Heating Grants Leicester: Warm Homes and BUS

Leicester City Council was awarded £4,507,699 under the Warm Homes: Local Grant, which runs to March 2028. Alongside it, the national Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the supplier-funded ECO4 scheme are still open. Which one suits you depends on your income, your EPC and whether you want a heat pump.

Leicester at a glance

Age of homes: 26% of homes in Leicester were built before 1919, and 20% before 1900, according to the Valuation Office Agency's March 2024 count. Source
Renting: 29.4% of Leicester households rented privately in 2021 and 23.2% rented from the council or a housing association. Fewer than half (46.7%) owned their home. Source
How homes are heated: 74.0% of Leicester households heat with mains gas only and 11.0% with electricity only. 1.9% are on a communal or district heat network and 1.9% have no central heating. Only 49 households use oil alone. Source
Local grant: Leicester City Council was awarded £4,507,699 of Warm Homes: Local Grant funding for privately owned homes rated EPC D to G, aimed at households with income under £36,000. Source
Energy ratings: About 57% of homes with an EPC in Leicester are rated band D or below (median score 67, band D), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Warm Homes: Local Grant

For homes that are privately owned, whether you live there or rent from a private landlord. The home must be rated EPC D to G, and the council's announcement set the household income limit at under £36,000. Measures include insulation, solar panels and low-carbon heating such as heat pumps. Gas boilers are not included.

Leicestershire County Council has paused new applications in the surrounding districts because of demand, and tells residents in the city to contact Leicester City Council directly. Use the GOV.UK eligibility form to register your interest.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

Pays £7,500 off an air or ground source heat pump and £2,500 off an air-to-air system, with no income test. Your MCS installer applies on your behalf. Only 49 Leicester households heat with oil alone, so the extra £1,500 for oil and LPG homes will rarely apply here. Leicester households weighing it up can read our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.

ECO4

The supplier-funded ECO4 scheme stays open until 31 December 2026, according to Ofgem. It is funded by energy suppliers and aimed at low-income and vulnerable households, mainly for insulation and heating upgrades. The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026.

Grants and Leicester homes

Red-brick Victorian terraces

Solid walls usually pull the EPC down to D or E, inside the local grant's range. Internal wall insulation is disruptive, so ask what else is offered first.

Interwar and postwar semis

Many have unfilled or poorly filled cavities, which are cheap to insulate and lift the EPC quickly.

Estates built from the 1990s onwards

These usually rate C or better and fall outside the local grant, but can still use the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Leicester work across areas including Clarendon Park, Stoneygate, Knighton, Belgrave, Evington, Aylestone, Braunstone, Oadby, Wigston and Birstall.

View Leicester on Google Maps

Questions people in Leicester ask

Someone called offering a free boiler. Is it real?

Be careful. Council schemes never charge to check eligibility. If a caller asks for a fee upfront, hang up and report it to Leicester City Council's trading standards.

How do I find my EPC rating?

Leicester residents can look theirs up by postcode on the GOV.UK energy certificate register. If there is no certificate or it has expired, you may need a new one before any grant survey.

Sources

Also nearby: Heating grants in Nottingham, Heating grants in Coventry, Heating grants in Northampton, Heating grants in Derby

All heating grants locations →