Most electrically heated homes in the UK have storage heaters. They contain heat retaining clay bricks, which store heat generated from off peak electricity during the night and release it throughout the following daytime when it’s needed. 

​As part of its policy on climate change, the UK Government has agreed to legally binding international commitments to reduce potentially harmful emissions caused by the production of energy from fossil fuels. At the same time, the Government has set targets to reduce fuel poverty by helping low income households to reduce their fuel consumption by installing more energy efficient electric storage heaters. The Affordable Warmth Scheme was introduced to reduce the heating bills of those on certain state benefits by replacing old inefficient electric storage heaters with new modern, energy efficient storage heaters.

Under the Affordable Warmth Scheme, if you satisfy certain criteria relating to state benefits and the condition of your existing heating system, you may benefit from an ECO Grant to install Free Storage Heaters. The scheme is based strictly on replacing inefficient electric storage heaters with their modern equivalents.

​The amount of your grant is based on the type of property you live in, how many bedrooms it has and several other factors. Not every applicant will get free storage heaters. Due to current funding restrictions for the Affordable Warmth Scheme some householders may be asked to contribute to the cost of installation, especially if they live in small homes and have more than 5 storage heaters.