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info@warmhomesupport.co.ukBoiler Upgrade Scheme
3 quick checks to see if you qualify.
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Eligibility
You may be able to use the scheme if you own a property in England and Wales, you are replacing fossil fuel or electric heating with an eligible heat pump, and the work is done by an MCS-certified installer who applies on your behalf.
The check above is preliminary and covers the main criteria. Eligibility is confirmed when an MCS-certified installer applies.
Quick summary
Meeting all of these does not guarantee approval, and missing one does not always rule a property out. They are the questions the application turns on.
One thing the scheme never covers
There is no Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for a conventional replacement gas boiler, whatever the property or the owner. If that is what you are looking for, see boiler replacement instead.
What each requirement actually means, and where the edge cases sit.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The scheme is open to more kinds of owner than people expect — and closed to a couple that surprise them.
The higher off-gas-grid value has its own conditions on top of the standard ones. All of them have to hold, and it is currently available until 31 March 2027.
Two traps worth knowing about
A capped or clamped mains gas meter still counts as being fuelled by mains gas, so a property with a disused supply is not treated as off-grid. And replacing electric heating does not qualify for the uplift — the existing system has to be oil or LPG.
The full definition and the rest of the conditions are on our off-gas-grid heat pump grant page.
If one of these applies, it is better to know now than after a survey.
Three practical steps, in the order they are worth doing.
Not with certainty. Eligibility is assessed when an MCS-certified installer submits the application, using evidence about the property. Any check before that point — including ours — tells you whether it is worth pursuing, not whether you will be approved.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme applies to properties in England and Wales. Other heating support may be available where you live — it is worth checking what your own nation offers before making a decision.
No. The application is tied to the property owner, so it would need to come from your landlord. If your landlord is interested, the scheme is open to them for a rented property.
Usually not. The scheme funds the move away from fossil fuel and electric heating, so replacing an existing low-carbon system with another is not what it is for.
No. The existing fossil fuel heating system has to be fully replaced. It cannot stay in place alongside a system funded by the scheme.
No. 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.
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, so tell your installer if you are unsure rather than assuming either way.
Speak to our team about your property, or go back to the check above whenever you are ready.