Guide · dates
Home energy funding timeline for Wales, 2024 to 2029
Support for home energy in Wales sits under two governments: the Welsh Government runs Nest and sets planning rules; the UK government runs the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the loan scheme, VAT and the supplier schemes. Their dates overlap. Here they are in one list.
In brief
The dates that matter most for a North Wales household: ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026; the £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme amount for oil and LPG homes runs to March 2027; VAT on installed solar becomes 5% on 1 April 2027. Nest, the Welsh low-income scheme, continues.
Checked at source on 3 November 2026 · An independent guide from SEO-DONS LTD, not the Welsh Government, Nest or a council
Every date
The full list, in order
| Date | What changes | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1 October 2024 | Nest’s first installation period | The new Warm Homes Nest scheme, which followed the 2023 Warm Homes Policy Statement, reports installations from this date. |
| 6 April 2025 | Consumer law tightens | Banned practices include false claims of public approval and "free" for anything you pay for; the CMA can fine directly. |
| 21 January 2026 | The Warm Homes Plan | The UK government’s plan to 2030: help for households that can pay is mainly loans. |
| 31 March 2026 | Great British Insulation Scheme ended | The supplier-funded insulation scheme closed across Great Britain. |
| 28 April 2026 | Boiler Upgrade Scheme changes | No valid EPC needed; air-to-air heat pumps eligible in homes. |
| 1 June 2026 | Welsh heat pump planning rules updated | Two air source units on detached houses, 1.5 cubic metres, MCS 020(a). |
| 21 July 2026 | £9,000 for oil and LPG homes | Higher Boiler Upgrade Scheme amount for off-gas homes replacing oil or LPG, until March 2027. |
| 27 October 2026 | Loan scheme factsheet | The Warm Homes Loan Scheme described as UK-wide for owner-occupied homes. |
| 31 December 2026 | ECO4 ends | No successor supplier obligation. |
| March 2027 | £9,000 amount ends | Other Boiler Upgrade Scheme amounts continue. |
| 1 April 2027 | VAT on installed solar becomes 5% | The zero rate ends on 31 March 2027. |
| 31 December 2029 | Last Boiler Upgrade Scheme vouchers | The scheme is extended to 2030 but issues no vouchers after this date. |
Two governments
Who decides what
The Welsh Government decides Nest's rules and funding, Welsh planning rules for heat pumps and solar, and Welsh building regulations. The UK government decides the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the Warm Homes Loan Scheme, VAT and the supplier obligations like ECO4, which apply across Great Britain or the UK.
That's why English news about solar grants is often wrong for Wales: changes to English council schemes, or to England's planning rules for solar, don't reach Welsh homes. But UK-wide changes, such as the end of 0% VAT on installed solar, do.
For a household
What the dates mean in practice
On a low income: Nest has no announced end date; check it whenever suits you. ECO4 isn't a route to plan around.
In an oil or LPG home, thinking about a heat pump: the £9,000 amount runs to March 2027. Allow time for a survey, a heat loss assessment and a decision.
Paying for solar yourself: VAT goes from 0% to 5% on 1 April 2027. That's a modest difference, not a reason to rush a contract.
Watch for
Where deadline selling clusters
Expect deadline-driven marketing around ECO4's closure in December 2026, the end of the £9,000 heat pump amount and the VAT change in spring 2027. Each is a real date that can be borrowed to rush a decision. The test is the same as ever: find the scheme yourself, and don't let a date someone else quotes set your timetable. See spotting fake offers.
Still unknown
What hasn't been announced
When we last checked, there was no announcement of what happens to VAT on installed energy-saving materials after 31 March 2027, and no published amount for heat batteries under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, although regulations to admit them took effect in October 2026. Dates can move; before relying on one, check the source. We update this list when they change, and you can tell us if you spot one first.
Nest
Where Nest fits on the timeline
Nest isn’t tied to the UK dates in the list. Its funding and rules are set by the Welsh Government, and the current scheme followed the 2023 Warm Homes Policy Statement. Its first annual report covers advice from April 2024 and installations from October 2024 to March 2025.
That makes Nest the stable point for lower-income households in Wales while UK schemes change around it. Changes to Nest would be announced on gov.wales.
Planning
Welsh planning dates
Heat pump permitted development in Wales was updated on 1 June 2026 by a Welsh amendment order, separate from England’s changes. England’s August 2026 changes to solar permitted development, covering flats, balconies and plug-in panels, don’t apply in Wales.
If you’re reading about planning changes, check whether the source is talking about England or Wales; the dates and details differ.
Using the list
How to use these dates
Treat each date as a prompt to check, not a deadline to act. If a date affects you, read the source on gov.wales or GOV.UK, ask any installer which rule will apply on the date your work is invoiced or your voucher issued, and keep the answer in writing. If you're on a low income, Nest has no deadline on this list at all.
And if a date in this list has already passed when you read it, the source will show what replaced it.
Checked against
- Warm Homes Nest scheme annual report 2024 to 2025 (Welsh Government), read 3 November 2026
- DMCC Act 2024, Schedule 20 (banned practices) (legislation.gov.uk), read 2 November 2026
- The Warm Homes Plan (January 2026) (GOV.UK), read 3 November 2026
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get (GOV.UK), read 3 November 2026
- SI 2026/390, Boiler Upgrade Scheme amendments (legislation.gov.uk), read 2 November 2026
- planning permission for heat pumps (Welsh Government), read 3 November 2026
- Warm Homes Loan Scheme factsheet (27 October 2026) (GOV.UK), read 3 November 2026
- Energy Company Obligation (ECO) (Ofgem), read 2 November 2026
- Extending the ECO4 end date: government response (GOV.UK), read 2 November 2026
- VAT Notice 708/6, energy-saving materials (HMRC), read 3 November 2026
Not sure which scheme, if any, fits your home?
Tell us which council area you're in and what you're looking into. Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, the publisher of this guide, and we answer by email. We're not a scheme and can't approve anything, but we can point you to the right one.
What happens next
- Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, which publishes this guide.
- We reply by email with the scheme page that fits, if there is one.
- Any application is between you and that scheme.