How to Get Free Solar Panels with the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2)
If you live in England and meet certain criteria, you may be eligible for a Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) that can cover up to 100% of the cost of installing solar panels on your roof.
The Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 (HUG2) is a UK government-funded scheme that aims to help low-income households in rural areas improve their energy efficiency rating (EPC Rating) and switch to renewable energy sources. The Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 (HUG2) scheme runs from April 2023 to March 2025, and is available in 45 local authorities across England (see the full list of local authorities below).
The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) can be used for various home improvements, such as home insulation, heat pumps, double glazing, solar thermal panels, and heating controls. However, one of the most popular and beneficial options available is solar panels (solar PV), which can generate clean and free electricity for your home.
According to the latest data from the UK government, 27% of the grants awarded by the HUG2 scheme so far have been for solar panels. On average, a local authority will pay for 87% of the cost of your solar panels, but in many cases this rises to 100% under certain criteria. This means that you can get solar panels installed for free or at a very low price under HUG2.
Who Can Apply for the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2)?
To qualify for the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2), you need to meet all the following eligibility requirements:
- Your home must not be connected to the gas grid. This means you rely on other fuels, such as oil, coal, or wood, to heat your home.
- Your household must have a total gross annual income under £31,000. This includes any UK government benefits or pensions you receive.
- Your property must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Rating of D, E, F, or G. This means your home is poorly insulated and wastes a lot of energy.
If you’re not sure about your EPC Rating, you can check it online at Find an energy certificate – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) using your postcode, street name and town, or certificate number.
How Much Can You Save with the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2)?
The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) can help you save a lot of money in two ways: by reducing the upfront cost of solar panel installation and by lowering your electricity bills in the long term.
The average cost of installing a solar panel system on a typical three-bedroom house in the UK is around £8,000, but here at NXTGEN Energy we can install 12 solar panels with solar battery storage from just £7,800. However, with the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2), you can expect to pay only £1,000 or less. In some cases, if your meet the criteria, you may not have to pay anything at all to have solar panels installed.
But that’s not all. Solar panels can also help you save money on your electricity bills by generating free power from the sun. Depending on the size and location of your solar PV system, you can expect to cut your electricity bills by 70% on average. Over the next 25 years, the average life span of solar panels, this could add up to savings between £8,000 and £20,000.
That means that you can recoup your initial investment in less than a year and enjoy free electricity for decades to come.
How to Apply for the Home Upgrade Grant?
If you are interested in getting solar panels with the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2), here are the steps you need to follow:
- Check if your local authority is on the list below. If it is, contact them using the phone number or email address provided below and ask for more information about the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) Scheme.
- Fill out an application form and provide proof of your household income and your home EPC Rating. You may also need to get a quote from a certified installer. NXTGEN Energy is a MCS Certified Solar PV Installer and MCS Certified Battery Storage Installer so we can help you with a completely free no-obligation quote and solar PV system design service that you can send to your local authority with your HUG2 Application Form. We are also accredited by HIES, NAPIT and TrustMark and have a 5-Star Rating on Google and an ‘Excellent’ Rating on TrustPilot.
- Wait for approval from your local authority. They will assess your eligibility and decide how much of the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) you can receive.
- Choose an MCS Certified Installer, like NXTGEN Energy and schedule a date for your solar PV system installation. Make sure they are accredited by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), which ensures quality and safety standards, which NXTGEN Energy are. NXTGEN Energy are both MCS Certified for Solar PV Installations and MCS Certified for Battery Storage Installations. Check your installer at https://mcscertified.com.
- Enjoy your almost free or completely free solar panels and start saving money on your energy bills.
List of Local Authorities Offering the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2)
Here are the 45 local authorities in England that are participating in the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) scheme:
Basildon Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £1,573,200
Blackpool Council
- Blackpool Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £41,400,000
- Consortium Members: Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Chorley, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, Ribble Valley, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire, and Wyre.
Bristol City Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £11,393,650
- Consortium Members: Bath and North East Somerset, and North Somerset.
Broadland District Council
- Broadland District Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £3,933,000
- consortium members: South Norfolk, North Norfolk, Breckland, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, and Norwich.
Calderdale Council
- Calderdale Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £4,140,000
Cambridge City Council
- Cambridgeshire
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £11,509,200
- Consortium Members: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire County Council, East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire, and South Cambridgeshire.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £82,313,888
- consortium members: Bedford, Milton Keynes, Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, Buckinghamshire, Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea, Tendring, Thurrock, Uttlesford, Hart, Broxbourne, Dacorum, East Hertfordshire, Hertsmere, North Hertfordshire, St Albans, Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield, Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Medway, Sevenoaks, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells, Havering, Sutton, North Northhamptonshire, West Northamptonshire, and Oxford.
Cheshire East Council
- Cheshire East Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £6,210,000
- Consortium Members: Cheshire West and Chester.
City of York Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £1,242,000
Cornwall Council and Council of the Isles of Scilly
- Cornwall Council and Council of the Isles of Scilly
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £20,700,000
Darlington Borough Council
- Darlington Borough Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £6,210,000
- consortium members: Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar and Cleveland, and Hartlepool.
Dartford Borough Council
- Dartford Borough Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £2,070,000
- Consortium Members: Dover.
Devon County Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £13,339,272
- Consortium Members: East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, Teignbridge, Torridge, and Torbay.
Dorset Council
- Dorset Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £4,343,000
- Consortium Members: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Durham County Council
- Durham County Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £5,185,000
Eden District Council
- Eden District Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £12,420,000
- Consortium Members: Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Copeland, Carlisle, and South Lakeland.
Greater London Authority
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £12,006,000
- Consortium Members: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, City of London, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Westminster, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Wandsworth, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
- Great Yarmouth Borough Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £6,561,900
Leeds City Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £15,525,000
Leicester City Council
- Leicester City Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £3,291,300
Lewes District Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £6,230,700
- Consortium Members: Eastbourne, Hastings, and Rother.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £10,350,000
- Consortium Members: Liverpool City Council, Sefton, Knowsley, Halton, St. Helens, and Wirral.
Manchester City Council
- Manchester City Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £10,400,000
Midlands Net Zero Hub
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £138,536,810
- Consortium Members: Oadby and Wigston, Redditch, Chesterfield, Mansfield, Lincoln , Erewash, High Peak, Gedling, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Bromsgrove, Rushcliffe, Worcester, North East Lincolnshire, North Warwickshire, South Derbyshire, Telford and Wrekin, Amber Valley, Boston, Solihull, Walsall, Derbyshire Dales, Derby, North Lincolnshire, Wychavon Wolverhampton, Bassetlaw, Warwick, West Lindsey, Malvern Hills, Nottingham City Council, Coventry, South Holland, North Kesteven, South Kesteven, Stratford-on-Avon, East Lindsey, County of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, Stafford, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Tamworth, Cannock Chase, South Staffordshire, Wyre Forest, Birmingham, Sandwell, Dudley, Rugby, Ashfield, Broxtowe, Newark &Sherwood, Blaby, Charnwood, Hinckley &Bosworth, Melton, Harborough, and North West Leicestershire.
Newcastle City Council
- Newcastle City Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £4,140,000
North Tyneside Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £621,000
Northumberland County Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £12,420,000
North Yorkshire County Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £14,545,420
- Consortium Members: Scarborough, Ryedale, Selby, Hambleton, Harrogate, Craven, and Richmondshire.
Oxfordshire County Council
- Oxfordshire County Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £6,417,000
- Consortium Members: Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, West Oxfordshire, and Vale of White Horse.
Plymouth City Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £3,376,610
Portsmouth City Council
- Portsmouth City Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £41,400,000
- Consortium Members: Arun, Adur, Basingstoke and Deane, Brighton and Hove, Chichester, Crawley, Croydon, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Horsham, Isle of Wight, Mid Sussex, New Forest, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Rushmoor, Rutland, Southampton, Test Valley, Winchester, and Worthing.
Rochdale Borough Council
- Rochdale Borough Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £3,105,000
Sedgemoor District Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £8,289,000
- Consortium Members: Mendip, Somerset and Taunton, and South Somerset.
Sevenoaks District Council
- Sevenoaks District Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £1,249,600
Sheffield City Council
- Sheffield City Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £4,140,000
Shropshire County Council
- Shropshire County Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £11,073,500
Stroud District Council
- Stroud District Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £6,240,000
- Consortium Members: Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, South Gloucestershire, and Tewkesbury.
Suffolk County Council
- Suffolk County Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £8,662,000
- Consortium Members: Bamberg, East Suffolk, Mid Suffolk, West Suffolk, and Ipswich.
Surrey County Council
- Surrey County Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £12,470,000
- Consortium Members: Elmbridge, Epsom, Ewell, Guildford, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Tandridge, Waverley, and Woking.
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £621,000
Wakefield Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £1,552,500
Walsall Council
- Walsall Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £3,135,000
Wealden District Council
- Wealden District Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £1,873,710
West Devon Borough Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £4,140,000
- Consortium Members: South Hams.
Wiltshire Council
- Wiltshire Council
- Home Upgrade Grant Funding Available: £3,622,500
Conclusion
Don’t miss this opportunity to get free solar panels with the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2). If your local authority is on the list above, contact them today and find out how you can apply. You will not only save money on your energy bills, but also help the environment by reducing your carbon emissions. It’s a win-win situation for you and the planet.
If you need a free no-obligation quote and a free solar PV system design service to send with your Home Upgrade Grant Application Form we are here to help you and support you with your Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) Application with free advice and help on all aspects of solar panel installation with or without solar battery storage.
Remember we are a MCS Certified Solar PV (Panels) Installer and a MCS Certified Battery Storage Installer, so we can install your complete solar PV system to the high standards as required by MCS Certification. We are also registered and accredited with HIES, NAPIT and TrustMark for our excellent service. NXTGEN Energy are your trusted solar energy partner and solar panel installer with a 5-Star Google Review rating and an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot. Check your installer is genuine at https://mcscertified.com. An MCS Certified Installer can issue you with an MCS Certificate which you are required to have to join the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) Scheme to sell electricity back to the National Grid.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Home Upgrade Grant UK 2023 (HUG2)
The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) is now available to support low income households by upgrading the energy efficiency of properties off the gas network in England. The HUG funding is to enable the installation of multiple measures to improve the energy efficiency of properties.
The Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) will provide energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon heating via local authority funding, to households in England that: Eligible Homes who can receive support: are low income. are off the gas grid.
The Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 (HUG2) scheme targets the worst performing (EPC band D-G), off-gas grid homes in England. A key focus of the scheme is to phase out the use of fossil fuel heating and make progress towards the UK’s 2050 Net Zero commitment.
To be eligible for the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2), you must: live in a property that’s off the main gas grid (for example, if you heat your home with electricity, oil, coal, LPG or solid fuels) and live in a property with an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating from D to G. and also be on a low income under £31,000.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is a government energy-efficiency scheme in Great Britain, designed to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions. ECO is an obligation placed on energy companies to deliver energy efficiency measures to domestic premises.
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