The short answer: Home Energy Advice (HEA) is a new GOV.UK service that will replace today’s online checker for the Warm Homes: Local Grant. DESNZ expects it to launch in late autumn 2026. Your identity can be checked with GOV.UK One Login, and an Income Verification Tool will check your income using HMRC and DWP data before your application goes to your council. Once the transition is complete, HEA will be “the sole GOV.UK referral route” into the grant. It wasn’t live on 30 October 2026: until it is, the current GOV.UK checker still works.
Last verified: 30 October 2026 against DESNZ’s HEA guidance for councils and GOV.UK.
Status, 30 October 2026: not live yet. GOV.UK still sends people to the existing Warm Homes: Local Grant checker. We’ll update this page on the day HEA launches.
What is changing
| Today’s GOV.UK checker | Home Energy Advice (from launch) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Live | Due late autumn 2026 |
| Identity | No online ID check | Recorded as checked with GOV.UK One Login |
| Income | Your council checks it after you apply | An Income Verification Tool uses HMRC earnings and DWP benefits data |
| EPC | You can look it up when you apply | Checked against the national EPC register |
| What it covers | Warm Homes: Local Grant | Home energy advice, and Warm Homes: Local Grant applications |
| What your council receives | Your answers | Your details plus a “verification outcome” showing what has been confirmed |
DESNZ says the extra checks should mean a “quicker and more reliable assessment process”. Where the tool can’t be sure, for example with lodgers, students, shared houses, recent changes in circumstances or unclear household income, it may return an “undetermined” outcome and your council checks by hand. Your council still makes the final decision.
How applying through HEA will work
From DESNZ’s published design, an application will collect:
- your name, email, phone number and the property address;
- whether you own the home (as your main home, or one you rent out or a second home) or rent it privately or from a social landlord;
- the home’s EPC rating, checked on the register;
- your household income, worked out from HMRC and DWP data, excluding people in full-time education and lodgers;
- whether your identity has been verified with GOV.UK One Login.
Your application then goes to your council, which can update its status. DESNZ says status changes will show in your HEA account.
Can someone apply for me?
Yes. HEA will have a phone helpline (“assisted digital”) for people who can’t apply online. DESNZ’s design records the caller’s relationship to the applicant, “for example family member, carer, support worker or landlord”. You never need to pay anyone to apply.
I’ve already applied. What happens to me?
- Existing applications don’t move across. DESNZ says “existing referrals will not migrate into HEA”.
- Each council sets a cut-off. Applications before it should normally carry on, and DESNZ says councils must contact these applicants within 10 working days.
- After the cut-off, you may be asked to apply again through HEA. DESNZ says councils should explain why, and that being asked “does not imply previous ineligibility”.
- You shouldn’t lose your place. Councils should make “reasonable efforts” to keep your priority if you re-apply when asked.
- Paused councils stay paused. If your council has stopped taking new referrals, it won’t start again just because HEA launches. See councils whose Warm Homes grant is full.
What to do now, before HEA launches
- Check if you qualify. The home must be in England, privately owned and rated EPC D to G. Household income must usually be £36,000 or less, or someone gets a qualifying benefit, or you live in a qualifying postcode. See our income limit guide, qualifying benefits and postcode check.
- You can still apply today through the current GOV.UK checker or by calling 0800 098 7950. Our how to apply guide walks through it.
- Get ready for the new checks: find your home’s EPC, know your household’s income and benefits, and consider setting up a GOV.UK One Login.
- If you’re a tenant, talk to your landlord: GOV.UK says landlords may need to pay for some of the work. See Warm Homes grant for tenants and landlords.
HEA, the Warm Homes Agency and what comes next
HEA is the first step. The Warm Homes Agency, a new government body, is due to begin “initial operations” in 2027, and the Warm Homes Plan says that from 2027 it will offer impartial advice “online and by phone”. From 2027/28 the government intends to merge the Local Grant into a single, area-based low-income scheme; the start date and design haven’t been published. See every date in our Warm Homes Plan 2027 guide.
Don’t pay anyone to apply for you. The Warm Homes: Local Grant is free to apply for on GOV.UK, and the HEA helpline is for you or someone you trust, such as a family member, carer, support worker or landlord. Be wary of anyone who cold-calls about the grant or asks for a fee or bank details.
Home Energy Advice service: common questions
What is the Home Energy Advice service?
A new GOV.UK service from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It gives home energy advice and, at first, handles applications for the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Once the switch is complete, DESNZ says HEA “will become the sole GOV.UK referral route into the Warm Homes Local Grant programme.”
When does the Home Energy Advice service launch?
DESNZ’s guidance for councils says “the current expectation is that HEA will launch in late autumn 2026”, with the final go-live date to be confirmed. On 30 October 2026 GOV.UK still sent people to the existing Warm Homes: Local Grant checker.
Can I still apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant now?
Yes. Until HEA launches, use the current checker on GOV.UK (gov.uk/apply-warm-homes-local-grant) or call the helpline on 0800 098 7950. GOV.UK says your council will usually contact you within 10 working days.
I’ve already applied. Do I need to apply again on HEA?
Maybe. Existing applications won’t move into HEA automatically. Each council sets its own cut-off: applications before it carry on as normal, and people after it may be asked to apply again through HEA. DESNZ says that request “does not imply previous ineligibility” and that councils should try to keep your place in the queue.
Will I need to prove my identity?
Probably. DESNZ’s design records whether your identity “has been verified by GOV.UK One Login”. It hasn’t said whether this is compulsory.
How will HEA check my income?
Through an Income Verification Tool. DESNZ says household income is worked out “primarily based on HMRC earnings data and DWP benefits data”. Complicated households, such as those with lodgers, students or recent changes, may be passed to the council for a manual check.
Can someone apply for me?
Yes, through the HEA phone helpline. DESNZ says a third-party caller’s relationship to the applicant can be, for example, a family member, carer, support worker or landlord.
Will HEA help me if my council is full?
Probably not straight away. DESNZ says councils that have paused referrals “will remain paused when HEA launches until they are ready to resume.” See is your council’s Warm Homes grant full?
Is the Home Energy Advice service the Warm Homes Agency?
No. HEA is a DESNZ service due in late autumn 2026. The Warm Homes Agency is a separate new body that begins “initial operations” in 2027.
Can Great British Energy Guide apply for me?
No. We are an independent grants guide, not the government or your council. You apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant yourself on GOV.UK, or someone you know can call the helpline for you.