Equipment the scheme does not fund
| Item | Funded? | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Gas, oil or LPG boiler | No | The scheme funds heat pumps and, in limited rural cases, biomass boilers only. |
| Hybrid heat pump (with a boiler) | No | GOV.UK: you cannot get a grant for a hybrid heat pump system. |
| Keeping a boiler as back-up | No | Ofgem: an existing fossil fuel system must be fully replaced. |
| Replacing a heat pump or biomass boiler | No | You cannot get a grant to replace a low-carbon heating system. |
| Cooling-only or portable air conditioning | No | Only an air-to-air heat pump that replaces the heating, in a home, qualifies (£2,500). |
| Solar panels or batteries | No | Not heating systems under this scheme. |
| Insulation or new windows | No | Recommended alongside a heat pump, but not funded by it. |
| A second grant at the same address | No | One grant per property. |
| Systems above the capacity limits | No | 45kWth single, 70kWth multiple, 300kWth shared ground loop. |
People and properties it cannot help
- Tenants. The grant goes to the owner; the landlord would have to agree and be the applicant.
- Social housing, including shared ownership. Excluded by Ofgem’s guidance.
- Most new builds. A home still being built by a developer is excluded; a finished new build with a fossil fuel boiler may qualify, and self-builds can. See new builds and self-builds.
- Properties that have had government funding for a heat pump or biomass boiler before.
- Homes in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Scotland has Home Energy Scotland’s own grant (£7,500); GOV.UK says Northern Ireland’s scheme has closed.
- Anyone who wants to install it themselves. Only an MCS-certified installer can apply.
If you were looking for help with a boiler
A lot of people land on this scheme hoping for help paying for a new gas boiler, often because the heating has failed. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme cannot help with that. What exists instead is means-tested: the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4), delivered by energy suppliers, and council-run schemes such as the Warm Homes: Local Grant are aimed at eligible low-income or vulnerable households, and each has its own rules and funding. GOV.UK’s pages on energy grants are the place to check what is open where you live.
If your boiler has failed and you are weighing a like-for-like replacement against a heat pump, the grant changes the comparison — £7,500, or £9,000 if you are off the gas grid on oil or LPG. See heat pump vs gas boiler and whether it is worth it. A heat pump takes longer to arrange than a boiler swap, so if you have no heating now, say so to any installer you contact.
Air conditioning: covered or not?
This is the most common confusion after boilers, and the answer changed in 2026. The amendment regulations in force from 28 April 2026 added air-to-air heat pumps — which is what most reverse-cycle air conditioning units are — at £2,500. The conditions are strict: residential properties only, and the unit has to replace the existing fossil fuel or electric heating rather than sit alongside it. It gets the same £2,500 whatever fuel it replaces. A cooling-only unit, a portable unit or an installation in business premises gets nothing. The full amounts are on grant amounts.
Not available yet
The Energy Saving Trust lists two technologies under “future funding updates”: a heat battery, at £2,500 off the cost and installation, and exhaust air heat pumps. Neither is available under the scheme today, and any site offering you a heat battery grant now is ahead of the rules. We will update this page if and when that changes.
The name problem
“It’s called the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, so it must pay for boilers.”
The name describes upgrading from a fossil fuel boiler to low-carbon heating. The regulations fund heat pumps and biomass boilers only.
It is a confusing name, and search engines show gas-boiler questions alongside it for the same reason.