Government-Funded Schemes

Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 (HUG2) is a government-funded local authority scheme that aims to tackle fuel poverty and support progress towards the UK’s 2050 Net Zero commitment.

HUG2 is targeted at homes that are not heated by gas. The scheme will provide energy-saving improvements and low carbon heating systems to the homes of people who struggle to pay their heating bills and keep their homes warm in the winter. These improvements will be made free of charge, and will help residents to keep their homes warm, while using less energy.

The Greater South East Net Zero Hub has successfully bid for HUG2 funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The Hub will administer the scheme in the South East region of England, on behalf of a consortium of local authorities led by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

To be eligible for the scheme, households must be located in a postcode area that has been identified as having Indices of Multiple Deprivation 1-3 or have either a gross household income of no more than £36,000, or below £20,000 after rent or mortgage costs. Homes must be heated by fuels other than gas and have an Energy Performance Certificate rating between D and G. (Homes participating in the scheme will be provided with a free EPC if they do not already have one.)

Currently, preparations are being made by the Greater South East Net Zero Hub to enable roll-out the HUG2 scheme. Once arrangements are in place, the local authorities involved will take the initiative in contacting residents who they believe are likely to be eligible for the scheme. To maximise the use of the scheme funding, those households most in need and those living where the scheme can be most efficiently delivered will be prioritised.

Further information is available here: Home Upgrade Grant – Free energy-saving improvements for your home (hugapply.co.uk)

The Fund, provided by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, aims to improve the energy performance of social homes in England and will allocate up to £80 million from April 2024. It will support the installation of energy saving measures and upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock currently below Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C up to that standard. The Fund is open to local authorities, combined authorities, registered providers of social housing (including housing associations and arms-length management organisations that are registered providers) and registered charities that own social housing.

If you are considering applying for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund: Wave 2.2 competition, you can get support from the Social Housing Retrofit Accelerator. Guidance for Wave 2.2 will be provided by mid October 2023 and applicants should refer to this once published. The Wave 2.2 competition is expected to open to applications in mid November 2023. For general enquiries about Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund: Wave 2.2 you can, email: enquiries-shdf@salixfinance.co.uk.

The Social Housing Retrofit Accelerator is a fully-funded support service to help social housing providers across England successfully bid into the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. The service is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Turner & Townsend. You may also eligible free one-to-one support to bid into the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. Contact the service at info@socialhousingretrofit.org.uk to find out what is available to you. You can find out more about one-to-one support HERE.

The service will also be hosting a programme of webinars, workshops and briefings to help you develop your knowledge of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund application process and retrofit projects. The Accelerator website provides a portal of resources to help you. This includes a Knowledge Hub, which provides tailored insights on all stages of a retrofit project, with sections on preparation and delivery, as well as news and retrofit toolkits. To get access to these resources and find out more, click the button below and visit the Social Housing Retrofit Accelerator website.