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Heat pump grants

The £9,000 heat pump grant in 2026: who actually gets it

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards most eligible heat pumps in England and Wales, and £9,000 in one specific situation. This page sets out which is which, checks whether your property looks like the higher-rate case, and tells you what to have ready before an installer quotes.

Checked 16 September 2026

The short answer

What the scheme pays

England and Wales. Values checked 16 September 2026, and subject to change by the scheme.

£7,500

Air-to-water and ground source heat pumps. The standard rate, and the one most households will be quoted against.

£9,000

Eligible off-gas-grid properties replacing oil or LPG with an air-to-water or ground source heat pump. Available until 31 March 2027.

£2,500

Air-to-air heat pumps. A different technology and a different rate.

£5,000

Biomass boilers, subject to stricter eligibility conditions than the heat pump rates.

Sources: GOV.UK Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance and Ofgem scheme pages.

Could I get £9,000?

Five questions, answered on your device. This is an initial indication of which rate your property looks closest to, not an eligibility decision.

Your property

Includes owner-occupiers and landlords.

Off-gas-grid means there is no mains gas supply to the property.

Initial indication

Answer all five questions and an indication appears here.

This is an initial indication only, not an eligibility guarantee. The scheme decides eligibility, and edge cases around property type, existing heating, new builds and previous funding are common. Confirm with the official eligibility check and an MCS-certified installer before you commit to anything.

Official eligibility checkHeat pump decision page

How the grant reaches you

Nobody sends you a cheque. The money moves between the installer and the scheme.

  1. 01You find an MCS-certified installer. The scheme is installer-led: they apply, not you.
  2. 02They survey the property, design the system and quote. Ask whether the quoted total is already net of the grant.
  3. 03They apply for the grant on your behalf and it comes off the price as an upfront discount.
  4. 04Qualifying heat pump installations carry 0% VAT through 31 March 2027, so that should already be reflected in the quote rather than added later.
  5. 05You pay the balance. If the application is unsuccessful, you need to know in advance what happens to your deposit.

Quote-readiness checklist

Have these settled before an installer walks through the door. It shortens the process and makes quotes comparable.

  • Confirm whether the property has a mains gas supply. The £9,000 rate turns on this.
  • Know what you are replacing, and roughly how old it is: oil, LPG, mains gas or electric.
  • Have a recent year of heating fuel use and a current electricity tariff to hand.
  • Check the installer is MCS certified and registered to claim under the scheme.
  • Ask for the room-by-room heat loss calculation, not a summary, and the design flow temperature.
  • Ask which radiators need changing and whether that is inside the quoted price.
  • Ask whether the quoted figure is net of the grant and VAT-free under the relief.
  • Get the predicted seasonal efficiency and the electricity price used in any running cost estimate.

Ready to talk to installers?

The scheme is installer-led: an MCS-certified installer checks eligibility, applies on your behalf and deducts the grant from the quoted price. GOV.UK recommends comparing more than one quote.

Find MCS-certified heat pump installersOfficial eligibility check

Housebright does not arrange quotes and does not receive commission from this link.

Common misunderstandings

  1. 01Treating £9,000 as the headline rate. It is the exception, not the default, and the default is £7,500.
  2. 02Assuming the grant is paid to you. It is an upfront discount claimed by the installer.
  3. 03Assuming off-gas-grid alone qualifies. The higher rate is about replacing oil or LPG with a qualifying heat pump.
  4. 04Applying the figures outside England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.
  5. 05Letting a larger grant justify a larger price. Compare the total you pay, not the discount claimed.
  6. 06Skipping the heat loss survey because the grant made the price feel comfortable. A bad design costs more than the grant is worth.

Official sources

These are authoritative over this page. Rates and end dates change.

The grant is one number in a much bigger sum

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme reduces the upfront bill, but it does not tell you whether the home is suitable or the final quote is sensible. Check both before comparing installers.

Is my house suitable?See installation costs

Related

Heat pumps

Suitability, running costs and installer questions.

Grants and funding

Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Heat pump suitability

Heat loss, emitters and flow temperature.

Heat pump installation cost

What changes a quote, and which line items to compare.

Heat pump quote checklist

The questions and figures to have before choosing an installer.

Methodology

How we date-stamp schemes and assumptions.