Boiler Upgrade Scheme: £7,500 for a heat pump and who is refused

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a government grant in England and Wales towards replacing a fossil fuel heating system with a heat pump or biomass boiler. It is worth £7,500 for an air source or ground source heat pump, £5,000 for a biomass boiler and £2,500 for an air-to-air heat pump. You can get one grant per property.

How much is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme worth?

Current grants are £7,500 towards an air source heat pump (sometimes called an air-to-water heat pump), £7,500 towards a ground source heat pump including water source heat pumps and those on shared ground loops, £5,000 towards a biomass boiler and £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump.

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Until March 2027 there is an extra £1,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump. You get it if both apply: your property is heated by oil or LPG, and you do not have a mains gas connection at the property. For households off the gas grid, that takes the grant to £9,000.

Hybrid systems are excluded — a combination of gas boiler and air source heat pump will not be funded. You also cannot get a grant to replace a low carbon heating system: the scheme is about moving off fossil fuels.

Who is eligible for the heat pump grant?

Two things must both be true. You must own the property you are applying for — including a business property, a second home or a property you rent out to tenants. And you must be replacing a fossil fuel heating system such as oil, gas, electric or LPG.

You are still eligible if you have already had funding to make the property more energy efficient, for example by insulating it.

There is a hard deadline once you apply: your installer must commission and install the heat pump within 120 days of applying for the grant, or it will not be eligible.

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Which properties cannot get a grant?

You cannot get a grant for most new build properties, for social housing, or for a property that has already been given government funding or support for a heat pump or biomass boiler.

A new build the developer is still building is not eligible. But if you move into a finished new build with a fossil fuel boiler, you may be able to get a grant for a heat pump.

A self build property is eligible if you or the original owner built it yourselves or paid a builder to build it, and it has never been owned by a business or organisation. If you built it yourself you will need to show your installer proof, for example a copy of the title deeds. If the original owner built it, no proof is needed.

When can you get a grant for a biomass boiler?

Biomass has stricter rules — all three must be true: the property is off the gas grid, it is in a rural location (check the Ofgem guidance for property owners if you are not sure), and the boiler has an emissions certificate showing polluting emissions are kept to a minimum. You cannot get a biomass grant for a self build property.

What technical standards apply?

The system you install must meet certain standards, such as minimum efficiency levels — your installer can advise. Capacity limits also apply: 45kWth for individual systems, 70kWth where a heat pump is installed with one or more additional heat pumps, and 300kWth for shared ground loops.

What about Scotland and Northern Ireland?

The scheme is open to people in England and Wales only. In Scotland you may be able to get an interest-free loan or a grant to make your home more energy efficient instead. The Boiler Replacement Scheme in Northern Ireland is now closed, so look for energy saving grants in your area.

If you are not sure whether your property suits a low carbon heating system, GOV.UK suggests speaking to an MCS certified installer first. They can set out your options and apply for the grant on your behalf — under this scheme it is the installer, not the homeowner, who applies.