Heating Grants Plymouth: Warm Homes and BUS

Plymouth has more local help than many cities. The city council and Plymouth Energy Community, a local co-operative that says it has helped more than 37,000 households with energy advice or efficiency measures since 2013, are delivering the Warm Homes: Local Grant. National schemes sit alongside it.

Plymouth at a glance

How homes are heated: 80.9% of Plymouth households heat with mains gas only and 7.4% with electricity only. 2,146 homes (1.9%) had no central heating in 2021, and just 108 (0.1%) relied on oil. Source
Renting: 22.6% of Plymouth households rented privately in 2021 and 18.4% rented from the council or a housing association. Source
Energy ratings: 46.7% of Plymouth homes with an EPC lodged up to March 2022 were rated C or above. Privately rented homes fared worse, at 38.9%, and homes built before 1930 were at 17.3%. Source
Local grant: Plymouth City Council runs the Warm Homes: Local Grant with Plymouth Energy Community. It announced £2.5 million in July 2025, expected to upgrade more than 200 privately owned homes rated EPC D to G, usually where household income is £36,000 or less. Source
Median energy score: About 47% of homes with an EPC in Plymouth are rated band D or below (median score 69, band C), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Warm Homes: Local Grant

The council announced £2.5 million in July 2025, expected to upgrade more than 200 homes. To qualify in Plymouth, the home must be privately owned, by you or your landlord, with an EPC rating of D, E, F or G. Household income must usually be £36,000 a year or less, though some postcodes and benefits change that, so check on the GOV.UK form rather than ruling yourself out.

The council's list of possible upgrades covers insulation of walls, lofts and floors, heat pumps, smart heating controls and rooftop solar, chosen after a survey of your home. Landlords may need to pay towards the work.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

This pays £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump and £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump, with no income test. Your MCS certified installer applies. Very few Plymouth homes use oil, so the extra £1,500 for oil and LPG homes rarely applies here. More detail is in our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.

ECO4

The energy company obligation funds insulation and heating for lower-income households until 31 December 2026. Its sister scheme for single insulation measures, the Great British Insulation Scheme, stopped taking new work at the end of March 2026.

Avoiding scams

No real scheme in Plymouth will charge you to see if you qualify. If a caller asks for a fee before work can start, hang up and report it to Plymouth City Council's trading standards team.

Plymouth homes and what they need

Interwar and postwar semis

Cavity and loft insulation are the usual first measures, and semis with gardens are good heat pump sites under either scheme.

Victorian terraces on the hills

Plymouth's pre-1930 homes rate C or above only 17.3% of the time, so many terraces fall inside the local grant's EPC range. Expect insulation before any heat pump.

Waterfront and city-centre flats

Newer flats usually rate C or above and won't qualify. Older converted flats might, but outside work needs the freeholder's agreement.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Plymouth work across areas including Plympton, Plymstock, Mutley, Mannamead, Peverell, Stoke, Devonport, Stonehouse, Hartley and Saltash.

View Plymouth on Google Maps

Questions people in Plymouth ask

Can Plymouth landlords use the Warm Homes: Local Grant?

Yes, for privately rented homes rated D to G where the tenant meets the income rules. Landlords may have to contribute, and tenants shouldn't be asked to pay.

Do I need an EPC to apply?

Yes. Look yours up on GOV.UK. If it's out of date, a landlord should arrange a new one and owners can book an assessor.

Sources

Also nearby: Heating grants in Exeter

All heating grants locations →