Boiler Upgrade Scheme — Overview, Aims and Eligibility
Information checked: September 2026
What is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a government scheme providing upfront grants towards the cost of replacing eligible heating systems with lower-carbon heating technologies in England and Wales.
The scheme is installer-led. An MCS-certified installer applies for and redeems the grant on behalf of the property owner, with the grant effectively reducing the price the customer pays for the installation.
What are the aims of BUS?
The scheme is designed to reduce the upfront cost of moving away from conventional heating systems and encourage wider adoption of low-carbon heating.
Current standard grants include:
| Technology | Grant |
|---|---|
| Air-to-water heat pump | £7,500 |
| Ground/water-source heat pump | £7,500 |
| Air-to-air heat pump | £2,500 |
| Biomass boiler | £5,000 |
Eligible off-gas-grid properties can currently receive £9,000 towards qualifying air-to-water or ground-source heat-pump installations. This uplift applies from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Who is eligible?
Broadly, the applicant must own the property and normally be replacing an existing fossil-fuel or electric heating system with an eligible low-carbon system.
BUS is available for qualifying residential and non-residential properties in England and Wales.
There are important exclusions and additional conditions. For example, most new-build properties and social housing are not eligible, although qualifying self-build properties can be.
Properties that have already received government support towards the same heat pump or biomass boiler installation are also generally excluded.
The installation must meet technical requirements and be undertaken by an MCS-certified installer. Biomass installations have additional eligibility conditions, including requirements relating to rural and off-gas-grid properties.
Why BUS matters to installation businesses
BUS is particularly relevant to installation companies because the installer handles much of the process: checking eligibility, submitting the application, liaising with Ofgem, completing the installation and ultimately redeeming the voucher.
This creates an operational workflow that extends beyond the physical installation itself and includes application, evidence, documentation and completion activities.
How BUS fits within the wider Warm Homes Plan
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is one of the major low-carbon heating support routes associated with the broader Warm Homes Plan.
Unlike the Warm Homes: Local Grant or Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, BUS is not primarily targeted at a particular housing tenure or income group in the same way.
How Instalr relates to BUS delivery
BUS is installer led - which means you need to keep track of prospects, the journey from prospect to customer, and then subsequent delivery.
Instalr has a comprehensive lead management section and allows tracking of lead conversions, lead source/generator performance, and provides various channels for obtaining leads from sources like Facebook or your own web site enquiry forms, giving full control and oversight of the incoming pipeline.
Additionally Instalr's operational workflow is built around multi measure projects, keeping all related information in one place, including customer and property information, surveys, appointments, installation progress, evidence and documentation.
You can also specify multiple finance sources for each project as well as grant contribution amounts - combined with costings, this allows visibility of what's going out, and what's coming in, and from where.
For businesses handling significant volumes of heat-pump or other eligible installations, keeping scheme-related activity connected to the underlying job can help reduce administrative fragmentation.
- Record grant contributions
- Record grant voucher numbers
- Track client contributions and payments
- Manage lead acquisition
- Pull in leads from Facebook, Web Forms, anywhere!
- Track lead source performance
- Monitor profit margins