The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published its response to Part 1 of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) consultation on 18 November 2025, setting out how it will amend the scheme1. The consultation ran from 11am on 30 April 2025 to 11:59pm on 11 June 2025 and drew 357 responses to Part 1 and 262 to Part 21. The response applies to England, Scotland and Wales1.
On eligibility, the government says it will "begin to provide grants to support the installation of air-to-air heat pumps ( AAHPs ) in domestic properties with a value of £2,500"1. It will also "begin to provide grants to support the installation of heat batteries with a value of £2,500, once appropriate product, design and installation standards have been implemented, including robust consumer protections"1. Air-to-air heat pumps have not previously qualified for the grant, and the air-to-air heat pump grant eligibility rules are among those affected.
Further changes include amending scheme eligibility criteria "to allow more installations of heat pumps in combination with other electric heating appliances" and allowing "the installation of exhaust air heat pumps"1. The government will "undertake further work on third-party ownership of BUS -funded heating systems to resolve complex interactions with the current regulatory landscape before determining eligibility for the scheme"1.
On the installation journey, the government will "relax the requirement to provide a valid Energy Performance Certificate ( EPC ) from 2026 to 2027 onwards"1. On consumer protections, it will "assess the MCS Customer Commitment as a consumer code before determining whether to approve it for the scheme"1. On payments, it will "introduce a requirement in the BUS regulations for installers to deduct the grant amount from the upfront costs of the eligible plant"1.
| Change | Detail |
|---|---|
| Air-to-air heat pumps | Grants of £2,5001 |
| Heat batteries | Grants of £2,500, once standards and consumer protections are in place1 |
| Heat pumps with other electric heating | Eligibility criteria to be amended to allow more installations1 |
| Exhaust air heat pumps | Installation to be allowed1 |
| EPC requirement | Relaxed from 2026 to 2027 onwards1 |
| Grant deduction | Installers required to deduct the grant from upfront costs1 |
Part 2 of the consultation, on certification, was answered earlier. The government response published on 31 October 2025 confirmed it will proceed with "removing the option for multiple certification schemes to certify installations under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Energy Company Obligation 4, Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant"1. That does not affect clean heat measures not currently required to be certified by MCS, such as heat networks, which will be covered by the forthcoming Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme1.
"We will proceed to introduce scheme regulations to Parliament to give effect to these changes, as parliamentary time allows. We will announce the timing of these changes in the coming weeks and provide guidance for installers and consumers on how the changes will impact the application process."
Why it matters for households
The BUS is the main grant route for replacing a fossil fuel heating system with a heat pump in England, Scotland and Wales, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has until now been limited to certain technology types. Adding air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries to the grant list widens the range of systems a household could part-fund, though the heat battery grant is conditional on standards and consumer protections being in place first1. The change to allow more heat pumps installed alongside other electric heating appliances, and the removal of the EPC requirement from 2026 to 2027 onwards, both touch on eligibility questions that have shaped who can apply, including for homes with a gas boiler. Requiring installers to deduct the grant from upfront costs changes when the money reaches the household: rather than a sum paid after the work, the discount is applied at the point of purchase1. The government has not reported the grant levels for other technologies, the start dates for each measure, or how the certification change affects individual installers.
What happens next
The government says it will introduce scheme regulations to Parliament as parliamentary time allows, and will announce the timing of the changes in the coming weeks, alongside guidance for installers and consumers on the application process1. No dates for the individual measures have been reported.