The government added a note on 4 March 2022 recording the closure of the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (DRHI) and naming its successor, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme1. The update appeared on the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy page tracking changes to the Renewable Heat Incentive schemes, which applies to England, Scotland and Wales1.
The note itself is brief. The page records: "Added note about the closure of the DRHI Scheme and its successor the Boiler Upgrade Scheme"1. A further update on 3 April 2022 states: "The Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive scheme closed on 31 March 2022"1. The closure date had been set out earlier, in the April 2020 notice of proposals, which sought "to extend the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive scheme until 31 March 2022"1.
The DRHI's final years were shaped by pandemic-related adjustments. Regulations amending the domestic scheme came into force on 1 April 20211. Among the changes was a relaxation of the "12 month rule", which requires accreditation applications within 12 months of a system's commissioning date. The change allowed installations commissioned on or after 1 March 2019 to apply for accreditation until the scheme closed on 31 March 20221. The stated aim was "to ensure domestic RHI participants who have been unable to meet the 12 month rule requirements due to COVID related restrictions can access the scheme"1.
The same page covers the non-domestic RHI, which closed on 31 March 20211. A government response published on 5 November 2020 confirmed an extension for non-Tariff Guarantee projects affected by COVID-19 delays, running "for 12 months after the closure of the non-domestic RHI ( NDRHI ) rather than the originally proposed 6 months"1. Eligibility required projects to show that resource had been invested in development before 17 August 20201. On 29 November 2021 the department proposed extending TG2, TG3 and extension application deadlines for non-biomethane technologies by 12 months to 31 March 2023, and published its response on 19 January 20221.
"Added note about the closure of the DRHI Scheme and its successor the Boiler Upgrade Scheme."
Why it matters for households
The DRHI paid accredited households for heat generated by eligible renewable systems, typically over seven years. Its closure on 31 March 2022 means that route to support is no longer open, and the page points households towards the Boiler Upgrade Scheme as the successor1. The two schemes differ in shape: the DRHI paid a tariff over time, while the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is described on this page only as the successor, with no rates, eligibility rules or application process set out in the update itself1. Households weighing a heat pump or biomass installation against staying on a gas boiler, or comparing grant routes, will find the practical detail in the grants-schemes hub rather than in this closure note.
What happens next
The page records no further steps for the domestic scheme beyond the closure on 31 March 20221. For the non-domestic scheme, a proposal published on 29 November 2021 would extend certain deadlines for non-biomethane technologies to 31 March 2023, with the government response published on 19 January 20221. No dates for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme's operation are given in this update1.