The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) commenced by the UK Government on 1st April 2022 in an effort to assist homes in England and Wales to make the switch to more energy efficient and low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps and biomass boilers. Discover more about the scheme, the details, eligibility and requirements are detailed below.
What is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
The Clean Heat Grant, now renamed as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, is a UK government-run scheme that aims to help existing small domestic buildings transition to low carbon heating systems for heating their homes. The scheme has come into effect from 1st April 2022 and is expected to replace the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) when it ends on 31st March 2022. The UK government also announced that there will be zero VAT on energy efficient measures starting April 2022.
Essentially the Boiler Upgrade Scheme replaced the Clean Heat Grant, it is a UK government grant scheme which aims to help existing small domestic homes move from carbon heavy, fossil based fuels to low carbon systems for home heating. The scheme came into effect on the 1st of April 2022 and is expected to replace the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which ended on the 31st of March 2022. In addition the UK government also announched that all energy efficient measures starting April 2022 will be zero VAT.
The current energy crisis has seen home heating costs skyrocket and now is an excellent time to invest in low carbon, low cost systems for your home. There are many schemes available including grants for solar and heat pumps.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme will run for 3 years and the UK government has set a budget of a whopping £450 million to fund the project.
The UK government has announced its plan to decarbonise the nation through the Heat and Buildings Strategy. £5000 government grants will be given to households as part of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to promote clean heat from low carbon technologies such as heat pumps.
What’s the Criteria for Eligibilty?
The requirements of the BUS are very similar to the retired Domestic RHI grant. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme eligibility requirements have been laid out very cleary by the government so homeowners and landlords can easily know what to expect out of the grant and how to access it.
- The owner of the property must provide a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), this means the EPC must have been issued less than 10 years previousl. An EPC is a government legal document which reports how energy efficient a property is, the range of rating is from A (very efficient) to G (least efficient) and indicates how efficient a property is of maintaining energy within and also provides a range of expected energy costs.
- The building must be either an existing building or a custom-made one, this requirement is similar to that of the domestic RHI. This is fair as new buildings are much cheaper to install energy efficient systems during the construction rather than retro-fitting existing ones. By 2025 all new builds must be fitted with energy efficient, low carbon systems such as hydrogen boilers or heat pumps at time of construction.
- A full assessment of the property needs to be made from a certified installer along with at least one quote to qualify for the grant. The voucher is applied to the installer, not the property owner. This ensures that vouchers are being applied to only those homes that truly benefit from them. The installers must also be fully MCS certified.
- Unless the property is government-listed, it must already have loft and cavity wall insulation. This will be determined by the energy performance certificate, as if the insulation is not installed then it will be recommendation documented on the EPC. This requirement is to ensure that whilst the new system may be more efficient, much of the actual heat will be lost through the building if it’s not properly insulated.
Simple Steps to apply for the BUS grant
- Find your EPC, ensuring it is valid – if not find a qualified assessor in your area here
- Find an MCS qualified installer and obtain a quote
- Compare quotes from multiple installers to get the best offer, and check whether your installation is eligible for the scheme
- Your installer will then apply for the scheme, and when contacted by Ofgem you can confirm that the installer is applying on your behalf.
For more details check the BUS guide from the UK Government site.