Solar funding timeline: what ends when, 2026 to 2028
Home energy support in the UK is changing faster than at any time since the Feed-in Tariff closed. Several dates fall close together, and adverts tend to blur them. Here is every dated change that affects solar, in order, with what each means for a household.
The short answer
The three dates that matter most for solar: ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026 with no successor; VAT on installed solar becomes 5% on 1 April 2027; councils can deliver Warm Homes: Local Grant work until 31 March 2028, with a merged scheme due from 2027/28.
Facts checked at source on 2 and 3 November 2026 · Solar PV Panels Grants is an independent explainer from SEO-DONS LTD, not a scheme
Why so many dates fall together
Two things are happening at once. The supplier-funded schemes, ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme, are closing, and the government has decided not to replace them with another obligation on energy suppliers. At the same time, the Warm Homes Plan is moving support for lower-income homes to public money delivered through councils, and support for everyone else to loans.
Around those changes sit dates set by other rules: the end of the VAT zero rate, which was fixed when it was introduced in 2022; the Boiler Upgrade Scheme's own extension; new planning rules for solar in England; and the Future Homes Standard for new homes. None of these creates a grant for solar for households that can pay.
The full list, in order
| Date | What changes | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 6 April 2025 | Consumer law tightens | The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act’s list of banned practices comes into force, including false claims of public approval and "free" for anything the buyer pays for. The Competition and Markets Authority gains direct fining powers. |
| 21 January 2026 | The Warm Homes Plan | The government sets out just under £15 billion for home energy, with more than £5 billion for low-income households by 2030. Help for households that can pay is mainly loans. |
| 31 March 2026 | Great British Insulation Scheme ended | The supplier-funded insulation scheme closed. |
| 28 April 2026 | Boiler Upgrade Scheme changes | The requirement for a valid EPC is removed, and air-to-air heat pumps become eligible in homes. |
| 21 July 2026 | Higher heat pump amount for some homes | Off-gas-grid homes replacing oil or LPG heating can get £9,000 towards a heat pump under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, until March 2027. |
| 27 August 2026 | New permitted development for solar in England | New rights cover panels on flats, wall and balcony panels, plug-in solar and stand-alone panels up to 9 square metres, with a transitional period to 26 August 2027. |
| 22 October 2026 | Heat batteries enabled under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme | Regulations allow heat batteries into the scheme; no amount had been published when we checked. |
| 27 October 2026 | Loan scheme factsheet | The government publishes its factsheet on the Warm Homes Loan Scheme, open UK-wide for owner-occupied homes through participating lenders. |
| 31 December 2026 | ECO4 ends | The supplier obligation closes, with no successor obligation. |
| March 2027 | £9,000 heat pump uplift ends | Other Boiler Upgrade Scheme amounts continue. |
| 24 March 2027 | Future Homes Standard in force | New homes in England are to be built with low-carbon heating and, in most cases, solar panels; a 12-month transition period applies. |
| 1 April 2027 | VAT on installed solar becomes 5% | The zero rate on installed solar, batteries and heat pumps in homes ends on 31 March 2027. |
| 2027/28 | Local Grant and Social Housing Fund merge | The two are due to become one area-based low-income scheme. |
| 31 March 2028 | Local Grant delivery window ends | Councils can deliver Warm Homes: Local Grant work to this date. |
| 31 December 2029 | Last Boiler Upgrade Scheme vouchers | The scheme is extended to 2030 but issues no vouchers after this date. |
What the dates mean in practice
If you are on a lower income in England, the council's Local Grant is the route to check now, and it runs to 31 March 2028. The planned merger from 2027/28 is expected to continue council-led support in a new form, so there is no reason to wait for it. How the Local Grant works.
If you were relying on ECO4, it isn't a route to plan around. Work already agreed should be completed before 31 December 2026; ask the installer and the funding supplier in writing. ECO4 and solar.
If you are paying for solar yourself, the VAT change on 1 April 2027 is from 0% to 5%. It is worth knowing, but it is a small difference compared with choosing the right system, and not a reason to rush a decision. VAT relief.
Where misleading offers cluster
Deadlines attract pressure selling. Expect deadline-driven marketing around ECO4's closure in December 2026 and the VAT change in spring 2027, and new scheme names around the Local Grant merger. Each is a moment where an advert can borrow the language of a real change to sell something else.
The test doesn't change: find the scheme yourself on GOV.UK, gov.wales or your council's website, and don't let a date someone else quotes decide your timing. Since April 2025, false claims that an offer will only be available for a short while have been among the practices banned outright under consumer law. Spotting fake grant offers.
Dates can also move. Governments extend schemes and reliefs, and sometimes bring dates forward. We check each one at its source and show the date we checked; before relying on any date, look at the source yourself.
What is still unknown
Several things had not been published when we last checked.
The rules of the merged low-income scheme from 2027/28, including whether solar stays on its measure list. Any decision on VAT for installed energy-saving materials after 31 March 2027. And the amount for heat batteries under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
When any of these is announced, the relevant page here will be updated and dated. If you spot a change before we do, tell us.
Where these facts come from
- legislation.gov.uk — DMCC Act 2024, Schedule 20 (banned practices) — checked 2 November 2026
- GOV.UK — The Warm Homes Plan (January 2026) — checked 3 November 2026
- House of Commons Library — briefing CBP-9585 on home energy support (PDF) — checked 2 November 2026
- Ofgem — Energy Company Obligation (ECO) — checked 2 November 2026
- GOV.UK — Extending the ECO4 end date: government response — checked 2 November 2026
- GOV.UK — Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get — checked 3 November 2026
- legislation.gov.uk — SI 2026/390, Boiler Upgrade Scheme amendments — checked 2 November 2026
- legislation.gov.uk — SI 2026/896, permitted development for solar in England — checked 2 November 2026
- GOV.UK — Warm Homes Loan Scheme factsheet (27 October 2026) — checked 3 November 2026
- HMRC — VAT Notice 708/6, energy-saving materials — checked 3 November 2026
- GOV.UK — Future Homes and Buildings Standards: consultation response, March 2026 (PDF) — checked 2 November 2026
- GOV.UK — Apply for Warm Homes: Local Grant (England) — checked 2 November 2026
Not sure which route, if any, fits your home?
Tell us where you live and what you are looking into. Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, the publisher of this explainer, and we answer by email. We are not a scheme and cannot approve anything, but we can point you to the right door.
What happens next
- Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, which publishes this explainer.
- We reply by email with the scheme or council page that fits, if there is one.
- Any application is between you and that scheme.