UK households handed £7,500 to get a heat pump and ditch boiler | Personal Finance | Finance

Households in the UK are being handed up to £7,500 by the government to ditch their boiler and switch to a heat pump instead.

The UK is pushing to try to meet strict energy and net zero emissions targets by 2030, and one of the way the government wants to cut Britain’s carbon footprint is by tempting households to ditch their old, fossil fuel reliant gas boilers and upgrade to a cleaner, more sustainable source of heating.

The government is running the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which will hand eligible households £7,500 to spend on a heat pump or £5,000 for a biomass boiler.

The Energy Saving Trust says: “Heat pumps are an energy efficient, low carbon way to heat your home. They’re suitable for almost all types of home and, depending on what heating system you’re replacing, could save you money on your energy bills.

“A heat pump is a heating system that takes in heat energy from a colder area, usually outside, raises the temperature and moves the heat into your home.

“It uses electricity to do this. But it produces much more heat energy than it uses in electrical energy.

“This makes it a more energy efficient way to heat your home than a traditional gas or oil boiler. It also produces far fewer carbon emissions than other heating systems.” 

Air source heat pumps tend to be the most common type installed but some have ground source heat pumps, which as the name suggests will pull colder air from the ground rather than the air outside. 

Those looking to upgrade to a heat pump don’t need to be on a low income or any specific benefits, either.

The government says: “You’re eligible for a grant if both of the following are true. You must: own the property you’re applying for (including if it’s a business, a second home, or a property you rent out to tenants); be replacing fossil fuel heating systems – such as oil, gas, electric or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).

“You’re still eligible if you’ve already had funding to make your property more energy efficient, for example by insulating it. Your installer must commission and install the heat pump within 120 days of applying for the grant or it will not be eligible.”

To apply, contact an MCS certified installer to get quotes for the work, then confirm you’re eligible and agree a quote. The installer will then apply to the scheme on your behalf via the Ofgem website.

The value of the grant will simply be deducted from the final price you pay for installation.