How to apply for a heat pump grant
GuideYou’re thinking of getting a heat pump but wondering how we’ll fund it? The Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers a grant to homeowners, helping towards installing a heat pump.
These grants will help you with the upfront costs. Starting in April 2022, the scheme is currently running until 2028, so you still have time to take advantage of the £7,500 heat pump grant. This will cover both ground source and air source heat pumps.
So why should you apply? A heat pump government grant is designed to partially cover the cost of the heat pump system and its installation and make it more affordable to move away from a fossil fuel heating system (typically a gas boiler) and onto a more energy efficient, low carbon heating system.
This guide will tell you what you need to know to help fund a heat pump with a grant. Toasty is fully Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accredited to carry out heat pump installations in order to secure the grant – and the good news is that all our trusted, local installers are MCS trained, too. The grant will then be netted off your installation cost, which is £7,500, meaning your full installation is (usually) free!
The step-by-step process to applying for a heat pump grant in the UK
Firstly, check if you’re eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which is for homeowners residing in England and Wales – Scotland and Northern Ireland, for example, have different financial support offerings or different energy systems.
To be eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and access a heat pump grant, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must own the property where you want to install the heat pump – heat pump grants aren’t available to those in social housing and new build properties
- You must be replacing a fossil fuel system with a renewable heating system, such as a heat pump (either ground or air source). You aren’t eligible if you are replacing an existing heat pump or renewable system
- You must have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation. You can check this at https://www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate if you’re unsure. There are some exemptions from Ofgem, you can read about them here. If you decide to proceed with Toasty and don’t have an EPC in place already, we can help with this.
- You must use an MCS accredited installer
How much help can you get with a government heat pump grant?
The grant of up to £7,500 is a considerable amount of money to help you with the cost of buying and installing a heat pump.
It’s worth being aware of the details of what a UK heat pump grant won’t cover:
- You cannot get a government heat pump grant for a hybrid system e.g. a combination gas boiler and air source heat pump
- You cannot get a heat pump grant to replace a low carbon heating system
- The system you install must meet certain standards, such as minimum efficiency levels. Our installers will help advise on this point
- The heat pump system you choose must have a maximum capacity of 45kW (for context homes in the UK would typically need between 4kW and 16kW)
Conclusion
At Toasty, we’re here to make the application process easy. We will apply for the grant on your behalf and simply take it off your invoice, reducing your total to pay, to zero.
To find out more about how Toasty can help you become heat pump ready, head to: https://www.toasty.org.uk/learn-more
For more about who we are, visit: https://www.toasty.org.uk/about-us/
