Funding for local authorities and social housing landlords to improve the energy performance of social homes in England.
Funding
The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) Wave 3 is now closed to applications. (Wave 3 of this fund was open to applications from the week beginning 30 September 2024 until midday on 25 November 2024.)
£1.29 billion has been allocated as part of the Autumn 2024 Budget for the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3, to be delivered from 2025 until 2028 by eligible social housing landlords.
The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock currently below Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C up to that standard. It will support the installation of energy performance measures in social homes in England, and help:
- deliver warm, energy-efficient homes
- reduce carbon emissions
- tackle fuel poverty
- support green jobs
- develop the retrofit sector
- improve the comfort, health, and well-being of social housing tenants.
This wave builds on the allocations made under the previous waves of SHDF.
Application routes
There are two routes to access funding under Wave 3:
- The Challenge Fund
- Strategic Partnerships
Further detail on both routes is available within the scheme guidance.
If you are interested in accessing funding, including if you’re unsure which funding route is most appropriate for your organisation, you can visit the RISE – Retrofit Information Support and Expertise service (formerly the Social Housing Retrofit Accelerator).
Eligibility
Wave 3 is open to the following (subject to exceptions):
- local authorities
- combined authorities
- registered providers of social housing (including housing associations and arms-length management organisations (ALMOs) that are registered providers)
- registered charities that own social housing.
All eligible organisations can apply directly to Wave 3 either as single applicants or as the lead of a consortium.
The above organisations, along with ALMOs that are not registered providers, can apply as part of a consortium led by an organisation that is eligible.
Exceptions
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and their constituent local authorities are not eligible for the scheme.
GMCA and WMCA will be receiving an allocation of funding as part of the Government’s commitment to the pilots announced in the trailblazer devolution deals.
In most cases, housing associations whose projects include stock in GMCA/WMCA and elsewhere in the country must split the project and seek funding for each project from the appropriate funding stream (GMCA, WMCA or WH:SHF).
We recognise that in a small number of circumstances, it may be more appropriate for a housing association to obtain funding from a single source and these requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Properties
All existing social housing as defined by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 (sections 68 to 70) below EPC band C, regardless of archetype, are eligible.
Minimum number of properties
All Wave 3 projects in the Challenge Fund should include a minimum of 100 eligible social housing properties at EPC band D to G, apart from in the case of small social housing landlords.
Small social housing landlords (those who own or manage fewer than 1,000 homes) can access funding with fewer than 100 homes. For such landlords, there is no minimum number of homes. We expect such landlords to try to reach 100 homes, or to actively consider joining a consortium given the benefits this can bring, where this is not possible.
Strategic Partners will be expected to propose projects of significant scale.
Delivery timeline
Delivery for Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 will run to September 2028. All grant funding for Wave 3 projects must be transferred to the grant recipient and spent by 31 March 2028, and projects can only use co-funding in the final six months of delivery.
Help and support
If you have any enquiries about Wave 3, you can email: