The government confirmed it: since 21 July 2026, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has paid £9,000 toward an eligible heat pump for off-gas-grid homes in England and Wales that are replacing oil or LPG heating. That is a £1,500 increase on the standard rate, announced by DESNZ on 26 June 2026 and set out in the official grant-values notice (GOV.UK: £9,000 heat pump grant announcement). Homes replacing mains gas or electric heating stay on £7,500.

The uplift is deliberately time-limited. It applies to voucher applications submitted on or after 21 July 2026 and runs until 31 March 2027. UKEM is MCS certified, so we submit the application to Ofgem for you and take the grant off your invoice; you are never asked to pay full price and claim it back later.

£9,000 For oil and LPG swaps until 31 March 2027
31 Mar 2027 When the £9,000 rate ends
£7,500 Standard rate for other eligible homes
England & Wales Scotland: Home Energy Scotland route

Who qualifies for the £9,000 rate?

The higher rate targets the roughly 200,000 households the government leafleted in summer 2026: rural, off-gas-grid properties paying some of the highest heating costs in the country. To qualify, your home needs to tick all of these:

  • Located in England or Wales
  • Off the mains gas grid, with no mains gas meter
  • Currently heated by oil or LPG
  • An existing property, not a new build
  • Installing an eligible air-to-water or ground source heat pump through an MCS-certified installer

Everything else follows the normal scheme rules: no EPC needed since 28 April 2026 (a recent energy bill and photos count as evidence), no insulation requirement since May 2024, owner-occupiers and small landlords eligible, and the installer files the application. The full criteria live on gov.uk, and we verify your rate at the survey rather than leaving it to guesswork.

What if you already hold a voucher?

Vouchers issued before 21 July keep their original value. If your home meets the oil/LPG criteria, Ofgem’s published route is to cancel the existing voucher and reapply at £9,000 once the uplift is live. Tell us before installation day and we will check whether reapplying works for your dates.

Why the deadline matters

Oil and LPG homes usually see the biggest running-cost win from a heat pump: no fuel deliveries, no tank top-ups timed against volatile prices, and heating driven by electricity you can pair with solar panels or a smart tariff. The uplift stacks the economics further in your favour, but only inside the window. If your home is a bungalow, see what that looks like on our heat pumps for bungalows page.

BUS is meant to be funded through 2029/30 under the Warm Homes Plan, with the standard £7,500 continuing alongside the uplift. In October 2026, though, reports said ministers may cut the scheme in the 28 October Budget to help fund defence, and we set out why cutting the heat pump grant would be the wrong call. The Budget kept the grant: £9,000 for oil and LPG homes until 31 March 2027, with the scheme’s funding held at £400 million for 2027-28.

The same Budget suspended import tariffs on kerosene heating oil until December 2028, which may take a little off oil prices. A heat pump still comes out ahead for most oil homes: on a heat pump tariff, a well-installed system makes heat for roughly 5p to 6p per kWh, against roughly 6p to 12p for oil at recent prices.

Where to go next

If you are ready, request a heat pump quote and we will confirm your BUS rate as part of the design, not as an afterthought.

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Frequently asked questions

How much is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant now?
Up to £9,000. Since 21 July 2026, off-gas-grid homes in England and Wales replacing an oil or LPG heating system get £9,000 toward an eligible air source or ground source heat pump (until 31 March 2027); other eligible homes get £7,500. The discount comes off the price your installer quotes once the voucher redeems. Live figures are published on gov.uk.
Who qualifies for the £9,000 rate?
Your property must be in England or Wales, off the mains gas grid (no mains gas meter), currently heated by oil or LPG, and an existing home rather than a new build. The installation must be an eligible air-to-water or ground source heat pump fitted by an MCS-certified installer, with the voucher application submitted on or after 21 July 2026. UKEM confirms which rate applies at the survey.
I already have a BUS voucher. Can I get the extra £1,500?
Existing vouchers keep the value they were issued at. If your home meets the oil/LPG criteria, the published route is to cancel the old voucher and reapply at the £9,000 rate (the uplift took effect on 21 July 2026). As your installer, we handle the Ofgem paperwork either way, so raise it before installation day and we will check whether reapplying makes sense for your timeline.
What happens after 31 March 2027?
The £9,000 uplift ends and oil and LPG homes revert to the standard published rate. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme itself is planned to continue, funded through 2029/30 under the Warm Homes Plan, although October 2026 reports say it may be cut in the 28 October Budget. Off-gas-grid households wanting the higher figure need the voucher applied for within the window.

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