What the Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a government grant, run by Ofgem, that reduces the cost of replacing fossil-fuel or electric heating with a low-carbon system. It covers England and Wales. It is not means-tested: whether you receive benefits makes no difference.
For most homes, an eligible air source (air-to-water) or ground source heat pump attracts a standard grant of £7,500. You never receive the money yourself. Your installer applies for it, and it comes off the price on your quote.
What the enhanced off-gas grant is
For a limited period, homes that are off the gas grid and currently heated by oil or LPG can receive a higher value of £9,000. That is £1,500 more than the standard grant.
It is not a separate scheme, and there is no extra application. It is the same Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant at a higher value, for the homes that are usually the most expensive to heat with the fuel they use now. It applies to applications properly made from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Enhanced off-gas grant
£9,000
For homes off the mains gas grid replacing oil or LPG heating with an air-to-water or ground source heat pump.
For applications properly made by
Standard grant
£7,500
For an eligible air-to-water or ground source heat pump where the enhanced conditions are not met.
Who can receive the enhanced amount
Every condition below has to be met. Meeting three of the four does not get you part of the extra amount. The property falls back to the standard grant instead.
Set by the scheme · Ofgem and GOV.UK
Official conditions for the enhanced grant
All of these must apply.
- The property meets the general Boiler Upgrade Scheme requirements.
- The property is off the mains gas grid, as the scheme defines it.
- The heating system being replaced is fuelled by oil or LPG.
- The new system is an air-to-water heat pump or a ground source heat pump.
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.
Oil-heated homes
An oil boiler in a home with no mains gas connection is the typical case the higher value was introduced for. This often means rural houses, farmhouses and village properties beyond the gas network. The heat pump has to replace the oil system, not sit alongside it. What happens to the boiler and the oil tank is agreed with your installer as part of the quote. Our guide to replacing an oil boiler with a heat pump walks through each step.
LPG-heated homes
LPG counts in exactly the same way as oil, whether it is supplied from a bulk tank or from bottles. The same conditions apply: no mains gas at the property, and a switch to an air-to-water or ground source heat pump. If your tank belongs to your supplier, our guide to replacing an LPG boiler covers the contract questions.
Why electric heating is different
Homes with storage heaters, panel heaters or an electric boiler are often off the gas grid too. They are still not eligible for the enhanced amount, because the rules require the heating being replaced to run on oil or LPG.
That does not rule them out of the scheme. Electric heating without a heat pump can be replaced under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, so the standard £7,500 may apply to an eligible installation. Our guide to replacing storage heaters with a heat pump explains what that switch involves.
What about coal, wood or other fuels?
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. Coal is a fossil fuel, so a coal-heated home may be eligible for the standard grant, but not the enhanced one. Wood and other biomass are not fossil fuels, and Ofgem’s installer guidance does not list them among the systems that can be replaced. If wood is your main heating, check the position with an installer before assuming any grant applies.
How to tell if your property is off the gas grid
In everyday speech, “off the gas grid” means you do not use mains gas. The scheme’s definition is stricter. For the enhanced grant, the property must meet all of these:
- It is not fuelled by mains gas. A capped or clamped gas supply meter point still counts as being fuelled by mains gas.
- There is no record of an existing gas meter point at the property.
- It is not attached to a heat network.
- It is not a new-build property.
The capped-meter trap
A capped or clamped gas meter still counts as mains gas. A home that has not used gas for years can therefore fall outside the definition, simply because the meter point exists. If that describes your property, the standard grant may still be relevant. It is only the enhanced amount that is affected.
Some practical checks before you speak to anyone (our guide on how to check if your home is off the gas grid goes through them step by step):
- Is there a gas meter? Look outside for a meter box and inside for a meter, including one that has been capped. If there is one, the property is unlikely to count as off-grid.
- Do you, or did a previous owner, pay gas bills? A record of a gas supply at the address points the same way.
- What does your EPC say? If the property has an Energy Performance Certificate, it records the main heating fuel. Your installer can use it as evidence.
- What do you actually burn? Oil and LPG deliveries, or tank and bottle refills, are the evidence of the heating being replaced.
The definition is about the property’s own supply and records, not about whether a gas main runs along the road. Your installer confirms the position when they apply. They may use your EPC or, where there isn’t one, recent fuel bills and photographs of your heating system.
Standard grant vs enhanced off-gas grant
The two values sit within the same scheme and use the same application. What differs is who can get them:
| Standard grant | Enhanced off-gas grant | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant value | £7,500 | £9,000 |
| New heating system | An eligible air-to-water or ground source heat pump | An eligible air-to-water or ground source heat pump |
| Heating being replaced | Fossil fuel (such as gas, oil, LPG or coal) or electric heating | Oil or LPG only |
| Mains gas | The property can be on or off the gas grid | The property must be off the gas grid as the scheme defines it |
| Self-build properties | May qualify where they meet the criteria | Not eligible |
| Time limit | Part of the scheme, which has been extended to 2030 | Applications properly made from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 |
Air-to-air heat pumps have their own, lower grant of £2,500 and are not eligible for the enhanced value. The heat pump grants page lists every value side by side.
Four examples show how this works in practice. These are illustrations rather than rulings, and the application is where a real answer comes from:
- Oil boiler, no gas meter, switching to an air-to-water heat pump: may qualify for £9,000.
- Bulk LPG, switching to a ground source heat pump: may qualify for £9,000. LPG counts alongside oil, and ground source is eligible.
- Oil boiler, but a capped gas meter from years ago: not eligible for the enhanced value, because the property still counts as on the gas grid. The standard grant may apply.
- Storage heaters, no gas supply: not eligible for the enhanced value, because the heating being replaced is electric. The standard grant may apply.
Check your property
Tell us what heats your home now 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.
Owners, landlords and tenants
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is for property owners. That includes owner-occupiers, and landlords with a privately rented home. Social housing, including shared ownership, is not eligible.
When your installer applies, Ofgem contacts the owner directly to confirm the details and give consent. The owner has 14 days to respond. A landlord also confirms that the tenant has been told about the installation. The owner must become the legal owner of the new heating system.
If you rent your home, you cannot apply for the grant yourself. The application has to come from your landlord, through their installer. If your home is heated by oil or LPG and off the gas grid, it is worth raising with them. Our guide for landlords using the Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers what they would need to do.
What an MCS-certified installer does
The scheme is installer-led from start to finish. The installer must be certified under MCS, and they:
- survey the property and calculate its heat loss room by room;
- design the system, including radiators, pipework and the hot water cylinder;
- check whether your home meets the off-gas conditions, and gather the evidence;
- give you an itemised quote, which by law must show the total cost before the grant, the value of the grant, what you pay after the grant is deducted;
- make the application, install and commission the system, then claim the grant, which is paid to them rather than to you.
Warm Home Support is an independent information and enquiry service, not an installer. Where it looks appropriate, we can help progress your enquiry to an MCS-certified installation partner.
How the application works
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Step 1: Check whether your property may be suitable
Work out whether the main criteria look like they fit: where the property is, who owns it, what heats it now, and what you would be replacing it with. This is the stage our eligibility checker is for.
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Step 2: Get quotations from an MCS-certified installer
Every scheme installation has to be carried out by an installer certified under MCS. They will survey the property and confirm what it actually needs — which is also when real eligibility gets assessed.
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Step 3: Your installer applies for the voucher
The scheme is installer-led. The installer you choose submits the Boiler Upgrade Scheme voucher application to Ofgem on your behalf, with the supporting evidence. You confirm your details and give consent as part of that.
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Step 4: The grant comes off your installation cost
If the application is approved and the installation meets scheme requirements, the grant value is applied as an upfront reduction and shown on your quotation and invoice. The money does not come to you as cash.
Two timings matter once an application is in. First, the owner has 14 days to respond when Ofgem gets in touch. Second, once a voucher is issued, the installation has to be completed within its validity period. That is 3 months for air-to-water heat pumps and 6 months for ground source.
A survey, a design and a comparison of quotes all come before the application. If the enhanced amount matters to your decision, start earlier than the 31 March 2027 date suggests.
What the property assessment looks at
Qualifying for a grant and being suitable for a heat pump are separate questions. The survey answers the second one. It covers:
- Heat loss: how much heat the home loses in cold weather, which sets the size of the heat pump and every radiator.
- Radiators and pipework: heat pumps run at lower water temperatures, so some radiators may need to be larger.
- Hot water: most systems need a hot water cylinder, and the space to fit one.
- The outdoor unit: where it can go, with space around it for airflow and a location that meets noise and planning requirements.
- Your electricity supply: whether it can carry the heat pump’s load.
Older rural homes can do well with a heat pump, but they vary widely. Our guide to whether a home is suitable for a heat pump explains what a survey is looking for.
Common reasons a property or project may not proceed
These are the situations that most often stop the enhanced grant, or the scheme altogether:
- A capped or clamped gas meter. The property does not count as off-grid, although the standard grant may apply.
- Electric, gas or other heating being replaced. The enhanced grant needs oil or LPG. The standard grant may still apply.
- Keeping the old boiler. Fossil-fuel heating must be fully replaced, not kept as a backup.
- An existing heat pump. If the existing heating includes a heat pump providing space heating, the property is not eligible.
- Previous public funding. Earlier funding for a heat pump or biomass boiler at the address usually rules out a new grant.
- Social housing or a self-build. Social housing is not eligible. Self-builds cannot claim the enhanced value.
- Location. The scheme only covers England and Wales.
- Timing. An application made after 31 March 2027 is not covered by the enhanced value as it currently stands.
Sometimes the survey itself shows that the property needs more work than expected, or that a heat pump is not the right fit yet. A good installer will tell you that plainly. You can check the full criteria on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme eligibility page.
