The Home Upgrade Grant: Phase 2 (HUG 2) is a grant funding scheme of up to £700m launched by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to help Local Authorities (LAs) provide energy efficiency upgrades and clean heating systems to low-income households.

The scheme targets the worst performing (EPC band D-G) and homes without mains gas central heating in England, with 60% of funding ringfenced for rural LAs.

A key focus of the scheme is to phase out the use of fossil fuel heating and make progress towards the UK’s 2050 Net Zero commitment. It will also support improved household health and wellbeing by reducing the number of cold homes and play a key role in the government’s wider programme of green retrofit. 

Additional guidance for HUG 2 is available at gov.uk.

What support is available?

The Home Upgrade Hub is a support service that provides a range of resources developed by housing retrofit and grant application experts to help LAs in England apply to HUG 2. Technical support is being made available to LAs at key stages during the development of their applications.

The Home Upgrade Hub website has various resources and materials to provide relevant support to LAs. A series of webinars, masterclasses and podcasts have already gone live and more will be uploaded over the coming months.

What should I do next?

The submission deadlines for the initial outline application assessment rounds are 18 November 2022 and 27 January 2023.

Any LA interested in applying should submit a self-assessment form to help understand how prepared they are to engage in the HUG 2 application process and what one-to-one support is available. Alternatively you can email us directly at info@homeupgradehub.org.uk where a dedicated team is ready to help.

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