Boiler Upgrade Scheme 2026: £7,500 off, no income test
Written by Danny Whitfield
Heating and energy writer · Last updated 13 July 2026
Checked against GOV.UK: 10 July 2026 · Last verified: 13 July 2026
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant is £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump in England and Wales, rising to £9,000 if your home currently heats with oil or LPG. There is no income or benefits test, and your installer claims the money for you.
That is the scheme in two sentences. The rest of this page covers the detail: exactly which systems get which amount, the eligibility rules as they stand after the April 2026 changes, and the four steps between getting a quote and having a heat pump running with the grant already off the bill.
How much you get, by system
| System | Grant | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Air or ground source heat pump | £7,500 | The standard route for most homes. |
| Heat pump, home heated by oil or LPG | £9,000 | Uplifted rate, 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027. |
| Biomass boiler | £5,000 | Rural, off-gas-grid properties only. |
| Air-to-air heat pump or heat battery | £2,500 | The lower tier, added in 2026. |
Checked against GOV.UK: 10 July 2026
Who qualifies
- You own the property (owner-occupiers and landlords both count).
- The property is in England or Wales. Scotland has its own, more generous scheme through Home Energy Scotland.
- You are replacing a fossil fuel or electric heating system with a low-carbon one.
- Your installer is MCS-certified. This is not optional, uncertified installers cannot claim the voucher.
Notice what is missing from that list: income, benefits, and insulation. The scheme was deliberately built without a means test, and the insulation prerequisite was scrapped in April 2026. If you read somewhere that you need loft insulation or a recent EPC first, that article is stale.
What you actually pay
A typical air source heat pump installation costs £10,000 to £14,000 before the grant. Take off £7,500 and you are looking at roughly £2,500 to £6,500 for the whole job. Oil and LPG homes taking the £9,000 rate can get that down to £1,000 to £5,000. We break this down by house type, with worked examples, in our heat pump cost guide.
How the application works
- Get quotes from MCS-certified installers. Only they can claim the voucher. Two or three quotes is sensible, and each should show the grant as a line-item deduction.
- Choose a quote and agree the work. The price you sign is the after-grant price.
- The installer applies to Ofgem. You get one email from Ofgem asking you to confirm you are the homeowner. That is your entire paperwork.
- Installation and payment. The installer fits the system, redeems the voucher and is paid the grant directly. You only ever pay your share.
Where BUS is the wrong answer
If someone in your household receives a qualifying benefit, check ECO4 first. It can fund the entire job rather than £7,500 of it. And if your household income is under £36,000 with an EPC of D to G, the Warm Homes: Local Grant through your council can also fully fund improvements. BUS is the default route, not always the best one.