The Warm Homes Local Grant is a government grant scheme to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions in homes.
We are working together with Westmorland and Furness Council to deliver the scheme in Cumbria.
It is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and is running until March 2028.
You could get free energy saving improvements made to your home if:
- you live in a certain postcode area
- you’re on a low income
- you're getting certain benefits
What you can get
If you’re eligible, and your application is approved, we will arrange a home survey to see how your home could be made more energy efficient.
Improvements could include:
- loft insulation
- cavity wall insulation
- solar panels
- high retention storage heaters
If your home is suitable for improvements through the scheme, we will organise the installation with our approved contractor. You will not need to pay for it.
If you have a landlord, they might need to pay a contribution.
Eligibility
To be eligible, your home must:
- be privately owned, either by you or your landlord
- be currently occupied by you
- have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G.
If you don’t know your home’s EPC rating, you can find out when you apply.
Your household must meet one of the following:
- live in a certain postcode area
- have an income of less than £36,000 a year before tax
- getting certain benefits
Eligibility does not guarantee that we will install energy efficiency measures in your home.
Funding is limited and is being targeted at areas with high levels of fuel poverty. In 2025 and 2026, the scheme focused on areas of West Cumbria. In 2027, it will focus on specific neighbourhoods in the Carlisle area.
How to apply
Check eligibility for the Warm Homes Local Grant
Checking your eligibility registers your interest in the scheme. It is not an application.
We will review your details. If your household is eligible, your property is suitable and funding is available, we will contact you to arrange a phone appointment to take your application.
There is currently a waiting list due to high demand.
We are currently only progressing expressions of interest from specific neighbourhoods in the Carlisle area.
Funding for 2025 and 2026 is fully subscribed. For 2027, expressions of interest from the identified Carlisle neighbourhoods will be progressed in the order they were received, subject to available funding and delivery capacity.
You can still register your interest if you live outside these neighbourhoods. We will keep your details for the duration of the scheme in case additional funding becomes available.
Information for landlords
Private landlords may receive one home fully funded per landlord under the scheme.
A 50% cost contribution will be required from the landlord for any additional homes they wish to have upgraded after the first.
Landlords must confirm that the Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) limit of £315,000 will not be exceeded by the landlord receiving the proposed assistance to comply with subsidy rules under the Subsidy Control Act (2022).
Tenants must meet the household eligibility and make the application. Landlords cannot apply on behalf of their tenants or for properties that are not currently being let.
Contact us
For any queries, questions or complaints, contact the Housing Energy team.
Telephone: 0330 056 5698
Email: [email protected]
Lines are open 9:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Thursday (except on bank holidays).