If you can pay: no grant
England has no grant for solar panels for households who can afford them. The Warm Homes Plan, published in January 2026, offers that group low-cost loans and keeps grant money for lower-income households through local schemes (Warm Homes Plan). In Leeds that local scheme is run by the city council.
The council's Warm Homes: Local Grant
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is the government's grant for lower-income households in England, handed out through councils (GOV.UK). Leeds City Council has appointed Sustainable Building Services and Groundwork Yorkshire to deliver it in the city (Leeds City Council).
| The home | Privately owned, by the person living there or by a private landlord, with an EPC of D, E, F or G. |
|---|---|
| The household, one of | Income below £36,000 a year; an income-related benefit; or a home in a qualifying area of the city. |
| Measures listed | Solar panels; battery storage when fitted with solar; loft, cavity, external and internal wall and other insulation; air source heat pumps; high heat retention storage heaters. All subject to suitability and budget. |
| Amounts | Not published per home; what is offered depends on the home's needs and the scheme's budget. |
Two cautions. The council checks any existing EPC and reviews each home, and measures depend on what suits it, so solar cannot simply be chosen off a list. And the EPC test excludes much of the city: 49.7% of Leeds homes with a certificate are already band C or better, though only 16.2% of those built before 1930 are (ONS). Need is real: 11.1% of Leeds households, about 39,913, were in fuel poverty in 2024, against 9.9% across England (DESNZ). The 15.1% of households renting from the council are outside this scheme; their homes are improved through the council's own programmes.
Status: full for now
When we checked on 3 November 2026, the council's page described the scheme as oversubscribed with a waiting list, and the scheme's own site said it was not accepting new applications because of high demand (Warm Homes Leeds). The grant runs until March 2028, and the site says the council may reopen it after reviewing the project from April 2027. Its eligibility checker is still the place to start if you think you qualify.
Who the grant is for in Leeds
In 2024, 11.1% of Leeds households, about 39,913, were in fuel poverty, against 11.3% across Yorkshire and the Humber and 9.9% in England (DESNZ). Those are the households the Warm Homes: Local Grant is built for: homes at EPC D to G where the household's income is below £36,000, someone gets a means-tested benefit, or the home is in one of the qualifying postcodes. With only 49.7% of Leeds homes at band C or above (ONS), the EPC test rules few out; the income test and the size of the pot decide who is helped, which is why the scheme has a waiting list. The council says it will review the position from April 2027, and the grant runs to March 2028 (Leeds City Council).
Tenure decides who can ask. 21.8% of households rent privately and 15.1% from the council (Census 2021); private tenants need their landlord to apply, and council tenants should ask the council about its own plans. For the costs to set against any help, see the costs page and batteries.
Loans
The council also points residents to loans from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for energy-efficiency improvements (Leeds City Council). Nationally, the Warm Homes Loan Scheme offers reduced-interest borrowing for home energy improvements, solar included, through its listed lenders, with work done by MCS-certified installers (GOV.UK). Both are borrowing that must be repaid. This guide does not arrange finance or recommend lenders.
VAT and export payments
Two things apply to every household. Installed solar panels and batteries carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5% (HMRC Notice 708/6); on a 3 kW job at the Yorkshire average, about £5,900, that would be roughly £300 from April 2027, by our arithmetic. The relief covers the installed job, not kit bought separately.
And larger electricity suppliers must offer a rate above zero for power your panels send to the network, setting their own terms under Ofgem's rules (Ofgem). You need an MCS-certified system and a meter that records exports. The export payments guide shows how to compare offers.
Offers to treat with care
- A caller offering a council solar grant. Leeds's scheme is applied for through its own website and the council; check with the council before giving details to anyone who contacts you.
- A grant with no questions asked. The real scheme checks the home's EPC and the household.
- Finance presented as funding. A loan is repaid, however low the rate.
- A deadline that is not real. The VAT change is fixed for 1 April 2027, so there is time to compare quotes; see choosing an installer.
For prices before any help, see what solar costs in Leeds.