How to Claim a Boiler Upgrade Scheme Grant in 2026 (UK)
The 2026 Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) gives you £7,500 off an MCS-certified air source or ground source heat pump (or £5,000 off a biomass boiler) in England & Wales, deducted at source by your installer — you don’t apply yourself. The 6 steps below get you from eligibility check to grant-deducted quote in about 4 weeks, and flag the three places homeowners lose grant money in 2026.
The 6 steps for 2026
Step 1 — Confirm you’re eligible
- Property is in England or Wales (Scotland uses Home Energy Scotland, up to £15,000)
- Since 28 April 2026 a valid EPC is no longer required — if you don’t have one your installer submits alternative evidence (a recent utility bill plus photos of the existing system), and outstanding loft or cavity insulation recommendations no longer block the grant
- Current heating is a fossil-fuel boiler (gas, oil, LPG) or direct-electric heating
- You own the property (or have landlord consent in writing for tenanted properties)
Step 2 — Sort insulation for performance (no longer a hard blocker)
Outstanding loft or cavity recommendations no longer stop your application from 28 April 2026, but a well-insulated home lets the heat pump run at a lower flow temperature, so it’s still worth doing. Loft and cavity work is often free under a separate scheme — see our how to apply for an ECO4 insulation grant guide — before your heat pump goes in.
Step 3 — Get 3 quotes from MCS-registered installers
Cross-check every installer on the MCS public register (search by company name or MCS number). Without MCS, the grant is not payable, and the BUS is only one of several options — our guide to UK heat pump grants shows how it stacks up. BestBuilders matches you with vetted installers.
Step 4 — Pick your installer and accept the quote with grant deducted
Reputable 2026 quotes show full cost − £7,500 BUS grant = balance you pay. The installer applies for the voucher in your name with your consent. You sign a homeowner consent form, that’s your part of the “application”.
Step 5 — Installer gets the voucher, completes the install
Ofgem issues a voucher to the installer (valid 3 months for ASHP, 6 months for biomass). They schedule the install, complete it, register the system on the MCS database and submit the redemption claim to Ofgem.
Step 6 — Ofgem pays the installer, you settle the balance
Ofgem typically pays the installer within 10 working days of a valid claim. You pay only the post-grant balance. You receive the MCS certificate and a building control notification within 30 days.
What changed in April 2026 (and the new off-gas uplift)
The scheme was overhauled part-way through 2026, and two of the changes affect almost every applicant — if you are working from an older guide, check these before you commit. Everything here is drawn from the official gov.uk Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance.
- No mandatory EPC from 28 April 2026: a valid EPC is no longer a precondition. Where you have one it is still used; where you don’t, your installer submits a recent utility bill plus photos of the existing heating system as evidence. Outstanding loft or cavity insulation recommendations no longer block the grant.
- Off-gas uplift — up to £9,000: from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, homes off the mains gas grid that currently run on heating oil or LPG get an extra £1,500 on top of the £7,500, taking an air source or ground source heat pump to £9,000. It is not available if you have mains gas central heating.
- Faster, digital claims: MCS installers now submit redemption claims digitally, and Ofgem is settling valid claims in as little as five working days, shortening the whole process.
- Budget secured to 2028: the government extended Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding to around £1.5 billion running through to 2028, so there is no near-term cliff-edge on the £7,500 grant.
The headline grant is otherwise unchanged: £7,500 for an air source or ground source heat pump and £5,000 for a biomass boiler. If you are weighing a heat pump against staying on a boiler, our combi vs system vs heat-only boiler comparison and our biomass boiler cost guide put the running-cost trade-offs side by side.
Three places homeowners lose grant money in 2026
- Hidden “grant admin fee” on quotes: Installers can’t charge you for applying for the BUS grant on top of the install cost. If a quote shows a separate £200–£500 “grant fee”, push back — it’s already covered in the headline price.
- Cash-back resellers: Some marketing sites collect leads and add a margin onto your installer’s quote. Always compare directly against an installer-quoted price.
- Heat-pump-ready cylinder upgrade “optional”: It isn’t — almost every BUS install needs one. Quotes that exclude it are misleading; you’ll be hit with a £1,400–£2,800 add-on mid-install.
Timeline (4 weeks typical)
- Week 1: 3 quotes received, EPC checked, any insulation blockers identified
- Week 2: Installer picked, consent forms signed, voucher issued by Ofgem
- Week 3: Materials ordered, install scheduled
- Week 4: 2–5 day install, MCS registration, building control notice, Ofgem redemption
FAQs
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