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There is not a national solar grant for everyone. Warm Homes: Local Grant if you qualify. Everyone else is 0% VAT to 31 March 2027. We can’t claim the council scheme for you.
In England that grant can include solar if you are on a low income, on certain benefits, or in some postcodes. iHeat publish solar from £4,295, or from £89 a month. Heatable will draw the roof in 3D. They won’t print a from-price. There is no Boiler Upgrade Scheme money on solar. From 1 April 2027 a qualifying job is 5% VAT, not 20%. We priced the cash job on solar panel cost, and the 9.9% monthly on solar panel finance.
The short version
There is a government grant if you qualify. Warm Homes: Local Grant in England can include solar if you are on a low income, on certain benefits, or in some postcodes. There is not a grant for everyone. BUS is heat pumps only. For everyone else the main saving is 0% VAT on a qualifying solar or battery install until 31 March 2027. After that the rate is 5%, not a jump to 20%.
What you can actually claim
Tax relief is not a grant. A grant is money toward the job. 0% VAT is the installer charging no VAT on a qualifying install. It is automatic if the job qualifies. You do not apply on GOV.UK for it, and you still pay the installer.
| Item | What it is | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| 0% VAT to 31 Mar 2027 | Tax relief on qualifying solar and battery supply-and-install | Not a grant, not money in your bank |
| From 1 Apr 2027 | Reduced rate 5% on those jobs | Not a jump to 20% |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | Heat pumps in England and Wales | No money on solar |
| SEG | Export pay once you have MCS and a smart meter | Not a grant |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant | England. Low income, certain benefits or some postcodes. Can include solar | Not a grant for everyone |
| FIT | Ended | Do not budget as if it were still open |
VAT timing is the live national rule as of 19 August 2026. BUS rules sit on Boiler Upgrade Scheme UK. SEG is the Smart Export Guarantee, paid by your energy supplier, not by Heatable or iHeat as a grant.
Council and ECO schemes (not our quote path)
Some households can get solar through a government scheme. That is a council route, not Heatable or iHeat, and not something HomeBoiler can claim for you.
Warm Homes: Local Grant and ECO4
In England, you can apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant if you are on a low income, getting certain benefits, or in some postcodes. The home usually needs an EPC of D to G and to be privately owned. Household income is usually £36,000 a year or less, unless a postcode or benefit rule lets you in. If you qualify and the council has funding, they survey the house and can pay for work such as insulation, a heat pump or solar panels. You apply on GOV.UK, not through our quote buttons. We cannot promise you will get it.
ECO4 is a supplier scheme for qualifying benefit households. It can include solar in some cases and is running into late 2026. Ask your energy supplier or local advice service. It is not the Heatable or iHeat path on this page.
Warm Homes Plan
The Warm Homes Plan is a government programme. It is the parent topic for a lot of search demand, and it mentions future loans. It is not a live national grant you claim on a Heatable or iHeat quote today. Do not treat a white paper as a discount code.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own local schemes. Check the relevant government or council page for your address. We are not promising a figure from those lists.
The paid quote if you are not on a council grant
Most readers of this page will not pass a local-scheme test. They still want a price. Quote both. Heatable go first because the 3D roof tool is the design. The write-up is the Heatable solar review. iHeat go second because they publish a from-price.
Want storage with the panels? That sits on solar battery storage. 0% VAT can apply to a qualifying battery supply-and-install as well, until 31 March 2027. It is still tax relief, not a grant.
Quote both if you are paying yourself. Heatable for the roof drawing, iHeat for a published floor.
No BUS on solar. 0% VAT to 31 March 2027 is tax relief. iHeat finance is 9.9% APR, not 0%. Council and ECO schemes are a separate door.
- Draw the roof, then an MCS design
- 0% VAT is tax, not a grant
- Which? Trusted Trader, MCS NAP-68602
- Not a council-grant application
- 9.9% APR Representative (Fixed), not 0%
- Published from-prices, 19 August 2026
- Which? Trusted Trader, MCS
- Octopus badge is theirs, not our path
- Think you are on a low income or a qualifying benefit: ask the council and your supplier. Not our buttons.
- Paying yourself: Heatable 3D tool first, iHeat from-price second.
- Do not expect BUS on the roof: that grant is heat pumps.
- 0% VAT to 31 Mar 2027 is tax, not a grant and not 0% APR.
- FIT has ended. Export pay is SEG, once you have MCS and a smart meter.
Use the council / ECO door when
- You may pass a low-income or benefit test
- The house is in a weaker EPC band
- You are ready to apply on GOV.UK
Use Heatable and iHeat when
- You are paying for the array yourself
- You want a 3D design or a published from-price
- You want 0% VAT on a qualifying install, not a grant form
Common questions about help with solar costs
Not for everyone. If you are on a low income or certain benefits in England, you can apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant. It can include solar. BUS does not pay for panels. Everyone else is on 0% VAT until 31 March 2027.
No. BUS is a heat-pump grant in England and Wales. Details: Boiler Upgrade Scheme UK.
No. It is tax relief, applied automatically on a qualifying job. You still pay the installer. From 1 April 2027 the reduced rate is 5%, not 20%.
Not as our quote path. Apply for Warm Homes on GOV.UK. ECO4 is a supplier scheme. Our buttons are for people paying for the job.
No. SEG is export pay from your energy supplier once the system is MCS-certified and you have a smart meter. FIT has ended.
No on iHeat. They publish 9.9% APR Representative (Fixed). Monthly detail is on solar panel finance. Heatable do not publish a solar APR.
This page was last updated on 19 August 2026. iHeat from-prices are from iheat.co.uk/solar. Heatable figures are from heatable.co.uk/solar. VAT timing is the live national rule, not a grant. We are not a credit broker, lender or installer, and we cannot submit a council application for you.
A battery with no panels is not a solar grant job; that path is /home-battery-without-solar/.
