Heat pump grant eligibility: does your property qualify in 2026?

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme takes £7,500 off the cost of a heat pump in England and Wales, and £9,000 if your home is off the gas grid and currently runs on oil or LPG. Heat pump grant eligibility turns on four questions about your property, and none of them are about your income or your savings. Here is what each one tests, and what happens in the cases that are less clear cut.

The short answer

You qualify if the property is in England or Wales, you own it, its current heating runs on a fossil fuel or on electric heating that is not already a heat pump, and it has not had public funding for low carbon heating before.

There is no income test and no insulation requirement, and you do not need a valid Energy Performance Certificate: where there isn't one, your installer supplies alternative evidence instead. Eligibility is confirmed by Ofgem when your MCS certified installer applies on your behalf, so nothing is settled until that application goes in.

Who is eligible for the heat pump grant?

Four tests decide eligibility:

• Location. The property is in England or Wales, and it is an existing building rather than a new build.

• Ownership. You own it. That covers homes you live in, second homes, properties you let to tenants, and business premises.

• What you are replacing. The current system runs on a fossil fuel, so gas, oil, LPG or coal, or it is electric heating that is not already a heat pump. Replacing a heat pump with another heat pump is not covered.

• No previous public funding. The property has not already received public funding to install a low carbon heating system at the same address. Other help, such as insulation funding, does not count against you.

Two things people expect on that list and won't find there; there is no income or means test, so the grant is open to every eligible owner regardless of earnings. And insulation is a recommendation rather than a condition: Ofgem's guidance says a heat pump performs best in a well-insulated home and that the government recommends energy efficiency upgrades where practical, but outstanding loft or cavity wall work does not block a grant.

Your installer checks the property, gathers the evidence and submits it, and Ofgem assesses eligibility based on this evidence. Success is not guaranteed, but working with an experienced installation specialist such as Ample can help to avoid delays and disappointment.

Does your property type qualify?

Houses, flats, bungalows and maisonettes are the standard case. Beyond that:

• Non-residential properties can qualify too, including offices and business premises. Air-to-air heat pumps are the exception: they are only eligible in residential buildings, and in practice not claimable at all yet, because no air-to-air product holds MCS certification.

• Most new builds are not eligible. The exception is certain self-builds.

• Self-builds can qualify for £7,500 where the home was built by, or for, an individual to live in rather than developed and sold as part of a commercial housing scheme. Ofgem may ask for extra evidence: planning permission, a building completion certificate, a self-build VAT exemption letter, a self-build mortgage, or invoices for substantial structural work. Biomass boilers are not eligible in self-build properties.

• Churches and park homes may be eligible, provided the wider rules are met.

• Social housing is not eligible. This includes shared ownership properties.

Who qualifies for the £9,000 grant?

Three conditions have to hold at once. The property must be off the gas grid, the heating you are replacing must run on oil or LPG, and you must be installing an air-to-water or a ground source heat pump. The uplift applies to applications properly made between 21 July 2026 and 31 March 2027.

Off the gas grid has a specific meaning here, and it is stricter than most people assume. Ofgem's test is that the property:

• is not fuelled by mains gas - a capped or clamped supply meter point still counts as being fuelled by mains gas;

• has no record of an existing gas meter point at the property;

• is not attached to a heat network;

• is not a new-build property.

So in practice:

1. A rural house that had its gas supply capped years ago does not qualify for the uplift, even though nothing is burning gas today;

2. Off-grid homes leaving coal or electric heating get the standard £7,500 rather than £9,000;

3. Air-to-air systems are listed at £2,500 whatever fuel they replace, though this grant cannot be claimed yet, because no air-to-air product holds MCS certification; and

4. Self-builds are excluded from the uplift, but the standard £7,500 remains available to them.

If you are coming off oil, our guide to replacing an oil boiler covers what the switch involves beyond the grant.

Are landlords and joint owners eligible?

Yes to both, with one obligation each.

If you let the property, you qualify as its owner, and you must inform your tenant about the installation. Their written consent is not part of the scheme's requirements, but telling them is.

If the property has more than one owner, Ofgem only needs one of you to give consent, and whoever does has to confirm they have authority to act for the others. Where the owner is an organisation rather than a person, consent comes from an accepted signatory: a director or company secretary for a company, a trustee for a charity or trust, a headteacher for a school, or the religious leader for a place of worship.

What if your home has no EPC?

You still qualify. The requirement for a valid Energy Performance Certificate was removed on 28 April 2026. If you have one, your installer includes the reference number with the application. If you don't, you can get one first, or your installer provides alternative evidence instead, typically a utility bill from the last three months or your most recent fuel receipt, photographs of the existing heating system, and an expired EPC where one exists.

What can stop an application?

Most refusals come down to one of these:

• The property has had public funding for low carbon heating before.

• The system being replaced is already a heat pump.

• It is social housing, shared ownership, or a new build that is not a qualifying self-build.

• You didn't respond to Ofgem's consent email within 14 days, which can mean the application is rejected and your installer has to start again.

• The installation ran past its window. Vouchers allow three months for air-to-water heat pumps, air-to-air heat pumps and biomass boilers, and six months for ground source.

• The property was sold part-way through. That does not kill the grant, but your installer has to tell Ofgem so consent can be sought from the new owner.

Your installer also has to be MCS certified and a member of a consumer code approved by MCS, which in practice means RECC or HIES. If your installer isn't both, there is no grant to apply for.

Outside England and Wales

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers England and Wales only.

Scotland runs the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan, with a £7,500 grant plus an optional loan of up to £7,500, and a further £1,500 for qualifying rural and island homes. Its eligibility test is narrower than the Boiler Upgrade Scheme's: you need to own the home you live in and it must be your only or main residence, so second homes and rentals are treated differently.

Northern Ireland has no direct equivalent. NI Energy Advice, run by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, is the place to check what local support exists.

Frequently asked questions

Am I eligible for the heat pump grant?
If you own a property in England or Wales that currently runs on gas, oil, LPG, coal or electric heating that is not a heat pump, and it has not had public funding for low carbon heating before, you are very likely eligible for £7,500. Your installer confirms it and applies on your behalf, and Ofgem makes the final assessment.

Is there an income limit on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
No. There is no income or means test. Eligibility is about the property and its current heating system, not your finances.

Do I need insulation to qualify?
No. Insulation is not a condition of the grant. Ofgem notes that a heat pump performs best in a well-insulated home and the government recommends efficiency upgrades where practical, but outstanding recommendations do not stop an application.

Do I need an EPC to get the grant?
No, not since 28 April 2026. If you have a valid EPC your installer includes it; if not, they provide alternative evidence such as a recent utility bill or fuel receipt and photographs of your existing system.

Can landlords claim the heat pump grant?
Yes. You qualify as the property's owner, and you must inform your tenant about the installation before it goes ahead.

Can I get the grant for a new build or a self-build?
Most new builds are not eligible. Self-builds can be, for £7,500, where the home was built by or for an individual to live in rather than as part of a commercial development. Self-builds do not qualify for the £9,000 uplift, and biomass boilers are not eligible in them at all.

Why doesn't my off-grid home qualify for £9,000?
The uplift needs three things: no mains gas, oil or LPG as the fuel you are leaving, and an air-to-water or ground source heat pump. A capped or clamped gas supply still counts as mains gas for the scheme's purposes, and homes leaving coal or electric heating get £7,500 instead.

Can I get the grant if I already have a heat pump?
No. The scheme is for moving off a fossil fuel system or non-heat-pump electric heating, so replacing an existing heat pump is not eligible.

See what you'd actually pay

Eligibility is the first question. The number at the bottom of your quote is the one that decides it. Get an instant estimate in three minutes, with no survey and no obligation, and see what your home looks like with the grant already taken off. Our guide to heat pump grants covers the values and how the money reaches you, and how much a heat pump costs breaks down what the rest of the job involves. When you're ready to go further, the Ample Heat Pump Plan covers you from first call to feet-up, with the grant application, the install, the servicing and the compliance handled by one company.