Questions
Solar funding in Liverpool: short answers
Sixteen questions people ask about solar grants in Liverpool, each answered in a line or two. The main pages carry the detail and the sources.
Where you stand
There's no grant for everyone. Warm Homes: Local Grant can include solar for eligible households in homes rated D to G; in Liverpool it's run by the city council and registration is open for year three. Everyone else can pay themselves, with zero VAT on installation until 31 March 2027.
Solar funding questions
Is there a solar grant every Liverpool household can get?
No. The council-run Warm Homes: Local Grant can include solar for eligible lower-income households in homes rated EPC D to G.
Who runs Warm Homes: Local Grant in Liverpool?
Liverpool City Council, for properties within the Liverpool boundary. Sefton Council runs its own; the Combined Authority runs it for Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Wirral.
Can I apply now?
Liverpool’s year two, to 31 March 2027, is oversubscribed. Registration through the GOV.UK portal is open for year three, from 1 April 2027.
What are the three pathways?
An eligible postcode, a qualifying means-tested benefit (or ECO4 Flex route 2), or gross household income below £36,000 or the after-housing-costs test.
Does my home’s EPC matter?
Yes. It must be rated D, E, F or G.
Will I definitely get solar panels if I qualify?
No. A retrofit survey decides which measures suit the home, and funding is limited.
Are batteries included?
PV batteries are on Liverpool City Council’s list of measures, but only alongside solar panels and only if the survey recommends them.
How much money does Liverpool have?
The council says it was awarded £5.8 million to improve around 450 properties over three years.
Do qualifying households pay anything?
Liverpool City Council says it won’t ask qualifying households for a financial contribution. Landlords may need to contribute for rented homes.
Can private tenants apply?
In principle, with the landlord’s agreement. Read the council’s page on how rented homes register.
Can council or housing association tenants apply?
No. Their landlords can bid for the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund instead.
Is there VAT on solar panels?
Installation in a home is zero-rated until 31 March 2027, then 5%.
Can I borrow for panels?
Homeowners can apply for a Warm Homes loan through a participating lender. It’s a loan, not a grant.
Can I be paid for electricity I export?
Yes, through the Smart Export Guarantee, with an MCS certified installation and a meter that records half-hourly exports.
Do I need planning permission?
Often not, but Liverpool has 36 conservation areas, some with Article 4 directions. Check before work starts.
Is this site the council?
No. It’s an independent guide published by SEO-DONS LTD. It doesn’t run schemes, decide eligibility or install panels.
More detail
Where to read more
- The council's scheme: Warm Homes: Local Grant in Liverpool.
- The tests: who qualifies.
- The steps: applying.
- Paying yourself: without a grant.
- Rented homes: renters and landlords.
Still unsure?
Ask us
If your question isn't here, send it to us. We'll reply by email, pointing to the scheme and the council or authority that applies. We can't decide eligibility or recommend installers, but we can save you time finding the right door. If something here is out of date, tell us.
Sources for this page
- Liverpool City Council › Apply for a Warm Homes Local Grant, read 3 November 2026
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority › Warm Homes Local Grant, read 3 November 2026
- GOV.UK › Apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant to improve a home, read 3 November 2026
- DESNZ › Warm Homes: Local Grant policy guidance for local authorities, July 2026 (PDF), read 4 November 2026
- DESNZ › Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund statistics (England), read 4 November 2026
- HMRC › VAT Notice 708/6, energy-saving materials and heating equipment, read 3 November 2026
- GOV.UK › Warm Homes loan, read 3 November 2026
- GOV.UK › Smart Export Guarantee, read 3 November 2026
- Liverpool City Council › Conservation areas, read 3 November 2026
A question about solar funding in Liverpool?
Tell us what you're trying to find out. Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, which publishes this guide, and we answer by email. We don't run any grant scheme, decide eligibility or install panels, but we can point you to the scheme and the council that does.
What happens next
- Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, publisher of this guide.
- We answer by email, pointing to the scheme or council that applies.
- Any application is made to the council or scheme itself.