Can Your Home Qualify For The Boiler Upgrade Scheme?

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) can reduce the cost of installing an eligible low-carbon heating system, but not every UK property qualifies. The scheme is currently available in England and Wales and has specific rules covering property ownership, existing heating, the type of building and the proposed replacement system.

For homeowners, the important question is not simply whether the property has an old boiler. Several conditions need to be met before a grant can be awarded.

Here is how to assess whether your home could qualify.

Is Your Property In England Or Wales?

If you are wondering Who Qualifies for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the first requirement is location.

BUS is available for eligible properties in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate heating support arrangements, so a property in either of those countries cannot use the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

If you own properties in different parts of the UK, eligibility needs to be considered separately for each one.

Do You Own The Property?

You generally need to own the property where the new heating system will be installed.

BUS can cover more than owner-occupied homes. Eligible applicants can include people who own:

• Their main residence
• A second home
• A property they rent to tenants
• Certain non-residential properties

The scheme therefore isn't limited to homeowners who live in the property themselves. However, the building must satisfy the relevant BUS conditions.

What Heating System Does Your Home Have?

Your existing heating system is one of the most important parts of the eligibility assessment.

BUS is designed to help replace existing fossil fuel or certain electric heating systems with an eligible low-carbon alternative. This can include heating systems using:

• Gas
• Oil
• LPG
• Electricity

The replacement system must meet the scheme's requirements. You cannot normally use BUS to replace an existing low-carbon heating system, such as a heat pump, with another heat pump.

A homeowner who already has a heat pump therefore cannot simply use the scheme to subsidise an upgrade to a newer model.

Which Heating Systems Can BUS Support?

The scheme supports specific technologies rather than every type of heating upgrade.

Current grant categories include:

There is also an enhanced grant of up to £9,000 for qualifying air-to-water and ground source heat pumps installed in eligible off-gas-grid properties where oil or LPG heating is being replaced. This higher grant is available until 31 March 2027.

The grant amount therefore depends on both the technology and, in some cases, the property's existing heating arrangement.