The grant's rules are short, but each line carries weight. Below, every condition GOV.UK and Ofgem set out for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, grouped by the question it answers. If you would rather answer questions than read rules, the grant checker applies them for you.
Ownership: the grant goes to the owner
- You must own the property the heat pump is fitted to.
- It can be the home you live in, a second home, a property you let to tenants, or business premises.
- The owner confirms the application when Ofgem emails them, so they need to be reachable during the process.
Tenants cannot apply in their own right. If you rent from a private landlord, the landlord would arrange the installation and the grant. Social housing is excluded from the scheme altogether.
The heating it replaces
The heat pump has to replace an existing heating system that runs on a fossil fuel or on electricity: mains gas, oil, LPG, electric heating, or coal and other solid fuels. It must take over the job completely. A hybrid system, where a heat pump works alongside a boiler that stays in use, is not covered, and nor is replacing one low carbon system with another.
The fuel being replaced can change the amount. Homes with no mains gas connection that replace oil or LPG can get £9,000 instead of £7,500, for applications properly made by 31 March 2027. Homes replacing electric or coal heating stay at £7,500, even off the gas grid. The £9,000 rate page covers that rule in full.
There is one route for a home with nothing to replace: a self-build, as long as it has never been owned by a business. Most new builds being built by developers are excluded.
The installer
You cannot apply yourself. The application comes from the installer, who must be certified by MCS for the technology being fitted and belong to a consumer code; Ofgem lists HIES, RECC and MCS as the relevant codes. Since 28 April 2026 MCS is the only certification the scheme accepts.
The installer must also take the grant off the quote, and may not ask you for that amount unless the application is refused or the voucher revoked. If a firm asks you to pay the full price and claim the grant back yourself, that is not how the scheme works.
The property and the system
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| England or Wales | Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements; the scheme does not apply there. |
| One grant per property | Not if the property has already had government funding for a heat pump or biomass boiler. |
| Capacity | Up to 45 kWth for a single system; 70 kWth with more than one heat pump; 300 kWth for shared ground loops. |
| Not a hybrid | The heat pump must replace the old system, not work with it. |
| Air-to-air in homes only | The £2,500 air-to-air grant does not apply in non-residential buildings. |
Rules that no longer apply
Older guides, and some official listings that have not been updated, still mention conditions that were removed. The biggest is the energy performance certificate: until 28 April 2026 a valid EPC was required. The regulations made in March 2026 (SI 2026/390) removed the EPC requirement. If the property has a valid EPC, its reference is still used, but not having one does not block an application.
The government's find-a-grant listing for the scheme still mentions an EPC. The regulations are what count, and Ofgem's current guidance follows them.
If you are not sure
Borderline cases are usually about the property's history (a previous grant, a business owner in the past) or about the gas connection (a capped meter). Ofgem decides each application, and the installer submits the evidence. If your case is unusual, tell installers about it when you ask for quotes, and ask them how they would handle it. You can also ask us through the form below.
Eligibility at a glance
| Situation | Covered? |
|---|---|
| Owner-occupier replacing a gas boiler with an air source heat pump | Yes, £7,500 |
| Landlord replacing heating in a let property | Yes, the landlord applies |
| Second home in Wales replacing an oil boiler, no mains gas | Yes; £9,000 if the application is made by 31 March 2027 |
| Tenant applying for the home they rent | No; the owner applies |
| Social housing | No |
| Heat pump added alongside a boiler that stays | No (hybrid) |
| Self-build never owned by a business | Yes |
| Property in Scotland | No; Home Energy Scotland has its own scheme |
If ownership is changing
Because the grant follows ownership, timing matters if you are buying or selling. A buyer cannot apply for a home they do not yet own, and Ofgem contacts the owner named on the application, so an application started by a seller and finished after a sale would need care. If a move is close, it is usually simpler to wait until ownership is settled. For a property held by a company or a trust, make sure the person who will confirm the application can act for the owner.
For a quick answer applied to your own home, use the grant checker; for anything it does not cover, ask through the form below.