Is a gas boiler eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
Yes. The heating being replaced must be fossil-fuelled — such as gas, oil, LPG or coal — or electric heating that does not include a heat pump. A mains gas boiler is squarely inside that.
Gas heating does not make a home a special case. It has to meet the same main criteria as any other property. The ones that matter most for a gas-heated home are set out below, next to how we handle an enquiry. The two are deliberately kept apart: the first list is the scheme’s, the second is ours.
Set by the scheme · Ofgem and GOV.UK
Scheme requirements that matter most for gas-heated homes
These are the main points, not the complete rules. Your installer assesses the full picture when applying.
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers England and Wales only.
- The scheme is aimed at property owners, including homeowners, landlords and owners of business premises.
- The existing fossil fuel heating system has to be fully replaced. It cannot stay in place alongside the new system.
- Air-to-water heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, air-to-air heat pumps and, in limited circumstances, biomass boilers.
- Every scheme installation must be carried out by an MCS-certified installer.
Our service · not a scheme rule
How Warm Home Support handles your enquiry
These describe how we look at an enquiry. They are not Boiler Upgrade Scheme requirements, and they do not change what the scheme itself allows.
- We help property owners and landlords. If you rent, the owner needs to be involved before anything can progress — we can explain what to share with them.
- We ask what heats the property now, what type of property it is and whether there is space outside for a heat pump before suggesting a next step.
- Where it looks appropriate, we can help progress your enquiry to an MCS-certified installation partner. Their survey decides what is actually recommended and installed.
- Depending on the property and the installation proposal, a customer contribution may be identified. The exact amount is confirmed after assessment, never before.
- Not every enquiry will suit our service, even where the scheme itself may apply. If that is the case, we will say so plainly.
The complete criteria, with a short checker, are on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme eligibility page.
How gas-heated homes differ from off-gas oil and LPG homes
For a limited period, the scheme pays a higher value to homes off the mains gas grid that are replacing oil or LPG. Gas-heated homes do not meet that condition, by definition. They are connected to mains gas, and the fuel being replaced is not oil or LPG.
| Mains gas home | Off-gas oil or LPG home | |
|---|---|---|
| Can the heating be replaced under the scheme? | Yes | Yes |
| Grant for an eligible air-to-water or ground source heat pump | £7,500 | £9,000, where every enhanced condition is met, for applications properly made by 31 March 2027 |
| Does a capped gas meter change this? | No. It still counts as mains gas | A capped meter means the home is not off-grid, so the standard value applies |
| Must the old boiler go? | Yes | Yes |
The full conditions for the higher value are on our off-gas heat pump grant page. The short version for a gas-heated home is that it does not apply, and that capping the gas meter will not change that.
The standard grant position
Air-to-water or ground source
£7,500
The standard grant for an eligible air-to-water or ground source heat pump replacing mains gas heating.
Air-to-air
£2,500
Residential properties only. Air-to-air systems are not eligible in non-residential buildings.
The grant is not paid to you. Your MCS-certified installer applies for it and takes it off your quote, which by law has to show the total cost before the grant, the value of the grant, what you pay after the grant is deducted. Every value is listed side by side on our heat pump grants page, and the way the scheme works overall is on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme page.
The gas boiler cannot stay
The existing fossil fuel heating system has to be fully replaced. It cannot stay in place alongside the new system. That rules out keeping the gas boiler as a backup, or as part of a hybrid system, if this grant is paying towards the heat pump.
Why a quote may still include a contribution
The grant is a fixed amount, not a percentage of the cost. The installed cost of a heat pump varies with the home: whether a cylinder is needed, how many radiators change, how much pipework is altered, and whether electrical work is required. A gas-heated home with a combi boiler and some undersized radiators needs more work than one with a cylinder and generous radiators.
That is the scheme’s position: the grant comes off, and the balance is whatever the installation costs above it.
Our own position is separate. Depending on the property and installation proposal, Warm Home Support may identify a customer contribution. The exact amount is confirmed after assessment. It is never quoted before the property has been looked at, and it is not a scheme requirement.
Property suitability
Most gas-heated homes can be heated by a heat pump. They already have radiators and pipework, which is a head start compared with homes on storage heaters. The questions are about how well the existing system suits a heat pump’s lower water temperature, and where the new equipment goes. Our guide to whether a home is suitable for a heat pump explains what the survey looks at. The points below are the ones that come up most often in gas-heated homes.
Radiators
A gas boiler usually heats radiator water hotter than a heat pump would. At the lower temperature, a radiator gives out less heat, so rooms where the radiator was only just big enough may need a larger one. The heat-loss survey identifies which rooms, so you are not replacing radiators that are already adequate.
The hot water cylinder
This is the biggest practical change in many gas homes. Combi boilers heat water on demand, so there is often no cylinder, and the cupboard that once held one may have been turned into storage. A heat pump almost always needs a cylinder. Airing cupboards, lofts, utility rooms and garages are the usual places. Where there is already a cylinder, it is usually replaced with one designed for a heat pump.
The outdoor unit
An air source unit sits outside on a level base, with clear space for airflow and a sensible distance from windows and neighbours. Terraced and semi-detached gas homes have less space to play with than rural properties, which makes siting the first thing to settle. Many installations fall under permitted development, but conditions apply, and the installer checks them for your property.
Your gas supply afterwards
Once the boiler has gone, the gas supply may only be serving a hob, or nothing at all. If nothing uses gas, you can ask your supplier about capping or removing the meter and closing the account, which ends the gas standing charge. If you still cook with gas, the supply stays. That does not affect the heat pump grant.
Running costs
Whether a heat pump costs more or less to run than a gas boiler depends on the property, the design and your electricity tariff. We do not publish savings figures. Our heat pump vs gas boiler guide sets out the factors.
The survey
Before any quote, an MCS-certified installer should carry out a room-by-room heat-loss calculation. That calculation sets the size of the heat pump, every radiator and the cylinder. The survey also looks at:
- the existing radiators, pipe sizes and the condition of the system;
- where the cylinder and any indoor controls will go;
- the outdoor unit’s position, including noise and planning;
- the electricity supply and consumer unit.
A quote that arrives without anyone measuring the rooms is a warning sign.
The installation process
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Step 1: Check the basics
You own the property, it is in England and Wales, and gas is the main heating being replaced.
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Step 2: Survey and heat-loss calculation
Room by room, with the cylinder space, outdoor unit position and electrics checked on the same visit.
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Step 3: Design and itemised quote
The heat pump, cylinder, any radiator changes and removal of the gas boiler, with the grant shown deducted. Any customer contribution is confirmed at this stage.
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Step 4: Grant application
The installer applies. Ofgem contacts you to confirm the details, and you have 14 days to respond.
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Step 5: Installation
The gas boiler is disconnected and removed by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and the heat pump, cylinder and any new radiators are fitted.
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Step 6: Commissioning and handover
The system is set up and tested, and you are shown how to use the controls. The grant has already come off your invoice.
Once a voucher is issued, an air-to-water installation has to be completed within 3 months, so the installer plans the dates around that.
Check your property
Tell us your home is heated by mains gas 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.
