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Green Homes schemes

Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery (LAD) and Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) are government backed schemes delivered by local authorities to improve the energy efficiency of eligible households for free.

The Green Homes Grant (LAD) and Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) help residents by improving the warmth and comfort of their homes, whilst also reducing energy bills, carbon emissions and levels of fuel poverty across the city. The schemes are for private owner occupied and private rented properties in Leicester with low energy ratings. The schemes are delivered by our partner, E.ON. You do not need to be an E.ON customer to take part in either scheme.

Green Homes (LAD)

The Green Homes (LAD) scheme is currently paused for new applications in Leicester as it is oversubscribed. Check back on this page for updates.

Home Upgrade (HUG)

The Home Upgrade (HUG) scheme is currently open for applications but is only available to homes with electric appliances as their main source of heating. Check the eligibility criteria further down the page.

The energy efficient measures delivered through the scheme are listed below. A technical survey will determine a property's suitability for a measure.

  • External wall insulation (EWI)
  • Solar PV panels
  • Loft insulation
  • Underfloor insulation
  • Air source heat pump
  • High retention storage heaters

How to apply for Home Upgrade (HUG)

To apply for HUG, call the team at E.ON on 0333 202 4820 (phone lines are open Monday to Friday between 9.00am – 5.30pm) or apply online on the E.ON website. E.ON will then contact you via phone and check that you qualify before scheduling a home survey.

Would I be eligible?

  • Your household’s gross annual income must be under £30,000 and
  • Your home must have an Energy Performance Rating (EPC) of either E, F, or G. If you don’t have an EPC certificate confirming your home's rating, E.ON can arrange one for you.

How much funding is available per property?

The average maximum amount of funding spent on any one property does not exceed £10,000.

If you’re an owner occupier you won’t have to pay a contribution towards the cost of the work. Landlords must contribute a minimum of 1/3 of the total costs of the installation, and the maximum amount of funding available per rental property is £5,000.

The actual amount of funding spent on a property depends on the measure(s) being received, as each measure varies in cost.

How we use funding

There are over 80,000 properties in need of retrofit energy efficiency improvements across the city. However, the funds are limited and we can only upgrade a certain number of homes each year.

We are reliant on central Government funding and regularly bid for funding to run schemes as they become available. With such a great scale of need, criteria are set by national government, and we concentrate on the least energy efficient homes first.

If you have applied, but been unsuccessful

Retrofitting homes with energy-efficiency measures is complicated to do, and unfortunately not all homes are suitable for certain measures (see frequently asked questions below). We encourage applications, but if you have missed out during the current funding phase, please check our energy efficiency page regularly for updates on future phases of funding or alternative national schemes.

Home survey

An E.ON contractor will visit you to determine what improvements are suitable for your home.

Installation

Your home will receive the required works from a Trustmark registered contractor to improve its energy efficiency rating.

Aftercare

E.ON will continue to provide you with ongoing support. The scheme also includes warranties and guarantees with applicable terms and conditions in accordance with the measures installed per job.

Visit E.ON’s Green Homes Grant webpage for more information.

Frequently asked questions

You can find the energy efficiency rating of your home by looking on the EPC Register and entering your postcode and selecting your house from the list.

If you don't meet the above eligibility criteria there may be other schemes you may be eligible for. Check with your energy supplier, or look at our energy efficiency page. 

Your tenant(s) need to apply.

We receive funding in phases, and some measures take longer than others to organise. From your initial application to the contractor completing the installation can take quite a few months. To start the process, please apply as soon as the next application phase opens.

New Government standards, known as PAS 2035 came into effect from 1 July 2021. This means that households who qualify for funded insulation through a grant scheme have to either have their existing ventilation upgraded or new additional ventilation installed in their homes. This is required for all insulation measures, including external doors and windows. Insulation and ventilation go hand-in-hand under PAS 2035 standards, and form a wider whole house approach to improving the energy efficiency of your home.

At survey stage your home's suitability for insulation, and the ventilation needed, will be assessed together. Should your property require any ventilation measures, they will be fitted at the same time as your insulation.

There are many different types of ventilation, all of which help to improve the air quality in your home, such as extractor fans, trickle vents on windows or gaps beneath internal doors. These allow air to move throughout your home.

Effective ventilation helps keep your home safe and healthy because it helps to control the air quality. Ventilation has many benefits, including:

  • Regulated air flow throughout your home

  • Helps to control household temperature

  • Creates a healthier home by reducing the risk of condensation, residue, and mould

  • Expels air impurities and odours

Applications might be declined for a number of reasons. Sometimes it is not until after technical surveys have been carried out that the feasibility of providing the measure becomes clear. It is at this point that many properties are declined grant funding.

Some of the most common reasons for your application being declined are listed below:

  • High costs

The scheme provides on average £10,000 per property to pay for a suitable measure. If when the measure is priced up for your property, the cost is too high, then your application will be cancelled. The scheme policy won’t allow private owner occupiers to contribute towards the cost by topping up any shortfall.

  • EPC rating too high

A, B, C and most D rated properties won’t be offered assistance as the scheme policy is to upgrade the most inefficient properties. The policy only allows for 50% of the funding to be used on D rated properties, and if this threshold has already been met, we are not able to accept any more.

  • Difficult access to a property

Narrow passageways or the need to access an external wall via a neighbouring property can often lead to an application for external wall insulation being declined. This is largely due to health and safety reasons around the erection of scaffolding, or neighbour permissions not being granted. Also, for health and safety reasons, loft spaces full of belongings or with small loft hatches are often declined for measures such as solar PV panels and loft insulation.

  • Planning constraints

There are many planning policies that won’t allow measures such as external wall insulation to be installed, for example, if the property’s external wall is up against or bordering a public footpath, highway or neighbouring property. If the property is listed or in a conservation area, the change of appearance from neighbouring properties on the street is often not allowed.