NICEIC responds to Warm Homes Plan

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  Posted by: electime      26th January 2026

  • NICEIC welcomes UK Government’s landmark Warm Homes Plan
  • £15 billion of public investment announced to upgrade homes with renewable technologies, including solar PV, heat pumps, and battery storage systems

NICEIC, the UK’s leading certification and training body for the electrical industry, has welcomed the UK Government’s newly announced £15 billion Warm Homes Plan. The funding and action announced by the government amounts to a significant investment and an ambitious signal of intent on renewable energy and home upgrades. The government anticipates the measures announced will cut household energy bills and accelerate the rollout of clean energy technologies.

Up to five million homes could benefit from upgrades including heat pumps, solar panels, and home batteries. The plan also outlines stronger protections for renters in both the private and social rented sectors.

Warm Homes Plan at a glance:

  • £15 billion of public investment to upgrade up to five million homes with solar panels, battery storage systems, heat pumps, and insulation.
  • Low‑income households will be eligible for free upgrades, backed by £5 billion of public investment. Depending on the suitability of their home for specific technologies, a household could receive fully funded solar panel and battery storage installations, covering the full average cost (currently £9,000-£12,000).
  • A zero- and low-interest loans programme for solar panels and new rules requiring every new home to be built with solar panels by default as part of the Future Homes Standard.
  • Facilitating the heat pump roll-out with an extension of the £7,500 universal grant for heat pumps, and a new £2,500 grant towards the cost of installing air-to-air heat pumps.
  • Support for skills and workforce development, including funding to expand training and upskilling for installers of low‑carbon technologies such as heat pumps, solar PV, and battery storage.

Paul Collins, Technical Director at NICEIC, commented: “We welcome the government’s Warm Homes Plan, which brings much‑needed certainty for householders, installers, and the wider industry.

Investment at this scale will boost demand for high‑quality renewable installations, creating significant opportunities for skilled and qualified installers. It also gives those seeking to upskill the confidence to invest in their future—a crucial enabler for delivering the plan at scale.

As the focus shifts from policy to delivery, building a sufficiently skilled and competent workforce will be essential to meeting demand. We are eager to see more detail on the support available for apprenticeships and the upskilling of the current workforce.

NICEIC‑certified businesses will play an integral role in delivering the Warm Homes Plan. We will continue to support them through certification and training, helping them to demonstrate their technical competence, and uphold the highest professional standards as the sector scales up.”

Support for NICIEC-certified businesses

As always, NICEIC will work with certified businesses to ensure they are fully informed about what the Warm Homes Plan means for them and how it may affect their business. As new information and further details are published, NICEIC will provide regular updates and guidance through its e-newsletters, social media channels, and Connections magazine.