Warm Homes: Local Grant Eligibility Checker, frequently asked questions

Eligibility checker & postcode eligibility questions

What is the difference between this checker and the HUG2 checker? 

The HUG2 eligibility checker and the WH:LG eligibility checker are similar services. Both services have been created to bridge the gap between homeowners looking for support and local authorities. The WH:LG service checks the eligibility for the new scheme criteria, including being on and off the gas grid.

Furthermore, local authorities and consortiums are required to use the WH:LG eligibility checker, whereas the HUG2 service was optional.

Does the eligibility checker only request income information if the postcode is not eligible? 

No, homeowners must confirm their income regardless of postcode eligibility. This ensures local authorities receive comprehensive data in the CSV downloads. However, if a user with an automatically eligible postcode says they earn more than £36,000, they can still create a referral.

What happens if the income indicated exceeds the threshold, but the postcode qualifies? Does the referral still go through? 

If a homeowner lives in an eligible postcode and selects that they earn "more than £36,000" as their income, they will still be able to create a referral to their local authority, as they are income eligible via their postcode.

Does the checker assess eligibility based on income after rent or mortgage costs, or if the applicant may be eligible through other routes such as ECO Flex? 

No, the checker assesses gross annual household income (before tax). There is guidance for those with high rent or mortgage costs.

Is there a feature to check eligibility for means-tested benefits? 

Yes, the eligibility checker refers to annual household income, before tax. There is accompanying text that informs users what to do if they have particularly high rent/mortgage costs.

Who has access to council referrals and resident’s data? 

Access is restricted to:

DESNZ Supplier – develops the service and can access referral data upon request.

DESNZ – can request data in an encrypted format.

Grant recipient’s representative – access granted through the referral portal.

Local authorities – can view only their own data, unless they are the consortium lead.

If a customer resides in a low-income postcode area, does that automatically qualify them for assistance, regardless of income? 

Yes, residents in IMD income deciles 1-2 areas are eligible and can submit a referral regardless of their income.

Is the £750K funding allocation per district ring-fenced, or can it be allocated across multiple districts within a consortium? 

The £750k per consortium member was provided on average as a safety net, meaning there is no ringfence. Applicants set out in their expression of interest form what indicative proportion of total funding each consortium member would receive, and these proportions are still valid.

Energy performance certificate questions

If a valid EPC is rated C or above, does the checker indicate ineligibility for funding? 

Yes, if the resident’s EPC certificate is rated C or above, they will be informed that they are likely ineligible for the WH:LG and are unable to create a referral.

Eligibility checker promotion & marketing questions

Are there any plans to market the eligibility checker to increase awareness? 

DESNZ has opted for a soft launch due to the limited number of Local Authorities currently onboarded onto the service. Once more LAs are onboarded, marketing efforts will be discussed to support regions where it is proving difficult to find eligible homes.

Accessibility & technical support questions

What support is available for individuals who struggle with technology or find the checker difficult to use? 

A dedicated phone service is available:

WH:LG assisted digital support helpline

Telephone: 0800 098 7950

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 AM – 6 PM (except bank holidays); Saturday, 9 AM – 12 PM.

Helpline details are provided on the service’s start page.

What contact details for each local authority will be provided so that teams can be briefed? 

Email addresses of those needing portal access (e.g., LA colleagues or designated delivery partners) must be sent to: eligibilitycheckersupport-cai@energysecurity.gov.uk.

Eligibility checker access & functionality questions

When part of a consortium, who gains access to the eligibility checker — individual local authorities or consortium lead organisations? 

The consortium lead has access to all referrals for all consortium members

Member local authorities can only access referrals specific to their authority

The consortium lead determines whether local authorities can access its specific referral data

What happens to referrals and customer messaging for local authorities that do not have access to the eligibility checker? 

Residents will be informed that their local authority is receiving applications but is not yet ready to process them. They will have the option to consent to creating a referral, acknowledging that processing will be delayed. DESNZ will contact these users with updates about when users can expect to be contacted by their local authority. In the event that local authorities hit their capacity for WH:LG or they can evidence they have a well-developed pipeline then referrals can be paused.

Will the checker support ownership or landlord checks, similar to services provided by Land Registry for other programs? 

No, the service is self-declared and does not cross-check Land Registry records. Local authorities and delivery partners must verify ownership independently. However, DESNZ is exploring verification options.

Will this service integrate with other systems, such as the EE installation checker, or will multiple systems need to be used separately? 

Not currently, but DESNZ plans to launch a unified access point in Spring 2026.

The CSV file currently only provides resident details already publicly available. Is there any plan to expand the information provided in the future? 

Currently, the CSV includes eligible user and property data. While there are no immediate plans for expansion, suggestions are welcome.

There are signposts to our consortium local authority members rather than the lead local authority. Can this be edited to make it clearer?

When an individual applies for the WH:LG, they do so under their local authority. If the consortium lead is managing all referrals on behalf of their members, they will still be the ones to receive these referrals via the portal. We handle referrals in this way as during testing users became very confused when they saw the name of a local authority (the consortium lead) that they did not recognise when trying to apply for the grant.

Can you provide more information on the GDPR for the WH:LG eligibility checker and how this may cover our delivery partners receiving this data?

DESNZ will share data with grant recipient's delivery partners at their request, however the grant recipient is responsible for compliance with the obligations contained in the Memorandum of Understanding/Data Sharing Agreement. The Grant recipient should have their own contracts or agreements in place with their delivery partners and will be accountable for ensuring that any sharing of Personal Data with their delivery partners is compliant with the applicable data protection law.

The eligibility checker does not allow private renting tenants to apply. Is this a permanent situation? The website mentions to contact the local authority, what does the local do when private tenants contact them?

At present, there are no plans for private renting tenants to make referrals through the service. However, we acknowledge the current gap in support for private renters and are actively exploring the potential to introduce a private rental journey in the future. In the meantime, if a private tenant contacts their local authority using information provided by the service, we expect the standard procedures to apply—as they would for any local resident seeking support or information about the scheme.

What is the process for local authorities to get access to applications received on the eligibility checker?

For grant recipients to be given access, they will need to provide the list of individual(s) responsible for managing the referrals to the support team via the eligibilitycheckersupport-cai@energysecurity.gov.uk inbox. Additionally, the grant recipient will need to inform them on whether the consortium will be managing all referrals on behalf of their consortium members or if consortium members will handle their own referrals. Once the CAI team receive this information, they will instruct the developers to create your account and will send a confirmation email along with a Welcome Pack containing step-by-step guidance on how to begin accepting referrals.

Landlord property upgrade verification questions

How can it be confirmed that a landlord has already had a property upgraded under the scheme, especially if the first property is free? 

To check if a landlord has received more than one fully funded home, we have created a form to gather private rental sector data across the 74 projects and hold it in a central database. The local authority will be responsible for collecting landlord's data, inputting it into the central database and verifying ownership. The delivery partner will monitor the central database and will cross check the landlord’s name, address and national insurance or company's name and registration number. This will ascertain whether they have received full funding, which in turn will inform the local authority on what type of funding they can offer the landlord.

Wording & communications questions

Does the checker clearly communicate whether residents "may" or "are" eligible based on their income, or is further verification required? 

The checker does not provide definitive eligibility. Instead, it states: "Based on the information you provided, we think you might be eligible." This ensures homeowners understand they may qualify for support, but final eligibility is determined through further verification by the local authority.

Can the wording in the portal be adjusted to better manage resident expectations, particularly regarding the booking of surveys? 

Yes, we are open to all feedback and suggestions on how to improve the service to best meet the needs of local authorities and users. Feedback can be sent to eligibilitycheckersupport-cai@energysecurity.gov.uk.

Is income clearly defined as "gross annual household income" within the portal? 

Yes, residents are asked to provide their annual household income before tax.