New grants help Wirral residents cut energy bills and go greener

27 October 2025

Wirral resident, Kenny, who had electric storage heaters installed in his property at Birkenhead in 2024.

As the colder months approach, Wirral Council is encouraging residents to look at options for making their homes more energy efficient – helping to cut bills, improve comfort, and help the planet.

Whether it’s installing better insulation, solar panels or switching to low-carbon heating, there’s a range of support available to help residents improve their home’s energy efficiency. And it isn’t just good for the environment – it’s good for wellbeing and the wallet too. Energy-saving upgrades can:

Keep your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer
Reduce your energy bills
Lower your carbon footprint

Residents across the borough have benefited from help to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, with 4,841 measures installed between April 2024 to March 25 (latest available figures) under the ECO4 scheme.

A further 70 installations of solar PV, and 15 installations of battery storage have been completed as part of the Solar Together Round 3 scheme, and an additional 17 homes have had home heating and energy efficiency upgrades thanks to the Home Upgrade Grant 2.

One Birkenhead resident, Kenny, had electric storage heaters installed in his property at Birkenhead in 2024. He said: “I never put on the old, antiquated heaters because I couldn’t afford to put them on. I was cold. But now that I’ve got these radiators in, I can feel the benefits of feeling warm. It’s a life changer basically. My advice to other people would be to take it with two hands, grab it.”

What help is available?

Through the Warm Homes Local Grant, administered by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, eligible homeowners can access up to £15,000 worth of energy-saving improvements. The Combined Authority is planning on helping up to 400 Wirral residents over the next two years and has just started to contact the first residents for the scheme delivery.

This initiative is part of a wider effort to support residents in improving home comfort while cutting carbon emissions as part of the ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions across Wirral by 2041.

Measures that can be funded include wall insulation, solar panels, heat pumps and more. The scheme is open to Wirral homeowners who meet certain eligibility criteria. To qualify, your home must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G, and you must either:

Have a total household income of less than £36,000 per year, or
Be in receipt of means-tested benefits, or
Live in a postcode area identified as eligible under the scheme, which can be found here: Warm Homes: Local Grant – guidance for local authorities - GOV.UK

The exact measures offered will be based on a retrofit assessment carried out by a council-approved contractor.

The UK Government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme also offers funding for home energy efficiency improvements such as loft and cavity wall insulation, heating system upgrades, and the installation of renewable power sources such as heat pumps and solar panels in partnership with energy companies.

ECO4 is designed to support those with low incomes or who are living in fuel-poor households, while the ECO4 Flex option allows eligibility to be extended to residents who may not receive qualifying benefits but are on a low income or have health conditions made worse by living in a cold home. This flexible approach ensures more households can access vital support to make their homes warmer, healthier, and cheaper to heat, helping to cut energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.

You could quality for ECO4 if:

You own or rent your home (in private or social housing)
Your home has an EPC rating of D, E, F, or G
Someone in your household receives a means-tested benefit
You have a household income of less than £31,000
You have a health condition affected by the cold (e.g. respiratory or cardiovascular issues)

ECO is administered by accredited installers, who claim the funding from the energy supplier direct which means that work is carried out at little or no cost to you (dependent on the property and measures installed).

Similar to the Warm Homes grant, those who quality for the ECO scheme would have an energy assessment carried out by an accredited contractor to advise on the most appropriate measures for their home.

Another source of support is the Solar Together scheme, which is administered by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. It’s a group-buying programme that helps residents and small businesses install solar panels, battery storage, and EV charge points at competitive prices, fitted by trusted installers.

The scheme works by gathering registrations from interested residents, then running a reverse auction where pre-approved solar installers compete to offer the best deal. Those who register receive a personal recommendation and can choose whether to go ahead. There’s no obligation to buy, and support is available throughout the process.

The Solar Together scheme is in its 4th round and so far over 1,300 households have registered interest for the next auction.  Residents have until 17th November to register their interest for solar panels, batteries and electric vehicle charging installations.

In addition to local support, homeowners in Wirral may also be eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, a national initiative offering grants of up to £7,500 to help cover the cost of installing a low-carbon heating system, such as an air source or ground source heat pump. The scheme is open to homeowners in England and Wales looking to replace fossil fuel systems like oil, gas, or electric heating. Applications are made through certified installers, who apply for the grant on your behalf and deduct it from the total cost. Check your eligibility here: Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Overview - GOV.UK

Cllr Mark Skillicorn, Chair of the Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee said:

Having a warm, comfortable home that is affordable to run is fundamental to having a decent quality of life, and ensuring residents have the opportunity to access any available funding to make their homes more energy efficient, and reduce their bills, is important.
As well as saving money and staying warmer, improving the energy efficiency of homes across the borough is also crucial in reaching our Cool Wirral Partnership target of zero carbon emissions by 2041, so I’d encourage people to check their eligibility and apply for the schemes available to them, there are options for homeowners as well as landlords and renters.

Cllr Anthony Burns, Liverpool City Region Cabinet Member for Net Zero, said: 

We’ve invested heavily in making homes more energy efficient, to make sure our residents feel the benefit. Net Zero targets are important, but it’s even more important to make sure our residents across the city region feel they are part of that change and feel the benefits too. Reaching our climate change ambitions means we must halve our city region’s energy use in the next decade, so there’s a lot more still to do. 
There is a range of help available and every improvement – from wall insulation to solar panels and heat pumps – brings us one step closer to achieving our target whilst making sure our residents feel the financial benefits too.

To find out more about which schemes are available in Wirral to help make your home more energy efficient, visit: Advice and funding | wirral.gov.uk

You can also register your interest for the energy efficiency schemes and apply using the following links: