Heat pumps
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme in Wales: heat pumps, not solar
Unlike Warm Homes: Local Grant, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme crosses the border: it applies in Wales exactly as in England. It isn't means-tested, and it is often mistaken for a solar grant. It isn't one.
In brief
For eligible property owners in England and Wales, through an MCS certified installer: £7,500 towards an air-to-water or ground source heat pump; £9,000 if the home is off the gas grid and replacing oil or LPG, until March 2027; £2,500 for an air-to-air heat pump in a home; £5,000 for a biomass boiler. Nothing for solar panels or batteries.
Checked at source on 3 November 2026 · An independent guide from SEO-DONS LTD, not the Welsh Government, Nest or a council
The amounts
What the scheme pays, with the conditions
| What you install | Scheme pays | Only if |
|---|---|---|
| Heat pump heating water (air or ground source) | £7,500 | The standard amount for eligible homes, gas-heated ones included |
| The same, in an oil or LPG home off the gas grid | £9,000 | The oil or LPG system is being replaced; 21 July 2026 to March 2027 |
| Heat pump blowing warm air (air-to-air) | £2,500 | In a home; added on 28 April 2026 |
| Wood-fuelled (biomass) boiler | £5,000 | The scheme's own conditions |
| Solar panels, or a battery | £0 | Never covered |
How it works
The installer applies, you confirm
The scheme is run by Ofgem. You don't apply yourself: your installer, who must be certified by MCS, applies for a voucher, and Ofgem then contacts you as the property owner to confirm you consent, which you need to do within 14 days. The amount is taken off the installer's price, so the quote should show the full price, the deduction and what you pay.
It is open to property owners, including landlords. Social housing is excluded, as are new-build homes, apart from qualifying self-builds, and hybrid systems that pair a heat pump with a fossil-fuel boiler. Since 28 April 2026 there has been no requirement for a valid energy performance certificate.
The scheme is extended to 2030, with no vouchers issued after 31 December 2029. Its budget for 2026 to 2027 is £400 million, and vouchers stop if the annual or quarterly budget is used up.
North Wales
Why the oil and LPG amount matters here
The higher £9,000 amount is for off-gas-grid homes replacing oil or LPG, and North Wales has a lot of them. Census 2021 shows 21.6% of Anglesey households and 16.9% in Gwynedd heating with oil alone, against 7.8% across Wales. For an owner of one of those homes considering a heat pump, the period to March 2027 is when the scheme pays most.
That's a reason to start the conversation, not to rush the decision. A heat pump needs the right design for the home, and the Welsh rules on where an outdoor unit can go without planning permission changed on 1 June 2026. See oil and LPG homes and heat pump planning rules.
The confusion
Why it's mistaken for a solar grant
The name suggests boilers, and the same firms often fit heat pumps and solar, so adverts put a grant figure next to pictures of panels. The scheme has never had a solar or battery category. If you're offered the Boiler Upgrade Scheme towards solar, the offer is wrong. If you're offered it towards a gas or oil boiler, that's wrong too: it funds replacing fossil-fuel heating with low-carbon heating.
The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints about heat pump grant figures shown without their eligibility conditions. Any advert quoting the amount should show who it applies to.
Solar alongside
If you want solar too
Some households add solar at the same time as a heat pump. The scheme's amount comes off the heat pump part only. Solar is paid for privately, through the Warm Homes Loan Scheme for owner-occupiers, or, for eligible low-income households, may be included in a Nest package. Both parts are zero-rated for VAT when installed in a home until 31 March 2027. Ask for a quote that shows each part separately, and check the installer is MCS certified for both technologies.
Checks
Before you agree
- Find the installer on the MCS register, certified for heat pumps.
- Get the full price, the scheme deduction and your share in writing.
- Expect Ofgem to contact you to confirm consent; reply within 14 days.
- Ask how the system was sized and where the outdoor unit will go.
- Check any "free" or "fully paid" claim: if you pay anything, it isn't.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme questions
Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme apply in Wales?
Yes. It covers England and Wales. It doesn’t apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Who applies?
The installer, who must be MCS certified. Ofgem then asks the property owner to confirm consent within 14 days.
Can landlords use it?
Yes, it is open to property owners, including landlords. Social housing is excluded.
How long will it last?
The scheme is extended to 2030, with no vouchers issued after 31 December 2029, and vouchers stop if the annual or quarterly budget runs out.
Heat batteries
What's not settled yet
Regulations allowing heat batteries into the Boiler Upgrade Scheme took effect in October 2026, but when we checked no grant amount had been published for them. If you're offered a heat battery with a scheme amount attached, ask the installer to point you to the published figure on GOV.UK before relying on it. The scheme's own budget is also a limit: vouchers stop when the annual or quarterly budget is used up, so an installer can't promise a voucher until it has been issued.
Checked against
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get (GOV.UK), read 3 November 2026
- SI 2026/390, Boiler Upgrade Scheme amendments (legislation.gov.uk), read 2 November 2026
- find a certified installer (MCS), read 3 November 2026
- planning permission for heat pumps (Welsh Government), read 3 November 2026
- VAT Notice 708/6, energy-saving materials (HMRC), read 3 November 2026
- Census 2021 TS046, central heating, by local authority (Nomis), read 3 November 2026
- "Greener homes: building on facts, not fibs" (ASA), read 2 November 2026
Not sure which scheme, if any, fits your home?
Tell us which council area you're in and what you're looking into. Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, the publisher of this guide, and we answer by email. We're not a scheme and can't approve anything, but we can point you to the right one.
What happens next
- Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, which publishes this guide.
- We reply by email with the scheme page that fits, if there is one.
- Any application is between you and that scheme.