The three checks that decide it
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a grant for a technology, not for a type of household. Its main criteria are about the property:
- Where it is. The scheme covers England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own support.
- Who owns it. GOV.UK’s wording is that you must own the property you’re applying for, and that includes homes you rent out, second homes and business premises. Social housing is not eligible.
- What heats it now. Gas, oil, LPG or electric heating, being fully replaced by an eligible heat pump.
Nowhere in that list is a question about benefits, income, savings, employment or age.
Air source heat pump
£7,500
For any eligible home, whatever the household’s income. The same value whether or not anyone receives benefits.
Enhanced off-gas value
£9,000
For homes off the mains gas grid replacing oil or LPG heating. Also with no income test.
For applications properly made by
The grant is one per property, applied for by your MCS-certified installer and taken off the quote. The conditions behind the enhanced value are on the off-gas heat pump grant page.
Why there is no income test
The scheme exists to replace fossil fuel heating in existing homes, and it does that by paying installers a fixed amount for each eligible installation. Ofgem’s guidance is written for property owners of any kind, and the application the installer makes is about the building, the system being removed, the system going in and the installer’s certification. The household’s finances are not part of it.
That makes it unusual. Most other home energy support in England is means-tested, which is why the question comes up so often.
The schemes that do ask about benefits or income
| Scheme | Benefits or income test? | What it funds |
|---|---|---|
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | None | Heat pumps (and, rarely, biomass boilers) in England and Wales |
| ECO4 | Yes: a qualifying benefit, or council Flex (for example household income below £31,000) | Insulation, boiler upgrades, first-time heating and some heat pumps, until 31 December 2026 |
| Warm Homes: Local Grant (England) | Yes: a qualifying benefit, household income of £36,000 or less, or an eligible postcode | Insulation, solar and low-carbon heating through councils |
| Home Energy Scotland grant | None for the heat pump grant | Heat pumps and energy efficiency in Scotland |
| Nest (Wales) | Yes: benefits or low income | Free improvements after a home assessment |
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is run by councils, and GOV.UK’s guidance sets out its income and benefit routes. ECO4 works through energy suppliers, and Ofgem’s household guidance lists who can qualify. Our guide to a boiler grant if you are not on benefits covers those routes in detail.
If you are on benefits: which scheme first?
Being on a qualifying benefit does not take the Boiler Upgrade Scheme away from you. It may give you a second option that covers more of the cost, so the question is which to use.
- ECO4 can fund insulation and heating for a qualifying household in a home rated EPC D to G, but it ends on 31 December 2026 and depends on an energy supplier agreeing to the work. Heat pumps are possible under it but less common than boiler upgrades.
- The Warm Homes: Local Grant can fund low-carbon heating for a lower-income household in England, through the council, where the council has funding.
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is open now, is not rationed by council or supplier, and does not depend on an EPC band. The balance after the grant is yours to pay.
One heat pump, one source of public funding
A property that has already had public funding for a low-carbon heating system is usually not eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and the same installation cannot be funded by two schemes. Decide the route before the installer applies, not after.
What you will still pay
The grant is a fixed amount, and installations vary. A hot water cylinder, larger radiators, pipework changes and electrical work all affect the total, so most households have a balance to pay. The quote has to show the full price, the grant and the balance, so there is no guessing.
We do not publish price ranges, because a figure that does not come from your own survey is not worth having. Our heat pump grants page explains what moves the balance up and down, and the Warm Homes Plan is setting up low-interest loans that can sit alongside the grant, which our Warm Homes Plan loans page tracks.
Also not asked: boiler age, EPC, insulation
The income question is the most common, but it has company. The scheme sets no age or condition test for the boiler being replaced, so a working condensing boiler qualifies. A valid EPC has not been a standing requirement since 28 April 2026. And the rule that loft and cavity wall insulation had to be done first was removed in May 2024.
Our guides on whether your boiler has to be old and on Boiler Upgrade Scheme myths cover each of those.
Next step
Answer the three checks on our Boiler Upgrade Scheme eligibility page. If they pass, our step-by-step guide to getting an air source heat pump through the scheme shows what happens next, 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.
