📚 Master list

Heat Pump Grants UK Complete List 2026

Every heat pump grant available to UK homeowners in 2026 — national, regional, council, and combined authority. National schemes you definitely qualify for + 20+ local top-ups you might not know exist.

JTJames Thornton, MCS Engineer 2,100 words · 10 min read
Every UK heat pump grant 2026 · master list
National + regional + council. With current amounts, eligibility, and application links.
Quick answer: The four main UK heat pump grants in 2026: Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) in England/Wales — £7,500. Home Energy Scotland Grant — £7,500 + £1,500 rural bonus + 0% loan to £12,500. NI Boiler Replacement Scheme — £400-£1,700 (income-tested). Plus Welsh Nest scheme covering 100% for low-income households. Beyond these, 20+ local council and combined authority schemes offer £500-£2,000 top-ups in specific areas.

The 4 national schemes

SchemeCountryAmountHow to apply
Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)England, Wales£7,500Via MCS installer
HES Grant + LoanScotland£7,500-£9,000 + £12,500 loanhomeenergyscotland.org
NI Boiler ReplacementNorthern Ireland£400-£1,700NI Housing Executive
Welsh Nest schemeWales (low income)Up to 100%nest.gov.wales

National scheme details

1. Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England & Wales)

The UK's main domestic heat pump grant. £7,500 for ASHP or GSHP. Applied by your MCS-certified installer — you do no paperwork. Eligibility: own the property, valid EPC, no outstanding insulation recommendations. Extended through 2028 with £1.5bn funding.

Full England BUS guide → | Wales BUS details →

2. Home Energy Scotland Grant + 0% Loan (Scotland)

The most generous UK scheme. £7,500 base grant + £1,500 rural bonus (postcodes in Highlands, Islands, rural fringes). Plus optional 0% interest loan up to £12,500 — effectively £20,000 of zero-interest funding. Apply via Home Energy Scotland (free survey first).

Full Scotland HES guide →

3. NI Boiler Replacement Scheme (Northern Ireland)

Income-tested (under £40k household income). £400-£1,000 for like-for-like boiler swaps; £1,000-£1,700 for heat pump upgrades. Apply via NI Housing Executive. Dedicated NI heat pump scheme matching BUS funding is in development for 2026-27.

Full Northern Ireland details →

4. Welsh Nest scheme (Wales, low income)

For Welsh households earning under £25k OR receiving means-tested benefits. Pays up to 100% of installation cost — heat pump fully funded, plus insulation if needed. Apply at nest.gov.wales. Better than BUS for eligible Welsh households.

Additional UK-wide schemes

5. ECO4 (low-income energy efficiency)

UK-wide scheme funded by energy suppliers. Covers insulation upgrades (loft, cavity wall) for low-income households. Most useful as step-1 to unblock BUS — if your EPC has insulation recommendations, ECO4 can fund those first, then BUS unlocks for the heat pump.

6. Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)

Successor to ECO+. UK-wide insulation grants for households in lower Council Tax bands (A-D in England, A-E in Scotland and Wales). Like ECO4, useful as a BUS-unlocker.

City and combined authority top-up schemes

Greater London

Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester Combined Authority runs occasional pilot schemes in Wigan, Bolton, Oldham. ~£500-£1,000 top-ups when active.

West Midlands

West Midlands Combined Authority pilot grants in selected wards. Birmingham specifically has run multiple pilot grants since 2024.

Bristol

Bristol City Leap — £1bn+ public-private partnership running retrofit pilots in selected Bristol wards. Sometimes adds £500-£2,000 to BUS.

Nottingham

Nottingham City Council Energy Hub offers free advice + occasional pilot funding. Robin Hood Energy legacy schemes still influence local heat pump uptake.

Scotland councils

Welsh councils

How to find your local grants

  1. Search your local council website for "heat pump grant" or "renewable energy grant"
  2. Call your council's housing or environment team — they know current pilots
  3. Ask your MCS installer — they often know which local grants stack with BUS
  4. Check your combined authority's energy strategy — most have eco-grant pots
  5. Use Energy Saving Trust's grant finder at energysavingtrust.org.uk

Combining schemes — what's allowed

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FAQ

What's the biggest UK heat pump grant?
Scotland's HES Grant + Loan combo — £9,000 grant (with rural bonus) + £12,500 zero-interest loan = £21,500 of effectively free funding. England/Wales BUS is £7,500.
Can I get multiple grants for one install?
National grants (BUS, HES) are exclusive — you get one. But you can combine BUS with local council top-ups in some areas (London, Bristol, Birmingham). ECO4 insulation grants stack with BUS as preparation.
How do I know my postcode qualifies for the HES rural bonus?
Your HES advisor confirms during the free survey. Generally: Highlands & Islands, rural Aberdeenshire, Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway outside towns, Borders rural areas.

Tools to plan grant claims

JT

James Thornton

MCS-Certified Heat Pump Engineer — Author

James has navigated 280+ UK heat pump grant applications across all four UK countries and tracks local scheme changes through the MCS installer network.