Warm Homes Loan Scheme: Solar Panels & Batteries in Greater Manchester & Lancashire
The Warm Homes Loan Scheme lets homeowners and landlords borrow for solar panels and batteries, up to £15,000 for each. Solar Maintenance Solutions is an MCS installer based in Salford: we quote and fit the work, and you apply to a lender on the GOV.UK list.
The short answer
Yes, the Warm Homes Loan can pay for a battery added to the solar you already have, or for new or extra solar panels, up to £15,000 for each. There is no income limit; the lender checks you can afford it. It does not cover repairs, servicing or roof work. You need an MCS-certified installer's quote, then you apply to a lender on the GOV.UK list of participating lenders.
What the Warm Homes Loan covers for solar and batteries
| Work | Under the scheme | Loan cap |
|---|---|---|
| Battery storage on its own, or with solar | Eligible | £15,000 |
| New solar panels, or adding panels to an existing system | Eligible | £15,000 |
| EV charger | Only with solar or a battery | Within the solar or battery cap |
| Repairs, servicing or a like-for-like inverter swap | Not listed | — |
| Roof repairs before solar | Not covered | — |
| Insulation, windows and doors | Not covered | — |
Source: Warm Homes Loan Scheme rules (version 3, September 2026), sections 4.13 to 4.20.
Adding a battery to existing solar with the loan
Most of the solar systems we look at in Greater Manchester and Lancashire were fitted without a battery, so a good share of what they make is exported cheaply in the day and bought back in the evening. A battery retrofit stores that power for the evening, and it is one of the measures the scheme names: a battery on its own, or with solar, up to £15,000, with the work to connect it to your existing panels included.
As a guide, our published price for a Tesla Powerwall 3 retrofit is £7,400 to £8,400 fitted, well inside the battery cap. If your inverter is near the end of its life, see our guide to upgrading an underperforming system: a like-for-like inverter swap on its own is not a listed measure, so ask us how the work fits the battery or solar quote.
Read the full walk-through in using the Warm Homes Loan to add a battery to existing solar, or our wider guide on whether a battery retrofit is worth it.
Who can use the Warm Homes Loan
- Owner-occupiers and private landlords, borrowing personally, for a home anywhere in the UK.
- No income limit is set by the scheme. Each lender runs its own credit and affordability checks and may ask for things such as an Energy Performance Certificate.
- Owners of more than one property can apply for a loan for each one.
- Some loans are interest-free; rates vary by lender. The government factsheet says the aim is rates up to 5 percentage points lower than regular loans, with terms of up to 30 years in some cases.
- An MCS-certified installer is required for solar panels and batteries.
If your household is on a low income, you might qualify for a council-run grant instead of a loan. Check on GOV.UK. In Lancashire that grant is delivered by a consortium led by Blackpool Council; Greater Manchester is funded through a separate devolution programme run by the combined authority.
From quote to install
Check what you want fitted
The loan pays for a listed measure: solar panels, a battery, or both (plus heat pumps, which we do not fit). A battery added to the solar you already have counts.
Get an MCS installer quote
The scheme needs an MCS-certified installer. We survey your home and give you a fixed, itemised quote for the battery or solar work.
Choose a lender from the GOV.UK list
Pick a participating lender from the official list and apply to them directly. The lender runs its own credit and affordability checks and sets the rate.
Install and pay
Once the lender approves the loan, we book the install. 0% VAT applies to home solar and battery installs until 31 March 2027.
Solar and battery installs across Greater Manchester and Lancashire
We work from Centenary Way in Salford and install across Greater Manchester and Lancashire, including Bolton, Stockport, Wigan, Oldham, Preston and Blackburn. For local prices, see battery storage costs in Greater Manchester and solar panel costs in Greater Manchester.
About the loan and our status
Solar Maintenance Solutions Limited (company no. 13216999) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Firm Reference Number 1048290. We are a credit broker, not a lender. We do not arrange Warm Homes Loans: you choose a lender from the GOV.UK list and apply to them directly. The lender decides whether to lend and on what terms.
The government and lenders never cold-call to sell Warm Homes Loans or charge a fee to apply. If someone does, do not agree to anything; check with the lender directly.
Warm Homes Loan questions
What is the Warm Homes Loan Scheme?
Can I use it to add a battery to my existing solar panels?
Does the Warm Homes Loan cover solar panel repairs or servicing?
Who can apply, and is there an income limit?
Do you arrange the loan?
Can I combine it with 0% VAT?
Get your MCS installation quote
Tell us what you want fitted and we will survey your home and send a fixed, itemised quote for the battery or solar work, ready for your lender.
Where to go next
- Doing both at once? solar and battery installation.
- For a modular battery that expands in 5kWh steps, EcoFlow PowerOcean.
- For whole-home backup, Powerwall 3.
- Large roof on a farm or agricultural building? solar for farms and agricultural buildings.
Is your system worth upgrading? Find out free.
Tell us your postcode and what you have. A real engineer reviews it and comes back within one working day with an honest answer — including when the answer is "leave it alone".