How much is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant in 2026?

£7,500 for air source and ground/water source heat pumps in England and Wales, £2,500 for air-to-air heat pumps, and £5,000 for biomass boilers on off-gas-grid rural properties. Qualifying properties currently heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas connection can get an extra £1,500 on top of the £7,500 rate, until March 2027 — confirmed directly against gov.uk's official figures.

Who is eligible for the BUS grant?

You generally need to own a property in England or Wales, be replacing an existing fossil fuel heating system (gas, oil, or LPG boiler, or in some cases electric storage heaters), not already have a heat pump installed, and use an MCS-certified installer. There is no income cap or means test. Scotland has a separate scheme (Home Energy Scotland); Northern Ireland's equivalent scheme has closed.

Do I apply for the BUS grant myself?

No. The scheme is installer-led — your MCS-certified installer submits the application to Ofgem on your behalf, with your consent. You never apply directly or handle the grant money yourself; it's deducted straight from your invoice.

What's the most common reason a BUS application is rejected?

Using an installer who isn't currently MCS certified is an automatic disqualifier. A property the developer is still constructing is also excluded, though a finished new build with fossil fuel heating can still qualify once you've moved in. Missing the 120-day window to commission and install after applying is another common reason a grant lapses. There is no EPC or insulation-based requirement under the current official criteria.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) Grant: Step-by-Step Application Guide 2026

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is the £7,500 government grant toward a heat pump in England and Wales. It's simpler than most grants — you don't fill in a government form yourself — but there are a few things worth understanding before you get quotes. Not sure if you qualify? Use the 2-minute eligibility checker first.

How much is the grant worth?

System type	Grant amount
Air source heat pump	£7,500
Ground or water source heat pump	£7,500
Air-to-air heat pump	£2,500
Biomass boiler (off-gas-grid, rural properties only)	£5,000
Extra top-up if oil/LPG heated with no mains gas connection (until March 2027)	+£1,500 on top of the £7,500 (£9,000 total)

Figures confirmed directly against gov.uk's official Boiler Upgrade Scheme pages, last checked August 2026. You can only get one grant per property, and you can't stack the oil/LPG top-up with the air-to-air or biomass amounts.

Who's eligible

Per gov.uk's current official criteria:

Location: England or Wales. Scotland has its own scheme, Home Energy Scotland. Northern Ireland's Boiler Replacement Scheme has closed.
Ownership: you must own the property — this includes homeowners, landlords (who must contribute at least a third of the installation cost themselves), second-home owners, and businesses. Social housing isn't eligible.
What you're replacing: an existing fossil fuel heating system — gas, oil, LPG, or electric.
Not already low-carbon: you can't get a grant to replace a system that's already low-carbon, and you can't have already received government funding or support for a heat pump or biomass boiler at the same property.
New builds: a property the developer is still constructing isn't eligible — but if you move into a finished new build that still has a fossil fuel heating system, you may qualify. Self-build properties are eligible too, provided you can show proof (such as title deeds) if you built it yourself.
Installer: must be MCS certified — see our MCS certification guide for what that means and how to check it.
Timing: your installer must commission and install the heat pump within 120 days of the grant application, or it stops being eligible.

On EPC and insulation requirements Checked directly against gov.uk's current official eligibility criteria (August 2026): there is no EPC or insulation-based requirement listed at all. You're explicitly still eligible even if you've previously had funding to improve your property's energy efficiency. If you've seen a source claiming otherwise, it's likely referencing an outdated version of the scheme's rules.

The application process, step by step

This is genuinely simpler than most government grants, because you're not the one filling in the application.

1. Get quotes from MCS-certified installers

Get at least one quote, ideally two or three, from MCS-certified installers — search installers in your area here, or verify any installer directly at mcscertified.com. Ask for a quote that clearly shows the £7,500 grant already deducted, so you know your real out-of-pocket cost upfront.

2. Your installer assesses your property

A proper MCS-standard survey includes a room-by-room heat loss calculation, not just a quick look round. This determines the correct heat pump size and whether your existing radiators need upgrading — skipping this step is a common cause of poor-performing installations later.

3. You give consent, your installer applies

The scheme is installer-led. You don't fill in an Ofgem form yourself — your installer submits the application on your behalf once you've agreed to go ahead, and Ofgem may contact you directly to confirm your consent before approving it.

4. The grant is applied to your invoice

Once approved, the £7,500 (or applicable amount) is deducted directly from what you pay your installer. You never receive the grant money yourself, and you don't need to find the full amount upfront and claim it back later.

5. Installation and commissioning

Installation typically takes 2-4 days for a straightforward retrofit. Once commissioned, you'll receive your MCS certificate — keep this safe.

6. Your installer submits the final claim

After the job's complete, your installer confirms this with Ofgem to redeem the grant voucher. This is between your installer and Ofgem — nothing further required from you at this stage.

Don't be surprised by this Ofgem may contact you directly, by phone or in person, to confirm your installer is genuinely acting on your behalf and to check the installation. MCS may also get in touch separately to carry out their own checks. Both are a normal, routine part of the scheme's verification process, not a sign anything's gone wrong.

What commonly goes wrong

Using a non-MCS-certified installer. This is an automatic disqualifier with no workaround — always verify certification independently before committing.
A property the developer is still building. This is excluded, though a finished new build with fossil fuel heating can still qualify once you've moved in.
Missing the 120-day installation window. Once the grant application goes in, your installer has 120 days to commission and install the system, or the grant stops being eligible — worth confirming your installer's schedule can realistically meet this before applying.

Can you combine it with other savings?

You get one grant per property, and can't combine the different BUS grant amounts (for example, you can't claim both the air-to-air and the air/ground source rate). It's separate from things like group-buying discounts some installers or schemes offer, though. Heat pump installations also currently qualify for 0% VAT (running until at least March 2027 at time of writing) — worth confirming this is reflected in your quote.

Not sure yet whether you're likely to qualify?

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The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, step by step