Boiler Upgrade Scheme Explained (2026)
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is the government grant in England and Wales supporting the replacement of fossil-fuel heating with heat pumps. The mechanics that matter to households: your installer must be MCS-certified, they claim the grant and deduct it from your quote so you never front the money, and the amount has changed over the scheme's life — which is why we verify the current figure with every quote rather than publishing one that goes stale.
How the scheme works
The grant supports installation of an air source or ground source heat pump (and biomass in limited rural circumstances) replacing a fossil-fuel system. Eligibility broadly requires: a property in England or Wales, a valid EPC without outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation in most cases, replacement of an existing fossil-fuel system, and installation by an MCS-certified installer. Amounts are set by government and have been revised more than once.
The claim is the installer's job: they apply, the grant is deducted from your invoice, and you pay the balance. You consent to the application and confirm eligibility details, but you don't file paperwork or wait for a refund. If any installer asks you to pay in full and claim yourself, that's not how the scheme operates and is worth questioning.
Eligibility in practice
The common blockers: no valid EPC (get one first — it's inexpensive and required), outstanding insulation recommendations on the EPC that need addressing before the grant can proceed, new-build properties (generally excluded), social housing in most cases, and properties already on a heat pump. Off-gas-grid homes replacing oil or LPG are squarely the scheme's target audience and typically the strongest-value applicants.
Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate support schemes with their own structures, amounts and administration — the BUS itself doesn't apply there. If you're outside England and Wales, ask your installer which scheme applies to you and verify its current terms, as devolved funding changes more frequently than the headline scheme.
What it does and doesn't cover
The grant contributes toward the heat pump installation itself. It doesn't fund the insulation work an EPC might require first, radiator upgrades beyond what the installer includes in the system quote, or non-heat-pump alternatives. It's a contribution, not full funding — the after-grant figure is still a meaningful capital sum, which is why our cost guide runs the whole arithmetic including running costs and lifespan.
Because amounts and rules have moved repeatedly, treat any specific figure you read anywhere (including on this site) as needing verification. Ask your MCS installer for the amount that will actually appear on your quote, and check the current government scheme pages — that's the only figure worth planning around.
Making it work for you
Practical sequence: get or check your EPC; address any insulation recommendations (which improves the heat pump's performance anyway, so it's rarely wasted money); get an MCS installer's survey with a room-by-room heat-loss calculation; compare the after-grant quote against a like-for-like boiler replacement using our running-cost arithmetic; and decide with real numbers for your property rather than national averages.
For off-gas households replacing oil or LPG, run that comparison seriously — the fuel costs of oil and LPG make heat pumps' running-cost case markedly stronger than it is against mains gas, and the grant addresses the capital side. It's the combination most likely to produce a clear answer rather than a close call.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where it applies | England and Wales (separate schemes elsewhere) |
| Technologies | Air source and ground source heat pumps; limited biomass |
| Installer requirement | MCS-certified — mandatory |
| How it's claimed | By the installer; deducted from your quote |
| Common blockers | No valid EPC; outstanding insulation recommendations |
| Grant amount | Verify current figure at quote time — it has changed |
Where advice stops and engineers start
This site's safe-check boundary is the boiler casing, and it doesn't move: filling loop, condensate pipe, thermostat, bleed valves and one reset are yours; everything behind the case is Gas Safe engineer work by law and by sense. Any source telling you otherwise about gas appliances is worth closing. The upside of a firm boundary is that everything on your side of it is genuinely safe to attempt.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?
The amount is set by government and has been revised more than once, so we confirm the current figure with every quote rather than publishing one that dates. Your MCS installer will state it on your quote.
Do I have to pay upfront and claim it back?
No — your MCS-certified installer claims the grant and deducts it from your invoice. You pay the balance. Any installer asking you to claim it yourself has the process wrong.
Do I need an EPC to get the grant?
In most cases yes, and outstanding loft or cavity wall insulation recommendations on it typically need addressing first. That insulation work also improves the heat pump's performance, so it rarely feels wasted.
Does the scheme apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No — they run separate support schemes with different terms and amounts. Ask your installer which applies and verify its current rules, as devolved schemes change frequently.
Fixing causes, not symptoms
The theme running through our guides holds here too. A repair that addresses why the fault happened — the pressure that keeps dropping, the sludge that keeps returning, the condensate pipe that freezes every January — is the one you don't repeat next winter. When you book through our network, say you want the cause addressed rather than the symptom silenced; it occasionally costs a little more on the day and reliably costs less across the years you'll own the system.
Carbon monoxide is odourless and colourless. Our CO safety guide covers the symptoms, where alarms belong and the emergency response.