Last updated: 20 Jun 2025
There’s a spotlight on energy efficiency in the housing market, as both sustainability and living costs remain in sharp view. Our research shows that a higher energy efficiency score can mean lower energy bills on average, so it’s worth considering any green improvements you might want to make to your property (or properties), now or in the future. We take a look at the support options currently available to UK landlords to make EPC improvements.
New rules around energy efficiency of rental homes are on the way, with the current government pledging to have all rental properties graded a minimum of C by 2030.
Improving the energy efficiency of a property can make it more attractive to tenants and better prepared for future changes in regulations. The upfront costs can be costly but you might find there’s some financial help available. The government is offering a range of grants to support landlords in making these upgrades.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through what’s changing in terms , and point you towards the grants that could help cover some of the cost.
We’ll also explain how to check if you’re eligible, what the application process looks like, and how these improvements can benefit both landlords and tenants in the long run.
What are the current EPC rules for landlords, and are they changing?
All rental properties in Great Britain must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which gives the property an energy efficiency rating between A (most efficient) and G (least efficient).
Currently, in line with the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), it is illegal for private landlords to rent out a property that has an EPC rating below E. However, the Labour government has also confirmed plans to tighten the standards further, requiring all rental properties to have an EPC rating of at least a C by 2030.
Landlords must therefore work to make energy efficiency improvement to ensure they align with these standards. For more information on this, check out our full guide on the EPC requirements for landlords and rental homes.
You can use the government’s Home Energy Assessment tool to work out where your property might benefit most from upgrades.
What is Help to Heat?
In an effort to support landlords, tenants and homeowners make energy efficiency to UK properties, the government is investing £12 billion via several Help to Heat schemes:
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme
- Home Upgrade Grant phase 2
- Sustainable Warmth Competition
- Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund
- Energy Company Obligation
- Great British Insulation Scheme
Rather than the government delivering these home improvement grants directly to applicants, they will instead be accessible by working with installers, local authorities, energy companies and other bodies. These financial provisions will vary on a scheme-to-scheme basis.
Landlord energy efficiency grants 2025
Two of the six Help to Heat schemes are available to landlords at the moment, with the opportunity to access energy efficiency grants:
#1 – The Boiler Upgrade Scheme
This scheme will provide grants to help property owners replace their existing fossil fuel heating with low carbon systems such as air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps and biomass boilers.
This scheme, which includes boiler grants for landlords, will offer:
- Up to £7,500 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump.
- Up to £7,500 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump.
- Up to £5,000 off the cost and installation of a biomass boiler.
#2 – The Great British Insulation Scheme
The Great British Insulation Scheme, meanwhile, aims to deliver insulation improvements to Great Britain’s least energy-efficient homes.
These government grants for homeowners, landlords and tenants alike are available for those properties that:
- have an EPC rating between D and G.
- Are in Council Tax bands A-D in England or A-E in Scotland or Wales.
The funding will primarily be used to help improve cavity wall insulation and loft insulation, yet support on other types of insulation may also be available.
Where can I check if I’m eligible for a grant?
Each of the various schemes under Help to Heat have different eligibility criteria for applicants to consider.
For landlords looking to tap into one of the three schemes available to them, it’s worth reviewing the eligibility guidance for each scheme in full. This information can be found via the links below:
How do I apply for a grant?
Below is the application guidance for each of the three Help to Heat schemes providing eco grants for landlords:
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
To apply for this scheme, there are three key steps to follow:
- Find a suitable MCS certified contractor to get quotes for the work. Qualified installers can be found here.
- Confirm with your installer that you’re eligible.
- Agree a quote with the selected installer.
Once this has been done, your installer will apply for the grant on your behalf. If successful, the value of the grant will then be taken off the final cost of your installation. More information on this is available here.
Great British Insulation Scheme
To apply for the Great British Insulation Scheme, you need to complete the survey on the government website here. If you can’t access this, you can phone the Great British Insulation Scheme helpline at 0800 098 7950.
If you are deemed to eligible for the scheme upon completion of the survey, then your energy supplier will contact you to arrange for your property to be assessed. Once this has been carried out, you will be told if you need to contribute to the proposed works. If you’re not happy with the proposed assessment of costs, you can choose not to go ahead with the works.
What are the benefits of accessing an energy efficiency grant?
Energy efficiency grants provide several benefits to landlords, from improving the appeal and value of properties to reducing the likelihood that long term costs arise:
- Save on energy efficiency costs: The primary purpose of these grants is to help cover the costs of energy efficiency improvements, reducing the financial burden on landlords looking to enhance the EPC rating of their properties and more closely align with sustainable best practices.
- Attract and retain tenants: With more comfortable living environments and lower energy bills, energy efficiency properties are more desirable to tenants. By leveraging grants to make improvements, landlords are more likely minimise vacancy periods and see happy tenants extend their stay.
- Increase property value and rental income: Using grants for landlords to make eco-friendly upgrades can also enhance a property’s value and marketability, enabling them to secure higher rental premiums.
- Reduced likelihood of maintenance and repairs: Not only are new energy efficient systems likely to be more durable and less prone to unexpected breakdowns. Equally, those properties than can be properly heated are less likely to suffer from issues such as damp and mold that can eventually lead to costly repairs.
Can tenants apply for the grants?
Tenants will also be able to apply for Help to Heat grants but may be eligible for different schemes.
The Energy Company Obligation stands as one example, which can only be accessed by tenants who “claim certain benefits and live in private housing (for example you own your home or rent from a private landlord)” or “live in social housing”.
Critically, however, tenants will always have to seek the permission of landlords before proceeding to use grants to make energy efficiency improvements to the properties they live in.
For landlords that don’t agree to the changes their tenants want to make, but still wish to support their tenants in making energy efficiency improvements, there are several guides which can be passed on:
- England: Help with your energy bills advice and home energy efficiency information.
- Scotland: Home Energy Scotland for advice and funding.
- Wales: Nest for bespoke advice.
- Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland Energy Advice.
