The five routes, side by side
| Route | What it is | Who it is for | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm Homes: Local Grant | Grant-funded upgrades, which can include solar panels | Lower-income owners and private tenants, EPC D to G homes | Open in west Cheshire to 31 March 2028 |
| 0% VAT until 31 March 2027 | Tax relief on installed solar and batteries in homes | Every household | Until 31 March 2027, then 5% |
| Export tariffs (the SEG) | Money for each unit you send to the grid | Homes with an MCS installation and an export-capable meter | Ongoing; rates vary by supplier |
| Warm Homes Loan Scheme | Loans from approved lenders with the interest cut by a government scheme | Owner-occupiers; MCS-certified installer required | Live; you apply to a lender |
| Switch Together Solar | Council-run group-buy with a reverse auction | Borough residents who register in a round | Last round closed 25 September 2026 |
Warm Homes: Local Grant in west Cheshire
This is the one route that can pay for solar panels outright. It is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and run locally. On the council’s support-schemes page, Cheshire East Council handles enquiries and checks eligibility on Cheshire West and Chester’s behalf, and the scheme runs in west Cheshire until 31 March 2028.
Who can get it
Homeowners who live in the property as their main home, or private tenants, in a home rated EPC D, E, F or G, who meet one income route:
- an income-related benefit; or
- household income of £36,000 or less before tax; or
- household income of £20,000 or less after housing costs; or
- living in an eligible postcode area.
Disability benefits are disregarded. Private landlords contribute at least half the cost after their first property.
What it can pay for
Insulation of several kinds, heat pumps, heating controls, high heat retention storage heaters where a heat pump is not suitable, and solar PV panels. The aim is to lift the home by at least two EPC bands, so solar comes as part of a package, not on its own. The council’s page does not list batteries. Homeowners usually pay nothing unless repairs are needed first.
How to apply
Through GOV.UK’s Warm Homes: Local Grant service. The council organises its own contractors for the work, so an installer you find yourself cannot apply for you or sell you the grant. Anyone who says otherwise is a red flag.
Who might this reach in Chester? The grant is aimed at lower incomes and less efficient homes. Census 2021 shows the city’s wards are very different: 37% of Blacon households rent from a social landlord (social housing is not covered by this grant), while 42.6% of households in Chester City & the Garden Quarter rent privately (ONS Census 2021). Private tenants can apply with their landlord’s agreement.
0% VAT, with a real end date
Installed solar panels and batteries in homes carry VAT at 0% until 31 March 2027 and 5% from 1 April 2027 (HMRC VAT Notice 708/6). It applies to everyone, whatever their income, as long as the panels are supplied and installed together. It is a tax relief, not a grant, and it is the only genuine deadline in this field. Any other “ends soon” in a solar advert should be read sceptically.
The Smart Export Guarantee
Large electricity suppliers must offer an export tariff above zero to homes with an MCS-certified installation of up to 50 kW and a meter that records exports (Ofgem). You choose the tariff, and it does not have to be with the supplier you buy from. Rates vary widely and change, so we do not quote one: compare current tariffs when your system is fitted. It pays for exported units; it is not a contribution to the cost.
The Warm Homes Loan Scheme
A government scheme that cuts the interest on loans from approved lenders for energy upgrades, including solar panels, for owner-occupiers (GOV.UK factsheet). The installer must be MCS certified for the measure. It is a loan you repay, and you apply to a lender directly. We are not a lender or a broker and do not arrange finance; compare the lender’s terms with any other borrowing you could use, such as a remortgage.
Switch Together Solar
The council’s group-buy, run with Cheshire East Council, Warrington Borough Council and iChoosr, uses a reverse auction among vetted MCS installers to set a price for each round. Registration costs nothing and carries no obligation, but it opens only in rounds: the latest closed on 25 September 2026. In the 2023, 2024 and 2025 rounds, 473 people in the borough had solar or a battery fitted through it (council page). Read how Switch Together works to decide whether to wait for the next round.
What to ignore
- Adverts for a national solar grant aimed at everyone. No such grant exists for households that can pay.
- Late ECO4 offers. ECO4 runs only until 31 December 2026, so suppliers can finish existing work; a new offer arriving now deserves caution, and the council no longer refers residents to it.
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme for solar. It funds heat pumps and biomass boilers, not solar panels.
- Anyone who says they can “get you” a grant for a fee. The Warm Homes: Local Grant is applied for through GOV.UK and delivered by the council’s own contractors.
For what a system costs without any of these, see solar panel costs in Chester, and for checking an installer, choosing an installer. Why the council runs these schemes at all is covered in Chester’s climate plan and your home, and short answers are in the FAQs.