Guide
Questions to ask at your retrofit survey
If your Warm Homes: Local Grant application progresses, a retrofit survey decides what, if anything, your home receives. It's the point at which solar panels are recommended or not. Here's what the survey is, and the questions worth asking while the assessor is in your home.
Where you stand
The survey establishes the home's energy rating and the measures that suit it. Ask what's recommended and why, whether solar or a battery is being considered, what ventilation is needed, whether planning permission applies, who does the work, and what paperwork you'll get.
What it is
The retrofit survey, explained
Liverpool City Council says that if your application is successful, your details go to its framework contractor, who arranges a retrofit survey to establish the home's current energy rating and the most appropriate improvements. Sefton Council describes its equivalent, a Retrofit Assessment, as a detailed, non-intrusive survey by a qualified retrofit assessor, looking at the home's structure, insulation, heating and more.
The government's guidance to councils sets the standards behind it. Pre-retrofit assessments now use the RdSAP10 method, and work must follow the relevant quality standards, including PAS 2035, the framework for whole-house retrofit.
Why solar may not be offered
"Whole house" comes first
A retrofit survey looks at the home as a whole. In a draughty, poorly insulated house, insulation and controls may do more for warmth and bills than panels, and the scheme's budget per home is limited. The government's guidance gives councils an average cost cap per home for energy performance measures, which covers insulation, glazing, doors, solar PV, smart controls and batteries together.
So the survey may recommend panels, insulation, both or neither. If you were hoping for solar and it isn't recommended, ask why. The answer may be the roof, the shading, the structure or simply that something else comes first.
The questions
Eight questions for the assessor
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Which measures are you recommending, and why? | The survey looks at the whole home; ask how each measure was chosen. |
| Is solar PV being considered here? If not, why? | Roof direction, shading, structure and other priorities all play a part. |
| Would a battery be included with panels? | Government guidance allows batteries only alongside panels, and only where they bring bill savings. |
| What ventilation will be needed? | Sefton fits necessary ventilation as a condition of its grant, to prevent condensation and damp. |
| Will any planning permission be needed? | Liverpool has 36 conservation areas; the same rules apply to grant-funded work. |
| Who will do the work, and when? | The council’s framework contractor; ask for timescales and what happens if funding runs short. |
| What paperwork will I receive? | Certificates, warranties and, for panels, MCS certification matter later. |
| What should I do differently afterwards? | Some measures work best with changes in how the home is heated or electricity is used. |
Before the visit
Getting ready
- Check the visitor's identity. The Combined Authority says programme staff and contractors carry photo ID; if you're unsure, don't let them in, and call the council on a number you've found yourself.
- Clear access to the loft, the boiler or heating controls, the electricity meter and each room.
- Have your EPC certificate and any paperwork about past work: insulation, windows, the boiler.
- Note any damp, condensation or cold rooms, so the assessor can see them.
Batteries
If a battery comes up
The government's guidance says domestic batteries can be installed under the scheme only where they complement existing or new solar panels, and only where they drive bill savings for the household. It strongly recommends checking whether a time-of-use tariff would suit you, and expects a working smart meter, or one fitted alongside. If a battery is suggested, ask how it will be set up and whether you should change tariff. See batteries and grants.
Ventilation
Why ventilation is part of the job
Insulating a home without managing moisture can cause condensation and damp. Sefton Council's page says necessary ventilation is installed as a condition of its grant, to prevent condensation and damp. Ask the assessor what ventilation your home will need, where it will go and how to use it. It's part of a good retrofit, not an optional extra.
After the survey
Work, or the waiting list
A survey doesn't mean work will follow. Liverpool City Council says that if the works fit the budget and funding is available, you may go ahead or be placed on a waiting list. Sefton says even a completed survey may not lead to funding. If you're told you're on a waiting list, ask how you'll be kept informed, and whether anything you do to the home in the meantime would affect it. See applying and waiting lists.
After installation
Making the most of new measures
Sefton Council says its installer explains each measure and any changes in how you use the home that will help you make the most of it. If you receive panels, using more electricity during the day, when they generate, is the simplest change. If you'd like payments for electricity you export, ask whether the installation will be MCS certified and how to apply for a Smart Export Guarantee tariff. See solar in Liverpool.
Survey questions
Who carries out the survey?
In Liverpool, the council’s framework contractor arranges it. In Sefton, the council says its procured installer arranges a retrofit assessment by a qualified retrofit assessor.
Do I have to accept every measure?
Raise any concerns with the council before work is agreed. The survey recommends what suits the home within the scheme’s budget.
Does a survey mean I’ll get the work?
No. Both Liverpool and Sefton councils say work goes ahead only if it fits the budget and funding is available; otherwise you may join a waiting list.
How long does the survey take?
It depends on the home. Ask when the appointment is booked, and make sure someone can give the assessor access to every room and the loft.
Sources for this page
- Liverpool City Council › Apply for a Warm Homes Local Grant, read 3 November 2026
- Sefton Council › Warm Homes Local Grant, read 3 November 2026
- DESNZ › Warm Homes: Local Grant policy guidance for local authorities, July 2026 (PDF), read 4 November 2026
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority › Warm Homes Local Grant, 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.
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