No grant for households that can pay
In England there is no grant for solar panels or batteries for households that can afford them. The government's Warm Homes Plan directs grants at lower-income homes and points everyone else to loans (Warm Homes Plan); the Warm Homes Loan Scheme is a loan, offered through approved lenders, not a grant (GOV.UK). If a seller tells you a grant has knocked money off the price, ask which scheme and check it yourself.
The council's grant route
Bradford Council says it has been delivering solar PV and battery storage to eligible households across the district under the government-funded Warm Homes: Local Grant, working with Better Homes Bradford and Warm Low Living (Bradford Council). The grant's national rules decide who is eligible: the home must be owner-occupied or privately rented and at EPC band D to G, and the household must qualify on one route, such as a postcode in one of the most deprived income areas, a listed means-tested benefit, or a household income under £36,000 (GOV.UK). DESNZ guidance for councils, updated in June 2026, sets caps of £16,600 for energy performance work and £16,600 for low-carbon heating, averaged across a council's project, and the scheme runs to 31 March 2028 (DESNZ).
| Route | Who for | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Warm Homes: Local Grant (council) | Homes at EPC D to G; household qualifies on postcode, benefits or income | Measures a retrofit assessment recommends, which can include solar and batteries |
| Better Homes Bradford | Privately-owned and privately-rented homes in qualifying areas | Attic room insulation, or solar PV with battery storage, after a survey |
| Warm Homes Loan Scheme | Households that can repay | A loan through approved lenders |
| 0% VAT | Everyone | Installed panels and batteries in homes until 31 March 2027 |
| Export tariff | MCS-certified systems | A rate per kWh for electricity sent to the grid |
Only 37.3% of Bradford homes with an EPC reach band C (ONS), so a large share of the district's housing meets the grant's EPC test; whether a household qualifies depends on the income routes. In 2024, 12.2% of the district's households, about 26,829, were in fuel poverty, against 9.9% in England (DESNZ).
Better Homes Bradford
Better Homes Bradford is a scheme run in partnership with Bradford Council and paid for by government funding. After a survey it offers attic room insulation (for attic rooms with a fixed staircase and a window), or solar PV with battery storage, to privately-owned and privately-rented households in qualifying areas of the district (Bradford Council). Its page does not list the qualifying areas or any income or EPC test, so ask the scheme whether your address qualifies. Private landlords can have the work done at no charge on one property and pay a contribution on later ones. The page shows no closing date, so ask the scheme whether it is still taking addresses in your area and keep its written confirmation of eligibility with any paperwork.
Offers that follow an installation
Bradford Council has warned residents who had solar installed under the grant that some heating offers made to them afterwards are not connected to the council, Better Homes Bradford or Warm Low Living, and that the council does not endorse them. It adds that the solar installation does not commit anyone to further work, and reminds residents that most doorstep and distance sales carry a 14-day cooling-off period (Bradford Council; Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). If someone calls after your installation with an offer, check it with the council's energy team before signing anything. Solar with a heat pump
VAT, export payments and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Everyone gets 0% VAT on installed solar panels and batteries in a home until 31 March 2027, rising to 5% from 1 April 2027 (HMRC); on a 4 kW system at the Yorkshire and the Humber mean of £1,972 per kW, 5% would be about £400, by our arithmetic. See what solar costs.
Anyone with an MCS-certified system can be paid for the electricity it sends out: larger suppliers must offer an export rate above zero, each setting its own (Ofgem). Export payments
Heat pumps sit under a different scheme. GOV.UK sets the Boiler Upgrade Scheme at £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, rising to £9,000 until March 2027 if the house runs on oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection (GOV.UK); it gives nothing towards panels. With 23% of the district's households renting privately (Census 2021), the landlord rules matter too: renting and solar.