The Government’s £15bn Warm Homes Plan promises to tackle fuel poverty, cut bills and reduce emissions through three main pillars:
- Targeted support for low-income households,
- A universal loan offer for solar panels, batteries and heat pumps, and
- New protections for renters living in cold, damp, or mouldy homes.
Campaigners have welcomed the Plan with its potential to improve conditions in the coldest homes, through insulation, heat pumps and solar panels. Although its success in reducing fuel poverty will be judged on real delivery, strong consumer protections and a focus on the people most in need.
A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition commented:
“The lifeblood of the Plan amounts to a rescue mission for the coldest, dampest homes in Britain – and this must be the priority.
“Combined with long-overdue improvements to conditions in the private rented sector, it could save lives, cut NHS costs and permanently slash energy bills for those in fuel poverty.
“Achieving this, while also inspiring a rooftop and heat pump revolution through loans and subsidies, will require a national effort. There will also need to be reforms which go beyond this Plan, such as bringing down the cost of electricity and providing financial support with energy costs while households wait for improvements to be installed.
“Above all, any use of public funds must come with a Warm Homes Guarantee, built around quality advice on the right installations to deliver, enhanced consumer protections and a promise that every upgraded home will see bills come down.
”If delivery matches ambition then this could be the biggest breakthrough in tackling cold damp homes in a generation, but now the hard work begins.”
Adam Scorer, Chief Executive at National Energy Action, added:
“People struggling in fuel poverty desperately need the Warm Homes Plan. Cheaper energy costs, efficient heating systems and homes that keep the warmth in, are all essential for the plan to succeed. There is a lot of work to be done, but today’s publication and commitment to lift a million households out of fuel poverty is a welcome, landmark occasion.”
Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, said
“A Warm Homes Plan is desperately needed, with world events once again highlighting the UK’s vulnerability from our over-reliance on gas for heating.
“Ending this dependency, by ensuring our homes are more energy efficient – particularly for those on lowest incomes – and powered by renewable energy, is both pragmatic and the right thing to do for ensuring we have affordable energy.
“We can no longer bank on the North Sea because, after 50 years of drilling, the UK has now burned most of its gas. Regardless of any new drilling, the UK will be dependent on gas imports for nearly two thirds of its gas in just five years time and almost 100 per cent by 2050, unless we shift away from gas.
“An ambitious warm homes plan, properly implemented, will reduce our exposure to price shocks and mean we are not at the mercy of bad actors like Putin or the whims of Trump.”
Nick Davies, Head of Climate Policy at Green Alliance, said:
“Everyone has a chance to lower their energy bills with clean technologies under the government’s new Warm Homes Plan. That’s critical because rollercoaster global gas prices have fuelled a cost of living crisis which means energy bills remain far too high.
“Supporting more households to afford the upfront costs of installing solar panels or switching to ultra-efficient electric heat pumps will help to cut bills, reduce our reliance on imported gas and keep the climate safe for our children.”