Warm Homes Plan
The Warm Homes Plan is the UK government's programme, published on 21 January 2026, for cutting energy bills and carbon emissions from homes in England, through a combination of minimum standards, grants and funding for heat pumps and insulation. For private landlords its significance is that it is the policy home of the requirement for rented homes to reach EPC C by 1 October 2030, and of the grant schemes that help pay for it.
What it contains for landlords
Four components matter. The minimum energy efficiency standards regime, confirmed alongside the plan, requires privately rented homes to meet a new EPC C standard by 1 October 2030, with a £10,000 per-property cost cap before a ten-year exemption is available and spend since 1 October 2025 counting. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards a heat pump and is open to landlords. The Warm Homes Local Grant funds insulation, renewables and low-carbon heating for privately rented homes with low-income tenants and an EPC of D to G, through participating councils, at up to £30,000 per property. And the plan expects a fabric-first approach delivered through the retrofit assessment framework, so grant-funded work is planned and lodged to a standard.
What it replaces
The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026 and ECO4, the supplier obligation, runs until 31 December 2026 with no successor announced; the plan's own funding takes over from the Warm Homes Local Grant and the social housing fund.
Where landlords stand
The plan sets the destination and the cap; the energy performance certificate records progress; the regulations giving the 2030 rule legal force had not been laid as at September 2026. The property-standards provisions it sits beside in the Renters' Rights Act are in part two of the Renters' Rights hub.
From working with landlords across the UK, the plan is read as a 2030 problem; the useful reading is that grants are open and installers available now, and will not be in 2029. Run the property through the EPC improvement calculator and see who does each stage in the best EPC improvement providers for landlords.
Last reviewed: September 2026. This entry will be updated when the MEES regulations are laid.
