Is there a free boiler grant?
Not in the way the phrase is usually meant. There is no scheme that replaces the boiler of any household that asks. The phrase “free boiler grant” is used online for several different things: an energy company scheme that has almost finished, national schemes in Scotland and Wales with strict rules, and grants that are really for heat pumps rather than boilers.
The honest answer depends on three things: where you live, whether your household is on a low income or receives certain benefits, and whether you would consider a heat pump instead of another boiler.
Boiler replacement schemes compared
| Scheme | Pays for a new gas boiler? | Where | What it mainly funds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | No | England and Wales | Heat pumps, and biomass boilers in limited cases |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant | No | England | Insulation, heat pumps, solar and batteries for lower-income households |
| ECO4 | Sometimes, as part of a package | England, Wales and Scotland | Insulation and heating for qualifying households, until 31 December 2026 |
| Warmer Homes Scotland | Sometimes | Scotland | Heating (which can include a new gas boiler), insulation and renewables |
| Nest | Only if the home has no working heating or hot water | Wales | Heat pumps, insulation and solar for low-income households |
Why the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is not a boiler grant
The name causes endless confusion. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme exists to move homes away from fossil-fuel boilers. It pays £7,500 towards an eligible air source or ground source heat pump, and smaller amounts for air-to-air heat pumps and biomass boilers. It does not pay for a gas, oil or LPG boiler, whatever your income.
If you are replacing a gas boiler and would consider a heat pump, it is worth a look: there is no income test, and landlords can use it too. Our guide to getting a heat pump grant with a gas boiler explains what changes. The history of the name is in does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pay for a new boiler?
ECO4: the main route in England, and it is closing
ECO4 is funded by larger energy suppliers and run by Ofgem. It is aimed at households receiving certain means-tested benefits, or on lower incomes where the council declares them eligible through a route called Flex. It can replace broken or very inefficient heating, or install first-time central heating, but only where the whole project improves the home’s energy rating enough. In practice that usually means insulation as well.
Three things to know before relying on it:
- Time is short. ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026, and measures only count if they are completed before then. A survey and installation take weeks.
- It is not guaranteed. Energy suppliers choose which projects they fund, and being eligible does not mean funding will follow.
- A straight boiler swap is unlikely on its own. The rules are built around improving the home as a whole.
See our ECO4 page for the eligibility routes.
“Free boiler schemes” from energy suppliers
When an energy supplier, or a company working for one, advertises a free boiler or a boiler replacement scheme, it is usually ECO4 under another name. Larger energy suppliers are legally required to fund the scheme, and Ofgem administers it. If it is ECO4, the scheme’s own eligibility rules and closing date apply, whatever name is on the advert.
Warm Homes: Local Grant does not fund boilers
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is one of the more generous schemes for eligible households in England, but its guidance rules out new gas boilers and any other fossil-fuel heating. If your household qualifies, it may instead fund insulation and a heat pump, delivered through your council. The Warm Homes: Local Grant page covers who qualifies.
Scotland: Warmer Homes Scotland
In Scotland, Warmer Homes Scotland can install central heating, which the scheme says can include “electric storage heater, new gas boiler or air source heat pump”, alongside insulation and renewables. It offers support worth £10,000 or more, and in most cases the Scottish Government meets the full cost.
It is for homeowners and private tenants who are struggling to heat their home, where someone in the household receives a qualifying benefit, is aged 75 or over with no working heating, or has a DS1500 or BASRiS certificate. The home also has to have a poor energy rating. Home Energy Scotland checks eligibility and books the survey. Our guide to grants in Scotland covers this and the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan.
Wales: Nest
In Wales, the Welsh Government’s Nest scheme provides free improvements for low-income owner-occupiers and private tenants. It mostly installs heat pumps, insulation and solar panels. A boiler repair or replacement is only offered where the home is without heating or hot water. See our guide to grants in Wales.
Is there a free boiler for pensioners?
No scheme pays for a boiler because of age alone. Being over State Pension age does not qualify a household by itself. What counts is income and benefits, and for most pensioners that means Pension Credit:
- ECO4 (England, Scotland and Wales): Pension Credit is one of the qualifying benefits. The scheme ends on 31 December 2026, and suppliers choose which projects to fund.
- Warmer Homes Scotland: Pension Credit Guarantee is a qualifying benefit, though Savings Credit on its own is not. A household where someone is aged 75 or over with no working heating can also qualify.
- Nest (Wales): Pension Credit is one of the means-tested benefits that count, and there are income thresholds for pensioner households. A boiler is only replaced where the home has no heating or hot water.
- Warm Homes: Local Grant (England): Pension Credit counts towards eligibility, but the grant does not fund gas boilers. It may fund insulation and a heat pump instead.
If you are over State Pension age, on a low income and not claiming Pension Credit, it is worth checking whether you could claim it, because it is the way into several of these schemes.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s Boiler Replacement Scheme is now closed, and neither the Boiler Upgrade Scheme nor ECO4 applies there. Support for low-income households currently comes through the Housing Executive’s Affordable Warmth Scheme, which is due to be replaced. For households with a gross income under £23,000, it can replace a boiler that is at least 15 years old where the householder is over 65, has a child for whom Child Benefit is paid, or receives a disability benefit, after insulation has been dealt with. Our Northern Ireland guide explains what is available.
Be wary of free-boiler cold calls
No genuine scheme asks for a fee to “reserve”, “secure” or “release” a free boiler, and none promises one before checking your eligibility. If someone calls or knocks offering a free boiler, do not give bank details. Check the scheme through its official website instead.
If no grant applies
Most boiler replacements are paid for by the homeowner. A few things make the money go further:
- Get the type right. A combi, system or regular boiler suits different homes. See our boiler options.
- Ask about a repair first. If the boiler is not old, a repair may be the better value. Our boiler repair page explains what to expect.
- Ask for proper controls. Good controls and a lower flow temperature improve efficiency with any boiler.
- Keep future options open. If a heat pump might suit you later, keeping a hot water cylinder and generously sized radiators makes that switch easier.
Renting? Talk to your landlord first
If you rent privately, keeping the heating working is normally your landlord’s responsibility, not yours. Several of the schemes above also need the landlord’s agreement before any work can start.
Check what applies to your home
Our eligibility check asks five questions (what you need, whether you own the home, how it is heated, a benefits or income band, and your postcode) and shows every scheme that looks worth pursuing, including where none of the boiler routes fit but a heat pump grant might.
Check which grants you could get
Tell us what heats your home and whether you own it. We will take you to our eligibility check with those answers filled in. It is free, and nothing is sent until you choose to send it.
