The Boiler Upgrade Scheme: the £7,500 heat-pump grant explained
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives you £7,500 off a heat pump in England and Wales — no income test, and it's taken straight off your installer's quote. Here's who's eligible, what changed in 2026, and how to actually claim it.
By Tom Rowland · Updated 20 July 2026 · Sourced to GOV.UK & Ofgem
What you can get
The grant is a fixed amount for each type of system, paid to your installer and deducted from what you pay. You can only get one grant per property.
| Technology | Grant |
|---|---|
| Air source heat pump (air-to-water) | £7,500 |
| Ground or water source heat pump | £7,500 |
| Air-to-air heat pump (homes only, since 28 Apr 2026) | £2,500 |
| Biomass boiler (rural, off-gas-grid only) | £5,000 |
From 21 July 2026, if your home is off the gas grid and currently heated by oil or LPG, the grant for an air-source or ground-source heat pump is uplifted from £7,500 to £9,000. It applies to new applications made between 21 July 2026 and 31 March 2027. Air-to-air heat pumps and biomass boilers don't qualify for the uplift, and applications already in progress stay at £7,500.
Am I eligible?
- You own the property — your home, a second home, a business premises, or one you rent out to tenants. Owner-occupiers and private landlords both qualify.
- It's in England or Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own separate schemes (see below).
- You're replacing a fossil-fuel system — oil, gas, LPG or electric heating. Hybrid set-ups (say a gas boiler combined with a heat pump) don't qualify.
- The work is done by an MCS-certified installer using MCS-certified equipment — this is what makes the grant claimable.
- You no longer need an EPC, or any insulation fitted first, before you apply — both requirements were removed (see 'What changed in 2026').
There's also a system-size limit — the heat pump must be no larger than 45kWth (which covers effectively all homes). Most new-build properties are excluded, as is social housing.
What changed in 2026
Two rounds of changes have made the scheme noticeably easier to use — which is why it's worth a fresh look even if you'd ruled it out before:
28 April 2026: the requirement to have a valid EPC was scrapped entirely — you no longer need one to apply. Air-to-air heat pumps became eligible for the first time (£2,500, homes only), and MCS certification was written into the scheme's rules. This built on a 2024 change that had already removed the need to fit loft or cavity wall insulation before you could claim.
21 July 2026: the £9,000 off-gas-grid uplift began, targeting the roughly 1.7 million rural homes still heated by oil or LPG.
How to claim it
The whole thing is installer-led — the scheme is designed so you never touch a government form. Ofgem administers it.
- 1Find an MCS-certified installer and get a quote
Only MCS-certified installers can claim the grant, so start there. Get three quotes if you can, and insist on a proper heat-loss survey rather than a rule-of-thumb estimate.
- 2Your installer applies for you
You don't fill in a government form. Your installer applies for the grant on your behalf through Ofgem and handles the paperwork.
- 3The grant comes straight off your bill
The grant value is deducted from your installer's quote, so you only pay the reduced amount up front — you're not waiting to be reimbursed.
- 4Ofgem confirms and may check the work
Ofgem contacts you to confirm your installer is acting on your behalf, and MCS may carry out independent verification checks on the installation.
Scotland and the rest of the UK
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is England and Wales only. If you're in Scotland, you're covered instead by the Home Energy Scotland grant and loan: a grant of up to £7,500 towards a heat pump, plus an optional interest-free loan of up to £7,500 (a 1.5% admin fee applies, capped at £150) — up to £15,000 combined. Homes in remote rural and island areas get a £1,500 uplift, taking the grant to £9,000. Heat pumps don't need a pre-application EPC there (only insulation-type measures do), but you submit an EPC once the work is finished.
Northern Ireland isn't covered by either scheme.
The grant makes a heat pump much cheaper to buy — but it doesn't make it the right choice for every home, and it's not a guaranteed money-saver to run. Before you commit, read our honest cost guide: whether a heat pump saves you money depends heavily on your insulation and — crucially — your electricity tariff.
Common questions
How much is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?
£7,500 towards an air-source or a ground/water-source heat pump, £5,000 for a biomass boiler (rural, off-gas-grid homes only), or £2,500 for an air-to-air heat pump. From 21 July 2026, off-gas-grid homes on oil or LPG get an uplifted £9,000 towards an air-source or ground-source heat pump.
Do I need an EPC to apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
No — the requirement for a valid Energy Performance Certificate was removed on 28 April 2026. If you already have a valid EPC it's submitted as part of the application; if you don't, your installer provides other evidence (such as a recent bill showing your fuel type and photos of the existing system). A separate 2024 change had already removed the need to fit loft or cavity insulation before claiming.
Can landlords use the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
Yes. You qualify as long as you own the property, and that explicitly includes a property you rent out to tenants, a second home, or a business premises — not just your main home.
How do I apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
You don't apply directly. Your MCS-certified installer applies through Ofgem on your behalf, and the grant is deducted from the amount you pay for the installation. Ofgem then contacts you to confirm the installer is acting for you.
Does the grant cover Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is England and Wales only. Scotland has the separate Home Energy Scotland grant and loan (up to £7,500, plus an optional interest-free loan). Northern Ireland isn't covered by either scheme.
Is there a deadline for the £9,000 uplift?
The off-gas-grid £9,000 uplift applies to new grant applications made between 21 July 2026 and 31 March 2027. Applications already in progress before 21 July stay at £7,500.
Sources: GOV.UK — Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Ofgem — Boiler Upgrade Scheme and mygov.scot — Home Energy Scotland. Figures verified July 2026. PreparedBritain is independent and not affiliated with HM Government — always check the current rules on GOV.UK before you apply.
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