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Who qualifies for the heat pump grant?

Plain-English guide · Reviewed July 2026 · England & Wales

Most owner-occupied homes in England and Wales currently on gas, oil, LPG or electric storage heating qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. There are three main tests — your property needs to pass all three — and, importantly, the old EPC paperwork gate was removed in April 2026.

Quick check: Own your home in England or Wales? Currently on gas, oil, LPG or electric storage heaters? Then you almost certainly qualify. There is no income or means test for this grant.

1. Location — England & Wales

You must be in England or Wales. Scotland has a separate scheme (Home Energy Scotland grants and interest-free loans), and Northern Ireland is not covered by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

2. Property type

You must own the property. That includes owner-occupied homes, private landlords, second homes, and small non-domestic premises. Most house types qualify — detached, semi-detached, terraced, and bungalows. What's generally excluded:

3. Replacing fossil-fuel heating

The grant is for replacing a gas, oil, LPG or electric heating system with a heat pump (or, in rural off-gas homes, a biomass boiler). If you already have a heat pump and simply want to upgrade it, you don't qualify.

Good news on EPCs — the rule was relaxed in 2026

You no longer need an EPC to qualify. You used to need a valid Energy Performance Certificate with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity-wall insulation. That requirement was removed in April 2026. Your installer now assesses whether your home is suitably insulated during the survey instead. Good insulation still helps a heat pump run efficiently and cheaply — it's just no longer a paperwork gate that can block your application.

Off the gas grid on oil or LPG? You may get more

Up to £9,000 — from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027. If your home is off the gas grid and currently heats with oil or LPG, you can get an increased grant of £9,000 (instead of £7,500) towards an air source or ground source heat pump during this window. All the eligibility rules above still apply — this simply raises the amount for homes that qualify.

Not sure if you qualify?

Our free 2-minute check walks through the questions above and tells you where you stand — then connects you with a vetted MCS-certified installer if you'd like a no-obligation quote.

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Sources: gov.uk — Boiler Upgrade Scheme: check if you're eligible; Ofgem — Boiler Upgrade Scheme; the removal of the EPC insulation requirement and the £9,000 off-gas oil/LPG uplift (21 July 2026–31 March 2027) per the 2026 amendments to the scheme. Figures and rules are accurate as of July 2026 but may change — always confirm via gov.uk or an MCS-certified installer before making decisions. UK Heat Pump Grant is a service of GrafterUK Ltd (Co. No. 17303977) and is not affiliated with the UK Government; this page is guidance only.