Boiler Upgrade Scheme Eligibility 2026: Current Grant Guide for Scunthorpe

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a UK government grant for eligible heat pump and biomass installations in England and Wales. It is administered by Ofgem and is designed to reduce the upfront cost of moving away from fossil fuel heating where the property and proposed system are a suitable fit.

What is the current Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers £7,500 for air-to-water heat pumps, £2,500 for air-to-air (A2A) heat pumps, £7,500 for ground-source or water-source heat pumps and £5,000 for eligible biomass boilers. Eligible off-gas properties replacing oil or LPG can receive £9,000 towards an air-to-water or ground-source heat pump until 31 March 2027, subject to official criteria. Nimbus confirms the live GOV.UK and Ofgem application route before quoting or submitting the grant.

Oil and LPG update: Eligible off-gas properties replacing oil or LPG can currently receive £9,000 towards an air-to-water or ground-source heat pump until 31 March 2027. Nimbus confirms the property, existing system and live scheme route before deducting the grant from a fixed quote.

The grant is applied through the installer-led route and deducted from the quoted installation cost rather than paid to you separately. Some qualifying energy-saving-material installations may also use current VAT relief where the exact scope meets the rules, but Nimbus confirms the customer quote treatment before relying on it.

Grant eligibility depends on your property, existing heating and the scheme rules in force.

Who is eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?

Most qualifying homeowners are replacing an existing fossil-fuel or eligible electric heating system with a correctly designed low-carbon system installed through the approved route for the grant. The final installation must meet the live scheme rules at the point the application is submitted.

Eligibility criteria in North Lincolnshire

To qualify for the BUS grant, the key checks are usually straightforward:

• Property ownership: You must own the property, including if it is a second home, a rental property or a small non-domestic building.
• Previous heating system: You must be replacing a fossil fuel system such as gas, oil, LPG or an eligible electric heating system.
• Approved grant value: The grant category, fuel-position detail and value must match the installed technology and the live official scheme criteria when the application is made.
• Air-to-air route: The current grant values include eligible air-to-air heat pumps, which can provide heating and cooling from wall-mounted indoor units. Suitability, hot water and the required application route still need checking.
• Insulation and suitability: Loft or cavity wall insulation is no longer a blanket condition of the grant, but suitability and performance still need to be checked by the installer.
• System capacity: The proposed installation must be within the scheme capacity limits, which cover the vast majority of domestic homes.
• Approved route: The installation must be carried out through the correct route for the grant.

Who usually fits the scheme best?

The most straightforward cases are often owner-occupied homes replacing a qualifying heating system with enough space and technical fit for the chosen heat pump route. Homes replacing fossil fuel or eligible electric heating can be strong candidates, but the property and system design still need to stack up properly.

Why consider a heat pump in Scunthorpe?

Scunthorpe and the surrounding villages have a wide mix of property types, which is why surveys matter. Modern heat pumps can work well in low outdoor temperatures when the system is properly designed. They can make particular sense if you are replacing fossil fuel heating, eligible electric heating or want lower-carbon heating with grant support. Air-to-air heat pumps can also be worth checking where heating and cooling from indoor units is a better fit than a full wet heating conversion. Compared with a modern gas boiler, running costs can be similar and depend heavily on design, insulation, controls and tariff.

The application process with Nimbus

We keep the process as clear as possible:

1. Home survey: We assess the property, review the existing heating setup and carry out the design work needed to judge suitability.
2. Working quote: We provide a quote that shows a grant deduction only where the property, design and live route support it.
3. Grant application: The application is handled through the official installer-led route and you confirm consent when prompted.
4. Installation: The system is installed through the agreed route, with commissioning and certification steps completed where required.
5. Handover: We explain how the system works and provide the documents you need for the completed installation.