Heating Grants Brighton & Hove: Warmer Homes, BUS

Brighton and Hove takes part in the Warm Homes: Local Grant through a consortium of over 30 councils led by Portsmouth City Council. Locally the scheme runs as Warmer Homes, delivered by Agility Eco. The national Boiler Upgrade Scheme sits alongside it with no income test.

Brighton at a glance

Private renting: 32.7% of Brighton and Hove households (39,684) rented privately in 2021. Source
How homes are heated: 75.3% of households heat with mains gas only, 11.9% with electricity only and 1.6% from a heat network. 2.3% (2,844 homes) have no central heating, and oil-only heating covers about 200 homes. Source
Local grant: Brighton and Hove is in the Portsmouth-led Warm Homes: Local Grant consortium, branded Warmer Homes and delivered by Agility Eco. It is aimed at households on £36,000 or less, or on a means-tested benefit, in homes rated EPC D to G. Source
Energy ratings: About 51% of homes with an EPC in Brighton and Hove are rated band D or below (median score 68, band D), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Warmer Homes (Warm Homes: Local Grant)

You may qualify if household income is £36,000 or less a year, or someone receives a means-tested benefit, and the home is rated EPC D, E, F or G. Owners and private tenants can apply; council and housing association tenants can't.

Measures include insulation, heat pumps, solar panels and ventilation. Warmer Homes says it is oversubscribed, so new applicants join a waiting list.

Landlords in Brighton and Hove

Under Warmer Homes, a landlord can have the first qualifying property fully funded, with a contribution expected on any further homes. The tenant must meet the income test, and both landlord and tenant must agree to the work.

For a city where a third of homes are let, that is one of the most useful routes to better insulation in older rented flats.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

£7,500 off an air or ground source heat pump, or £2,500 off an air-to-air system. Your MCS certified installer applies. Very few Brighton homes use oil, around 200 at the last Census, so the extra off-gas top-up rarely applies here.

ECO4

ECO4, funded by energy suppliers, runs until 31 December 2026, and the Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026. If an installer offers ECO4 work, check them on the TrustMark register.

Brighton homes and what they need

Flats in converted Regency and Victorian houses

With one household in three renting privately, many applicants will be tenants. Your landlord must agree to the work, and landlords pay towards it beyond their first property.

Victorian terraces on the hills

Solid-walled terraces often sit at EPC D or E. Insulation usually comes before a heat pump under the local scheme.

Interwar semis in the northern suburbs

Empty cavities and room for an outdoor unit make semis strong candidates for both schemes.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Brighton work across areas including Hove, Kemptown, Hanover, Preston Park, Patcham, Withdean, Hollingbury, Woodingdean, Rottingdean and Portslade.

View Brighton on Google Maps

Questions people in Brighton ask

Is the free boiler offer I was called about real?

Be cautious. A real Brighton and Hove scheme will not ask for money to see if you qualify. Hang up and contact the council or Warmer Homes directly.

My home has no EPC. Can I still apply?

You'll need one to show the rating. Check the GOV.UK register first; an assessment is quick for most homes.

Sources

Also nearby: Heating grants in Portsmouth, Heating grants in London

All heating grants locations →