Solar funding questions, answered briefly

Not for most homes. No UK government runs a solar grant open to every household. Lower-income homes in England can get solar through Warm Homes: Local Grant, and in Wales through Warm Homes Nest.

Privately owned or privately rented homes in England with an EPC rating of D to G, where household income is usually £36,000 or less, or the home is in an eligible postcode, or someone receives an eligible means-tested benefit. Councils run it.

No. The council or its delivery partner appoints and pays its own contractors.

Only alongside solar panels, new or existing, and only where the council decides a battery suits the home.

Warm Homes Nest can include rooftop solar for low-income owners and private tenants: a means-tested benefit with EPC E to G, or a health route at EPC D or lower.

No solar PV funding. Home Energy Scotland funded solar up to June 2024 and now supports only hybrid PV-T panels, by loan. It still funds heat pumps, with conditions.

nidirect names no support for home generation beyond the zero VAT rate, and the SEG does not apply there.

ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026, the extension is only for finishing existing work, and there is no successor supplier obligation. Don’t plan around it.

No. It is a loan for owner-occupied homes through participating lenders, with lower interest than ordinary borrowing according to the government. You repay it in full.

No. It pays towards heat pumps and biomass boilers in England and Wales only.

Not on panels installed in a home until 31 March 2027. From 1 April 2027 the rate is 5%. Panels supplied without installation are charged at the standard rate.

No. It is a tax relief applied on the installer’s invoice.

In Great Britain, larger suppliers must offer an export tariff above zero under the SEG, if the installation is MCS certified (up to 50kW) and exports are metered. Rates vary by supplier.

Only through means-tested council or Nest schemes. Most other offers called free are loans, roof-rental deals or ECO4 work that is closing. If you pay anything, it is not free.

Ask for the scheme’s official name, then find it yourself on GOV.UK, gov.wales or your council’s website and contact it directly. Never pay a fee to secure a grant.

For the Local Grant and Nest, the rating matters. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme no longer needs one. You can look yours up by postcode on GOV.UK.

Private tenants can be eligible for the Local Grant in England and Nest in Wales, with the landlord’s agreement. Social tenants are covered by their landlord’s own funding.

No. We are an independent explainer, not a scheme. The checker on the home page shows which routes are worth checking; each scheme decides eligibility itself.