The Warm Homes Local Grant: How London Boroughs Manage the Scheme

Unlike its predecessor ECO4, which was delivered through energy suppliers, the Warm Homes Plan's main route for private homeowners and renters is administered at a local level. Each of the 32 London boroughs, plus the City of London, holds its own allocation of Warm Homes: Local Grant funding and manages the referral and assessment process for residents in its area.

What this means in practice

There is no single national application process for the Warm Homes Local Grant. The entry point is your local borough council. Some boroughs have set up dedicated referral processes with clear guidance on their housing or energy pages. Others have been slower to promote the scheme or have more limited capacity to process enquiries.

This creates some variation in experience. A resident in one borough may find the process straightforward and well-publicised. A resident in a neighbouring borough with the same circumstances may find it harder to get information or may face a longer wait.

The Local Authority Flex route

One of the more significant features of the Warm Homes Local Grant is the Local Authority Flex route. This allows each borough to refer households that do not receive one of the qualifying benefits but are still considered fuel poor or on a low income. The criteria for Flex referrals are set at borough level, which means they vary across London.

Some boroughs may define Flex eligibility by income threshold, others by reference to specific local circumstances or areas of deprivation. If you do not receive a qualifying benefit but believe you may still be considered fuel poor, it is worth contacting your borough directly to understand what their Flex criteria look like.

How allocations work

Each borough receives a funding allocation that is intended to cover a certain number of properties over the course of the scheme. When an allocation is spent down, the borough may need to wait for further funding before processing new referrals. This means that timing matters: enquiring earlier in the financial year, or shortly after new allocations are confirmed, may improve your chances of being processed.

Allocations are not always publicised, and there is no public dashboard showing how much funding each borough has remaining. The only reliable way to find out whether your borough is currently accepting referrals is to contact them directly.

How to contact your London borough

Most London borough councils have a housing or energy team that handles Warm Homes Plan enquiries. Searching for your borough name plus Warm Homes or energy efficiency on the council's website should surface the relevant page, if one exists. Some boroughs also work with third-party referral organisations or energy advice charities that can help facilitate the process.

If you are unsure where to start, an independent guidance service can help identify the appropriate route for your borough and your household circumstances.

A note on South London

For properties in South London boroughs, retrofit assessments are carried out by Carn Energy, our ECMK-accredited partner assessors. A PAS 2035 Retrofit Assessment is required before any funded work can begin, regardless of which borough you are in.