informed at every stage. It is free to register and there is no obligation to purchase.
Register for a group buying scheme to get solar panels for your home at a competitive price and gain the benefits of having solar panels. Find out more at Switch Together - Install solar panels and battery storage
Switch Together are now offering a group buying scheme to get an air source heat pump for your home offering a further discount using the Boiler Upgrade Scheme where you can get £7,500 or £9,000 off the price. By installing an air source heat pump, you can benefit from year-round comfort, eco-friendly heating and saving money on your energy bills. To find out more, visit Switch Together - Install an Air Source Heat Pump
During 2021, there were 405 solar PV installations across Suffolk. At point of installation, these were 44 per cent cheaper than the market price for an equivalent system. Over the next 25 years, these are expected to prevent 9,800 tonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere.
If you already have solar panels installed, you can also register to have battery storage added to your existing solar panels to maximise the benefits of your system.
Solar Together - Registration page and you will be sent an invitation as soon as registration opens.
Smart Export Guarantee
An initiative to support small scale, renewable energy generators where you can be paid for any excess electricity you generate and export to the grid. You can claim the tariff if you have any of the following technologies installed with a capacity of up to 5 megawatt (mW), or up to 50 kilowatt (kW) for Micro-combined heat and power (CHP):
- solar photovoltaic
- wind
- micro combined heat and power
- hydro
- anaerobic digestion.
The energy suppliers that offer smart export payments are only required to offer you a tariff that is greater than zero. Therefore, the rate that each energy company pays is likely to vary. You should compare the tariffs available before agreeing a contract. Furthermore, the tariffs may be fixed or variable similar to your existing electricity tariff, but they are managed separately.
For more information, visit: ofgem - Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)
Planning permission
The council's Climate Change and Sustainable Building Planning Advice Note outlines the policy requirements from the climate change section of the West Suffolk Local Plan 2024 to 2041 and signposts advice and guidance to help developers and homeowners proposing new developments to access the most up-to-date information.
Homeowners are advised that placing solar equipment on your house or flat, or on a building within the grounds of your house or flat, is often considered ‘permitted development’, whether this is in a conservation area or otherwise. The Planning Portal provides some information on what is considered permitted development: Planning Portal - Solar equipment mounted on a house or a block of flats or on a building within the curtilage.
The relevant legislation for the permitted development right is contained within Legislation - The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.
Where the proposed solar panels constitute permitted development, planning permission is not usually required. Although, in certain circumstances, the developer may be required to apply to the local planning authority for ‘prior approval’ before commencing works. If the proposed solar panels do not constitute permitted development, or if the property is located within an area subject to an ‘Article 4’ direction, or subject to a planning condition that may have removed permitted development rights, an application for planning permission may be necessary.
If there is any doubt regarding compliance with the legislation or whether the property is affected by the removal of permitted development rights, it is recommended that you apply to the local planning authority for pre-application planning advice or a lawful development certificate (LDC) before starting works.
Listed building consent
Listed building consent will be required if you wish to place solar panels on a listed building (this includes buildings within the curtilage of the listed building which pre-date July 1948). An application for this will need to be made to, and determined by, your local planning authority. Note that there is a general presumption against siting the panels on listed buildings unless they are completely hidden from view. In some cases, a ground-mounted array may be a suitable alternative. This would require planning permission within the curtilage of a listed building.
Historic England has produced a guide to the installation of solar panels on historic buildings: Historic England - Installing Solar Panels.
Building regulations
If you wish to install solar panels on your roof, building regulations will normally apply. The ability of the existing roof to carry the load (weight) of the panels will need to be checked and proven. Some strengthening work may be needed. Building regulations also apply to other aspects of the work such as electrical installation. Installers who are members of a relevant competent person scheme can self-certify certain types of building work, including the installation of solar panels, avoiding the need to seek separate building regulations approval. You are advised to check that your installer is a member of a scheme covering the work they will be undertaking.
