What support might be available?

Each council runs its own schemes, so availability varies by area. What matters in practice is that support usually falls into a few predictable buckets.

Even if the exact scheme names change, the type of help is often similar.

Emergency help when you can’t afford heat right now

This is the “short-term relief” category. It can show up as fuel vouchers, a one-off hardship payment, help topping up a prepayment meter,

or referrals to local charities. Councils often put this under cost of living support, welfare assistance, crisis support, or household support.

Support to reduce how much heat your home needs

Some councils fund insulation or small energy-efficiency measures directly, and others act as a referral route into wider schemes.

This can include loft top-ups, cavity wall work, basic draught-proofing, or guidance on improving a home’s EPC performance. If you’re trying to work out where the heat is actually escaping before you chase any scheme, it helps to understand how to find hidden draughts in a UK home first.

It’s often listed under energy efficiency, warm homes, retrofit, or climate/energy teams. And if your rooms aren’t warming evenly, sorting the system side can make a bigger difference than people expect — this guide on how to balance radiators properly explains the quick checks that usually improve comfort without touching the boiler.

Help with heating systems, repairs, or replacements

Boiler support is usually more targeted and more conditional than insulation support. Where it exists, it tends to be routed through partners

or national programmes rather than a simple “apply here” form. If you see references to ECO, warm home grants, or referrals through an energy advice service,

you’re in the right place. If you’re seeing the boiler switch on and off repeatedly (which can make costs feel worse), it’s worth reading why boilers short cycle so you know what’s a symptom versus an actual fault.

Support that sits alongside your housing situation

Depending on your circumstances, you may see things like discretionary housing payments, support for vulnerable households, or landlord-linked schemes

(especially in social housing). These can be relevant if heating costs are rising because the home is hard to keep warm or the system is unreliable.

Who this page is for

This page is intended for households struggling with heating costs, renters who aren’t sure what help their landlord or council offers,

homeowners in older or inefficient properties, people advised to contact their council for energy support, and charities or advisers signposting residents to official sources.

Eligibility is usually shaped by a mix of income, health, vulnerability, tenancy type, and the energy performance of the home. Councils also vary in how they prioritise:

some focus heavily on crisis support, while others push longer-term efficiency work.

How to find the right page on your council’s website

Council websites are rarely organised around “heating grants” as a neat label. You usually get better results by searching their site for the right phrases.

If you’ve used the tool above to open your council’s official website, the quickest approach is to use their search box and try a few of these exact terms:

“household support fund”, “cost of living”, “welfare assistance”, “energy advice”, “warm homes”, “hardship fund”, and “help with heating costs”.

If you’re dealing with a cold home as well as a high bill, it’s often worth checking for “energy efficiency” and “warm home” pages too. These tend to be less visible,

but they’re where insulation schemes and referral routes are usually buried.

Why people get stuck (and what usually fixes it)

The most common reason people give up is that they land on a generic cost of living page with no obvious “apply” route. That doesn’t always mean there’s no help.

It often means the support is delivered through partners, referral organisations, or a phone-based triage process rather than a form.

If the council website keeps pointing you elsewhere, look for named partners (local advice services, energy hubs, charities), and follow that route.

It’s also normal for funding windows to open and close quickly. If a page looks out of date, still check the latest news section or the cost of living hub

before assuming the scheme no longer exists.

Important boundaries

This tool does not assess eligibility, apply for grants, or guarantee that support is available. It simply helps you find the correct local authority

so you can access accurate, up-to-date information.

WarmGuide does not collect or store postcode data entered on this page.

If you smell gas, see visible damage to heating equipment, or experience repeated boiler faults, stop and contact a qualified engineer or emergency service immediately.

How this fits into WarmGuide

WarmGuide focuses on helping UK households understand why their homes feel cold and which fixes are worth addressing first.

In many cases, practical steps like draught-proofing, radiator balancing, or targeted heating improvements can make a meaningful difference

before major upgrades are needed.

If you want to understand heat loss in your home or reduce heating costs using practical, low-risk steps, this guide explains the wider picture:
How to Keep a UK Home Warm for Cheap.