Myth 1: You need to be on benefits
Reality: there is no benefits or income test. The scheme is open to the owner of an eligible home in England and Wales, whatever the household earns or receives. GOV.UK’s eligibility page asks who owns the property and what heats it; it does not ask about income. The schemes that do are ECO4 and the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Our guide to the heat pump grant without benefits sets them side by side.
Myth 2: Your boiler has to be old or broken
Reality: there is no age or condition test. The rules describe the heating being replaced by its fuel: gas, oil, LPG, coal or electric heating that does not include a heat pump. A boiler fitted last year qualifies as much as one fitted in 1995, and a working one as much as a dead one. The age rule people remember is ECO4’s. Our guide on whether your boiler has to be old explains the difference.
Myth 3: Condensing boilers are excluded
Reality: condensing boilers qualify. The scheme does not distinguish condensing from non-condensing, or combi from system or regular. All of them are fossil fuel heating to be replaced. The only boiler rule is that it must be fully replaced: a hybrid set-up that keeps the gas boiler alongside the heat pump is not eligible.
Myth 4: Tenants cannot get it
Reality: a rented home qualifies, and the landlord applies. The application is tied to the property owner, and GOV.UK’s ownership rule explicitly includes properties you rent out. A private tenant cannot apply alone, but can start the process with the landlord, who gives consent to Ofgem. Social housing is the exclusion, not renting. Our guide for private tenants covers how to ask and what to agree.
Myth 5: You need a valid EPC
Reality: 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. So you do not have to buy an EPC to apply, and an expired one does not stop you. What you should not conclude is that EPC information no longer matters at all; it is evidence, not a threshold.
Myth 6: You have to insulate first
Reality: insulation is not a condition. Until 2024, an application needed an EPC with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation. That rule was removed on 8 May 2024. Insulation is still worth doing before or alongside a heat pump, because a home that loses less heat needs a smaller, cheaper system, and our insulation grants page lists what can pay for it. But nobody checks it before the grant is approved.
Myth 7: The grant is paid to you, and you apply for it
Reality: the installer applies, and the money never reaches you. There is no form for property owners. Your MCS-certified installer applies on your behalf on the Ofgem website after you have agreed a quote, Ofgem emails you to confirm consent, and the grant is deducted from the quote and the invoice. Anyone offering to pay the grant to you in cash, or asking for a fee to reserve it, is not describing this scheme. Our guide to energy grant scams lists the warning signs.
Myth 8: It pays for a new gas boiler
Reality: despite the name, no. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme funds heat pumps and, in a narrow set of cases, biomass boilers. It does not fund a conventional replacement gas boiler, however old the existing one is. Our guide on whether the scheme pays for a new boiler explains what to do instead.
Myth 9: Everyone gets £9,000
Reality: the standard grant is £7,500, and the enhanced value has conditions. GOV.UK lists £7,500 for an air source or ground source heat pump, with the higher value only for homes off the mains gas grid that are replacing oil or LPG heating, for applications properly made by 31 March 2027. A capped gas meter still counts as mains gas. Electric heating does not qualify for the uplift either. The conditions are on our off-gas heat pump grant page.
Two half-truths worth knowing too
“The grant covers the whole cost.” It is a fixed amount off the quote, and most households have a balance to pay for the cylinder, radiators, pipework and electrics. “The scheme is closing.” It has been extended to 2030, but grant values are set by the government and can change, and the value that applies is the one in force when the installer’s application is properly made.
What the scheme actually asks
| Asked | Not asked |
|---|---|
| Is the property in England and Wales? | Are you on benefits, or what is your income? |
| Do you own it (as a homeowner, landlord, second-home or business owner)? | How old is the boiler, and does it work? |
| Is it heated by gas, oil, LPG or electric heating, not a heat pump? | Is the boiler condensing? |
| Will the old system be fully replaced? | Do you have a valid EPC? |
| Is the installer MCS-certified? | Have you insulated the loft and walls? |
| Has public money already paid for low-carbon heating here? | How old are you, and do you work? |
The complete criteria, with a short checker, are on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme eligibility page, and the scheme itself is explained on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme page.
Next step
If the three real checks pass, our step-by-step guide to getting an air source heat pump through the scheme shows what happens from the survey to the invoice.
Check your property
Pick the grant you want to check. Three quick checks, then our team calls you back. It is free, with no obligation.
