The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) supports the decarbonisation of heat in buildings. It provides upfront capital grants to support the installation of heat pumps and biomass boilers in homes and non-domestic buildings in England and Wales.
£7,500 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump
£7,500 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump, including water source heat pumps
£5,000 off the cost and installation of a biomass boiler
* £450 million of grant funding is available over three years from 2022 to 2025.
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/boiler-upgrade-scheme-bus
Installer eligibility:
Installers need to be certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).
This means:
* They are technically competent
* The products they use in their installations meet the correct standards.
Property eligibility:
The scheme is open to domestic and non-domestic properties in England and Wales.
New build properties are not eligible for the scheme, with the exception of self-builds that have:
* Been built mainly using the labour or resources of the first owner
* Never been owned by a business or organisation
Grants are not available for:
* Social housing – that is, any rental or owned accommodation that’s provided at lower than market value to people that could not have afforded it otherwise (including arrangements like shared ownership)
*Properties that have already received funding from government or an Energy Company Obligation for the purchase or installation of the heat pump or biomass boiler
EPC eligibility:
An energy performance certificate (EPC) gives information about a property’s energy use, with recommendations on how to reduce energy demand and save money. It’s required every time you buy, sell or rent a property.
Before we approve any grant application, we check that a property’s EPC:
* Was issued within the last 10 years
* Has no recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation
*https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/boiler-upgrade-scheme-bus/property-owners
BUS grants are only available for air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps (including water source heat pumps and those on shared ground loops) and biomass boilers.
Hybrid heat pump systems, for example a combination of a fossil fuel boiler and air source heat pump, are not eligible.
The new heating system must:
* Have been commissioned (that is, installed and fully checked by your installer) on or after 1 April 2022
* Be capable of meeting the full space heating and hot water requirements of your property
replace an existing fossil fuel or electric heating system
* Not replace an existing low-carbon heating system
* Meet certain technical standards, such as minimum efficiency requirements (your installer can advise you on these, or you can learn about them yourself in chapter 2 of the BUS guidance for installers).
In addition, biomass boilers:
* Can only be installed in rural properties
* Can only be installed in properties with no connection to the gas grid
*Cannot be installed in eligible self-builds
*https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/boiler-upgrade-scheme-bus/property-owners