Stephen Morgan has supported the Government’s new ‘Warm Homes Plan’ to upgrade the nation’s homes, help families cut their energy bills, and tackle fuel poverty.
- Government launches £15 billion ’Warm Homes Plan’ to help millions of families benefit from solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and insulation that can cut energy bills
- A plan for all types of households, with targeted interventions for those on low incomes; upgrades for social housing; new protections for renters; and a universal offer for all households to upgrade homes if and when they want to
- Plan will help lift up to one million families out of fuel poverty and tackle long term energy costs, following government’s intervention to take an average of £150 of costs off energy bills for all families this April
Families across the country, including within Portsmouth, will see lower energy bills as a result of the government’s comprehensive plan to upgrade the nation’s homes.
The ‘Warm Homes Plan’ will deliver £15 billion of public investment, roll out upgrades to up to 5 million homes that could save them hundreds on energy bills and help to lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.
The Government has already taken immediate action on the cost of living at the Budget, taking an average of £150 of costs off energy bills from April. On top of this, around 6 million households will receive the £150 Warm Home Discount – a total package of £300.
Upgrading homes is one of the best ways to bring down bills for good, and this plan is a vital next step in addressing the long-term issue of energy affordability for the country. Home insulation installations fell by more than 90% between 2010 and 2024, and millions of households have paid higher energy bills as a result.
The British people are currently showing record demand for home clean energy products like solar panels and heat pumps. The cost of these products continues to fall, but they are still out of reach for too many – and this plan will help bring these costs down so working people can benefit.
The ’Warm Homes Plan’ targets help at low-income families, alongside a universal offer, to ensure that working families can feel the benefits of products that can cut their bills.
Alongside this, the plan will support consumer choice for all households, so people can choose the technologies that work for them as and when they want. Homeowners will be able to apply for government-backed, low and zero interest loans to install solar panels – unleashing a “rooftop revolution”.
These loans will also be available for batteries and heat pumps, making it easier than ever for every home to access clean energy technologies that can lower bills. Low-income households and those in fuel poverty could receive support that would cover the full cost of having solar panels put on their rooftop, or insulation installed, alongside new rules to ensure landlords invest in upgrades to cut bills for renters and social tenants.
The Government’s clean power mission is already delivering for the country, and this plan will ensure that millions of families feel the benefit of clean energy tech products in their homes over the coming years.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“No one in Portsmouth should be without the security of a warm, affordable and safe home.
“I welcome the Government unveiling the Warm Homes Plan, the biggest ever investment in home upgrades to cut fuel poverty for up to 1 million families and turn the page on more than a decade of failure by previous Conservative governments.
“Under Labour’s Warm Homes Plan, support will be targeted at Portsmouth’s low income families, alongside a universal offer to ensure every type of household in the country, regardless of income, will have the chance to benefit from clean power upgrades to cut their energy bills.
“The affordability crisis is the number one issue facing families in our city. That’s why Labour is waging a war on fuel poverty by acting to take £150 of costs off energy bills from April, and delivering record investment into upgrading homes to cut bills here in Portsmouth.”
Adam Scorer, Chief Executive at National Energy Action, said:
“People struggling in fuel poverty desperately need the Warm Homes Plan. Cheaper energy costs, efficient heating systems and homes that keep the warmth in, are all essential for the plan to succeed. There is a lot of work to be done, but today’s publication and commitment to lift a million households out of fuel poverty is a welcome, landmark occasion.”
Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary of the TUC, and co-chair of the Warm Homes Taskforce, said:
“No family should live in cold, damp or mouldy conditions. We all know our winters are getting colder with climate change. Finally, we have a government pledging to deliver the millions of home upgrades that the British public need. If delivered right, this programme of investment can deliver quality jobs in every corner of the country and bring down bills.”
The plan is backed by £15 billion government investment, including allocations for devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure homes right across the country can benefit from these upgrades.
It also includes common-sense measures to ensure that new homes are built cheaper to run, with solar panels as standard, with the Future Homes Standard to be implemented in early 2026.
The plan – the biggest public investment in home upgrades in British history – turns the page on over a decade of failure by previous governments. More than a million homes were built with higher bills following the cancellation of the Zero Carbon Homes standard – leaving families exposed to the energy price spike after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 3 pillars of the programme are:
Direct support for low-income families:
- Low-income households will receive free of charge packages of upgrades, depending on what technologies are most suitable for their homes- backed by £5 billion of public investment
- For example, families could receive fully funded installations of solar panels and a battery, to the full average cost (currently £9,000-£12,000)
- For social housing residents, this could mean upgrades to entire streets at the same time, lowering bills and improving warmth and comfort for whole neighbourhoods
An offer for everyone:
- The government-backed, zero and low interest loans programme to get solar panels onto the nation’s rooftops and new rules that mean every new home will come with solar panels by default
- This plan will triple the number of homes with solar panels on their rooftops by 2030
- Making it easier for anyone who wants to get a heat pump, with a £7,500 universal grant for heat pumps, and the first ever offer for ‘air-to-air heat pumps’ that can also cool homes in the summer
New protections for renters:
- Today, 1.6 million children live in private accommodation suffering from cold, damp, or mould
- The government believes in a simple principle that if you rent a home, private or social, a landlord has a responsibility to ensure that it is safe, warm, and affordable
- By updating protections for renters, and supporting landlords to make these upgrades in a fair way over several years, an estimated half a million families will be lifted out of fuel poverty by the end of the decade
