Heat Pumps news from 2026
39 stories, newest first
- October 2026
Budget confirms Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding for 2027-28
The Budget of 28 October 2026 confirmed Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants of £7,500, or £9,000 for homes on oil or LPG, for 2027-28, while capping annual scheme funding at £400 million.
Chancellor did not extend 0% VAT rate at the Budget
Chancellor John Healey did not extend the 0% VAT rate on heat pumps, solar panels and solar batteries at the Budget, so installations will carry 5% VAT from 1 April 2027.
Warm Home Loans scheme launches across the UK
The government-backed Warm Homes Loan Scheme opened on 27 October 2026, offering interest-free and low-interest loans of up to £35,000 for heat pumps, solar panels and batteries across the UK.
Nesta warns against devolving the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Nesta has welcomed plans to devolve elements of the Warm Homes Plan but warns that devolving the Boiler Upgrade Scheme would effectively end the UK's most successful low-carbon heating scheme.
- September 2026
Final evaluation of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme published
The government has published the final evaluation of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, covering property owners' experiences, satisfaction with low carbon heating systems and the scheme's value for money.
Record number of heat pump grant applications in England and Wales
Nesta says Department for Energy Security and Net Zero statistics show a record number of households in England and Wales applying for Boiler Upgrade Scheme heat pump grants, driven by oil and gas price rises.
Dwellow launches new heat pump calculator
Dwellow has launched a free interactive heat pump running cost calculator that recalculates figures in real time as users change heating demand, efficiency, tariff and energy price assumptions.
UKAS approves MCS Installer scheme updates for air-to-air heat pumps
UKAS has approved updates to the redeveloped MCS Installer scheme to incorporate air-to-air heat pumps, allowing MCS to begin accrediting certification bodies for the technology.
- August 2026
Press release on heat pump applications from heating oil households under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says thousands of households that heat with oil have applied for a heat pump using the £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.
Energy Saving Trust publishes research on heat pump, battery, solar and tariff combinations
Energy Saving Trust research across 546 homes and around 1.1 million technology and tariff combinations finds tariff choice decides whether a heat pump saves money, with integrated electric homes cutting bills by around £800 a year.
- July 2026
Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant increased from £7,500 to £9,000
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for eligible off-gas grid homes in England and Wales rose from £7,500 to £9,000 on 21 July 2026, a 20% increase aimed at households heating with oil or LPG.
Higher BUS grant for oil and LPG replacements starts
Households in England and Wales heating with oil or LPG can claim a £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for an air-to-water or ground source heat pump from July 2026, up from £7,500.
Government announces summer consultation on permitted development rights for heat pumps
The government has announced a summer consultation on permitted development rights for heat pumps, as analysis suggests households have spent up to £8 million on planning applications that are mostly approved.
Publication of research on heat pump transition for households at risk of fuel poverty
Research commissioned for the Committee on Fuel Poverty and published on GOV.UK examines how households at risk of fuel poverty can be supported through the transition to heat pumps.
Warm Homes Plan to invest close to £15 billion in UK homes
The Warm Homes Plan will direct close to £15 billion into UK home improvements, with fully funded heat pumps for low income households and low or zero interest loans for homeowners.
- June 2026
Viessmann launches Vitocal 200-A ie heat pump in the UK
Viessmann has launched the Vitocal 200-A ie air-to-water heat pump for UK homes at InstallerSHOW in Birmingham, with outputs from 4 to 12 kW and availability this autumn.
Permitted development rights for air source heat pumps updated in Wales
Permitted development rights for air source heat pumps in Wales were updated on 1 June 2026, raising the unit size limit, allowing two units on detached homes and permitting air-to-air installations.
- May 2026
MCS 020a to become the only permitted certification scheme for air source heat pumps
From 28 May 2026 the MCS 020a planning standard becomes the only certification scheme accepted for air source heat pump installations under permitted development rights in England.
Aira profile updated with May 2026 company description
Aira's Which? Trusted Traders profile now carries a May 2026 company description setting out its all-inclusive heat pump plan and 15-Year Aira Guarantee.
- April 2026
BUS eligibility expanded and £2,500 AAHP grant introduced
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme was expanded on 28 April 2026 to cover multi-technology installations and air-to-air heat pumps at £2,500, with a valid EPC no longer required and grants deducted from upfront costs.
MCS published an implementation update for air-to-air heat pumps
MCS has set out the remaining steps before air-to-air heat pumps can be certified under its installer and product Schemes, with £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants following once implementation is complete.
Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition Round 2 opens
The second round of the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition opened on 21 April 2026 and runs to 5 August 2026, offering £90 million for UK heat pump manufacturing.
MCS reported progress towards implementing air-to-air heat pumps
MCS has set out competency rules and standards changes for certifying air-to-air heat pumps, with installers needing Level 3 refrigeration competence and certification bodies seeking UKAS accreditation.
Clean Heat Market Mechanism target begins
From 1 April 2026 boiler and heating appliance manufacturers must meet 6% of their sales with heat pumps or buy credits under the Clean Heat Market Mechanism.
Future Now website launched with free Homewise tool access
The Future Now website has launched with advice on heat pumps and other energy technologies and free access to the Homewise tool, after the Peterborough Accelerated Net Zero project closed.
- March 2026
Future Homes Standard and Future Buildings Standard regulations announced
Regulations giving effect to the Future Homes Standard and Future Buildings Standard were announced in March 2026, requiring low-carbon heating and solar panels in most new buildings in England from 2027 or 2028.
HPA UK forms through merger of three heat pump bodies
Three UK heat pump bodies have merged into a single organisation, HPA UK, which says it now represents over 350 members covering around 90 per cent of heat pumps sold in the UK market.
- February 2026
Nesta publishes analysis calling for 110,000 heat pump installations in Scotland over next Parliament
Nesta analysis says Scotland needs about 110,000 heat pump and low carbon heating installations between May 2026 and May 2031, triple the current number, against a draft plan implying 30,000.
Kensa partners with Passiv UK on smart heat pump controls
Kensa has partnered with Passiv UK to offer the Passiv Smart Thermostat with its ground source heat pumps, claiming heating bill cuts of up to 30 per cent and access to Greener Grid Payments.
All Phase One homes at Tulloch Homes development sold with QUHZ Ecodan heat pumps
All 24 homes in Phase One of a Tulloch Homes development in the Highlands have been sold, each fitted with a QUHZ Ecodan air source heat pump, according to HPA UK.
Nesta publishes report on air-to-air heat pumps for UK homes
Nesta has published research concluding that air-to-air heat pumps are an equally viable way to cut emissions from home heating as air-to-water systems for almost all UK homes.
Heat pumps join UK Power Networks flexibility market
UK Power Networks has integrated more than 6,000 heat pumps into its Localflex flexibility trading platform, with simplified payment rules and approval times cut to a single day.
Which? responds to record-breaking heat pump installations
Which? has welcomed record heat pump installation numbers but says high upfront costs, weak advice and gaps in consumer protection still hold households back.
UK government announces consultation on expanding permitted development for heat pumps
Nesta has welcomed a UK government plan to consult this year on widening permitted development rights for heat pumps, as its research sets out the delays and costs households face.
Nesta publishes ten recommendations to cut heat pump installation sludge
Nesta has published ten recommendations for the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments to remove administrative and cost barriers that slow household heat pump installations across Great Britain.
- January 2026
Stelrad updates heat loss calculator and radiator sizing software
Stelrad has upgraded every version of its heat loss calculator and radiator sizing software, adding electric and conventional heating options and updated NHBC and CIBSE figures for installers, specifiers and homeowners.
First universal grants for heat batteries and air-to-air heat pumps announced
The Government has set out a £15 billion Warm Homes Plan, including a first universal £2,500 grant for heat batteries and air-to-air heat pumps alongside £7,500 for conventional heat pumps.
Nesta analysis finds Warm Homes Plan could save households up to £1,000 on bills
Nesta analysis published on 20 January 2026 projects that a household adding a heat pump, solar panels and a battery under the Warm Homes Plan could cut its annual energy bill by about £1,000.
BUS to include air-to-air heat pumps by early 2026
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme will pay £2,500 towards air-to-air heat pumps in domestic properties from early 2026, with heat batteries added later and the scheme extended to 2030.