Applications to the government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme more than tripled in the week after the grant for a new heat pump rose to £7,500, according to figures published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 30 November 2023. The department said 1,150 applications were made in that first week, more than three times the average weekly rate before the change, and that in the following three weeks applications stayed nearly 60% above the previous weekly average1.
The uplift raised the grant by 50%. The scheme, which covers England and Wales, gives money towards replacing fossil fuel heating with a heat pump, and the department describes it as now among the most generous of its kind in Europe1. The weekly application figures run from the start of the scheme on 23 May 2022 to the week ending 13 November 2023; separate delivery statistics cover the scheme up to 31 October1.
"Today's new figures show our pragmatic approach to net zero is working. In the first week after our 50% increase to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, applications tripled."
Alongside the figures, the department published independent research on heat pump noise, carried out by the engineering consultancy WSP, the construction engineering company BSRIA, the University of Salford and Stephen Turner Acoustics. It concluded that heat pumps are now very quiet, with sound levels similar to a gas boiler or fridge, and that complaints from neighbours are rare. The report recommends changing planning rules so more heat pump installations fall under permitted development rights, while strengthening the noise assessments installers carry out1.
The government also confirmed plans for a Clean Heat Market Mechanism launching next year, intended to encourage the heating industry to invest in making heat pumps more attractive and affordable, and said it will consult on new permitted development rights to end the blanket restriction on heat pumps one metre from a property boundary in England1.
Why it matters for households
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is the main grant for a household replacing a fossil fuel heating system with a heat pump in England and Wales, so the size of the grant and the volume of applications are a direct measure of how many homes are moving off gas, oil or other fossil fuel heating. A £7,500 grant reduces the upfront cost of a heat pump, which is the point at which many households decide whether a switch is affordable. The application route runs through an MCS certified installer, who agrees a quote with the household and handles the paperwork, after which Ofgem contacts the customer to confirm they want to proceed1. The planning changes under consultation concern where a heat pump can be sited, which affects homes where the only practical position is close to a boundary. The noise research addresses a common objection raised by neighbours and planning officers1.
What happens next
The government said it will consult on introducing new permitted development rights to end the blanket restriction on heat pumps one metre from a property boundary in England, and confirmed the Clean Heat Market Mechanism will launch next year1. No dates for the consultation or for a decision on the planning rules have been reported.