Heat pump grants available in England and Wales. Check eligibility

Warm Home Support

Government scheme

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, explained

A government grant scheme that reduces the upfront cost of replacing fossil fuel or electric heating with a heat pump. Here is how it works, what it is worth and where the limits are.

Check your eligibility See the grant values

Eligibility is assessed by an MCS-certified installer when they submit the application. Nothing on this page confirms that a particular property qualifies.

Two homeowners talking through their heating options with an adviser at their kitchen table

In short

What the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a government scheme administered by Ofgem, providing upfront grants towards low-carbon heating in England and Wales.

Where it applies

Properties in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own separate arrangements.

What it pays for

Heat pumps, and biomass boilers in limited circumstances. Not a conventional replacement gas boiler.

Who it is for

Property owners — homeowners, landlords, second-home owners and owners of some business premises. Not tenants, and not social housing.

How you get it

Your installer applies on your behalf and the grant comes off the installation price. You never receive it as cash.

The name is misleading

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is named for the heating it replaces, not for what it installs. There is no grant here for putting in a conventional gas boiler. If that is what you need, our boiler replacement page covers it, and we have written a longer explanation of why the name causes so much confusion.

Current values

What the grants are worth

Five values, each attached to a technology and a set of conditions. The condition is part of the figure — a grant value on its own does not tell you what a property can get.

Grant availability and eligibility are subject to the current scheme rules. The value that applies to a particular property is confirmed by an MCS-certified installer when they make the application — these figures are what the scheme currently offers, not a quotation. The £9,000 value is £1,500 above the standard £7,500 and applies only to qualifying off-gas-grid properties replacing oil or LPG heating.

Which heating systems the scheme covers

Four technologies are eligible. They are not interchangeable, and the one that suits a property depends far more on the building than on the grant.

Air-to-water heat pumps

The common type, and the one most people mean by "air source heat pump". It takes heat from outdoor air and uses it to warm water for radiators, underfloor heating and a hot water cylinder — so it serves a wet central heating system in much the same way a boiler does. Read more about air source heat pumps.

Ground source heat pumps

These draw heat from buried pipework, either in horizontal trenches or vertical boreholes, and qualifying water-source systems are included in the same category. They need suitable land or drilling access, which is the constraint that usually decides it. Read more about ground source heat pumps.

Air-to-air heat pumps

These deliver warm air directly into rooms rather than heating water. They do not serve radiators and do not heat a cylinder, so they are a different proposition entirely — and they attract a lower grant value of £2,500, in residential properties only. Read more about air-to-air heat pumps.

Biomass boilers

Biomass boilers burn wood pellets or chips and are supported at £5,000 in a much narrower set of circumstances than heat pumps, with additional location and air-quality requirements attached. They are not a general alternative to a heat pump for a typical suburban property.

Who may qualify

These are the main criteria, in the order most people think about them. They are not the complete rules — Ofgem assesses the full picture when your installer applies.

The property is in England or Wales
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers England and Wales only. Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own support, which works differently. If your property is in either, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is not the route to look at.
You own the property
The scheme is aimed at property owners, including homeowners, landlords and owners of business premises. Tenants cannot apply for their rented home — the application is tied to the property owner. Social housing, including shared-ownership properties, is not eligible.
You are replacing a qualifying heating system
The scheme supports replacing fossil fuel heating — gas, oil or LPG — or electric heating, but not an existing heat pump. The existing fossil fuel system has to be fully replaced. You cannot keep a gas or oil boiler running alongside a heat pump funded by the scheme.
It is an existing building
Most new-build properties are excluded, with narrow exceptions for some self-builds. The scheme is designed to decarbonise existing housing stock. Certain self-build properties can qualify where they meet specific criteria, but they cannot claim the off-gas-grid uplift.
The new system is an eligible technology
Air-to-water heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, air-to-air heat pumps and, in limited circumstances, biomass boilers. Air-to-air heat pumps are eligible in residential properties only. Biomass has additional location and air-quality requirements.
The work is done by an MCS-certified installer
Every scheme installation must be carried out by an MCS-certified installer. The installer also makes the application. There is no route for a property owner to claim the grant themselves.
No previous public funding for low-carbon heating here
A property is usually not eligible if public funding has already paid for a low-carbon heating system at the same address. This is checked at application. If you are unsure what previous owners claimed, say so — your installer can look into it.

Check whether your property may qualify

What the scheme does not cover

The exclusions catch more people out than the criteria do, so they are worth reading before you get as far as a quotation.

  • Social housing

    Properties classed as social housing are not eligible, and that includes shared-ownership properties.

  • Most new builds

    New-build properties are generally excluded. Certain self-build properties are the exception, where they meet specific criteria.

  • Replacing an existing heat pump

    The scheme funds the move away from fossil fuel and electric heating. Swapping one heat pump for another is not what it is for.

  • Keeping the old boiler as well

    The existing fossil fuel heating system has to be fully replaced. It cannot stay in place alongside the new system.

  • Properties that already had public funding for low-carbon heating

    If a grant has already paid for a low-carbon heating system at the address, a further application is usually not possible.

  • A standard replacement gas boiler

    This is the big one. Despite the scheme name, there is no Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for putting in a conventional gas boiler.

New builds and self-builds

The scheme is aimed at existing buildings, so most new-build properties are excluded. There are narrow provisions for certain self-build properties that meet specific criteria — but a self-build cannot claim the higher off-gas-grid value even where it qualifies for the standard grant.

Social housing

Properties classed as social housing are not eligible, and that includes shared-ownership properties. This is a firm exclusion rather than a judgement call.

Less usual property types

Both residential and non-residential properties can be eligible, and some less common building types — churches and park homes among them — may qualify subject to the wider scheme requirements. Air-to-air heat pumps are the exception: those are eligible in residential properties only.

Where EPCs now stand

This changed on 28 April 2026 and is still widely misreported, so it is worth being precise.

What changed

A valid EPC is no longer a standing eligibility requirement for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

What did not change

EPC information is still used as evidence. Where the property has a valid EPC, its certificate number is included in the application. Where it does not, the installer provides alternative evidence instead.

If there is no valid EPC

Your installer can provide alternative evidence instead. That typically means:

  • A utility bill dated within the last three months, or the most recent fuel receipt
  • Photographs of the existing heating system
  • The certificate number of an expired EPC, where one exists

You may also simply obtain a new EPC if you would rather. What you should not conclude is that EPC information has stopped mattering altogether — it is no longer a threshold, but it is still evidence.

How the application works

Four stages, and only the first is yours to drive. The scheme is installer-led by design — there is no route for a property owner to claim the grant directly.

  1. Step 1: Check whether your property may be suitable

    Work out whether the main criteria look like they fit: where the property is, who owns it, what heats it now, and what you would be replacing it with. This is the stage our eligibility checker is for.

  2. Step 2: Get quotations from an MCS-certified installer

    Every scheme installation has to be carried out by an installer certified under MCS. They will survey the property and confirm what it actually needs — which is also when real eligibility gets assessed.

  3. Step 3: Your installer applies for the voucher

    The scheme is installer-led. The installer you choose submits the Boiler Upgrade Scheme voucher application to Ofgem on your behalf, with the supporting evidence. You confirm your details and give consent as part of that.

  4. Step 4: The grant comes off your installation cost

    If the application is approved and the installation meets scheme requirements, the grant value is applied as an upfront reduction and shown on your quotation and invoice. The money does not come to you as cash.

How the money actually moves

The grant is applied as a discount rather than a payment. Your installer's quotation should show the full price of the installation and the grant value deducted from it, and the same should appear on the final invoice. If a quotation shows a single figure with no visible deduction, ask for it to be broken out.

Because the value never reaches your bank account, be wary of anyone offering to pay a Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant to you in cash, or asking for a fee to "secure" or "reserve" a grant. Neither is how the scheme works.

How long it takes

Voucher applications have their own processing and validity periods, and those are set by scheme rules rather than by the installer. Ask your installer what the current timings are when they quote — they deal with these dates continuously, and they are the ones bound by them.

The part of the timeline you control is earlier: getting a survey booked, comparing quotations properly, and deciding. That is usually the longest stage.

Why the installer has to be MCS-certified

Every installation funded by the scheme must be carried out by an installer certified under MCS, the standards framework for small-scale renewable technologies. The certification is what allows the installer to make the application at all, and it is the scheme's main quality control. When you are comparing quotations, checking certification is a fair and reasonable question to ask.

One other thing that affects the price

VAT treatment is separate from the grant, but it lands on the same invoice.

VAT on qualifying energy-saving materials

Current guidance applies 0% VAT to qualifying energy-saving materials installed in residential property, including heat pumps and biomass boilers, until 31 March 2027.

This is a time-limited relief, not a permanent rate, and it applies to qualifying materials in residential property. Your installer will confirm the treatment that applies to your specific job.

Where to go next

The scheme touches several decisions. These are the ones people usually need after this page.

Heat pump grants

Every grant value side by side, and what each one actually covers.

Air source heat pumps

How air-to-water systems work with radiators and hot water, and what a home needs.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme available across the whole UK?

No. The scheme covers England and Wales only. Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own separate support, which works differently and is not described on this page.

Does the scheme pay for a new gas boiler?

No. Despite its name, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not fund a conventional replacement gas boiler. It supports heat pumps and, in limited circumstances, biomass boilers.

Do I apply for the grant myself?

No. The scheme is installer-led. An MCS-certified installer applies for the voucher on the property owner’s behalf, and you confirm your details and give consent as part of that application.

Does the grant money come to me?

No. The grant is applied as an upfront reduction in the cost of your installation and is shown on your quotation and invoice. It is paid to the installer, not to you.

Do I still need an EPC?

A valid EPC is no longer a standing eligibility requirement for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. EPC information is still used as evidence. Where the property has a valid EPC, its certificate number is included in the application. Where it does not, the installer provides alternative evidence instead.

Can landlords use the scheme?

Yes. The application is tied to the property owner, so a landlord can apply for a rented property. A tenant cannot apply for the home they rent. Social housing, including shared ownership, is not eligible.

How long will the scheme run?

The scheme has been extended to 2030. That is separate from the higher off-gas-grid value, which is currently available until 31 March 2027.

Information sources

The scheme details on this page are taken from the official guidance below. Where our summary and the official guidance differ, the official guidance is correct.

Scheme information last checked: . Based on Ofgem property owner guidance V5.1. Scheme rules can change — always confirm the current position with your installer or the official guidance before committing to anything.

See whether the scheme could apply to your property

A short set of questions covering the main criteria. It takes a couple of minutes and gives you a plain-English summary rather than a yes or a no.

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