Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Full Timeline of Changes
How the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has changed since 2022 - from a £5,000 grant to £7,500, plus the 2026 air-to-air and off-grid additions. Full timeline.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is the main government grant helping households in England and Wales swap a fossil-fuel boiler for a heat pump. Since it opened in 2022 it has been through several significant changes, with the grant growing, the rules loosening and new technologies added. This guide sets out that evolution as a clear timeline so you can see exactly how the scheme reached where it is in 2026.
For the current headline details and how to apply, see our 2026 Boiler Upgrade Scheme overview and step-by-step application guide. Grant amounts and rules do change, so always confirm the current position on the official scheme pages before you commit.
How has the Boiler Upgrade Scheme changed since 2022?
May 2022 - the scheme launches
BUS opened for applications in England and Wales with a budget of around £450 million. The original grants were £5,000 for an air source heat pump or biomass boiler and £6,000 for a ground or water source heat pump. Applicants needed a valid EPC with no outstanding loft or cavity wall insulation recommendations, and new-build homes were excluded apart from eligible self-builds.
October 2023 - grants rise to £7,500
After a slow start, the government raised the air source and ground source heat pump grants to £7,500, a jump of £2,500 and £1,500 respectively. The biomass boiler grant stayed at £5,000. This is the single change that did most to boost uptake.
May 2024 - the insulation rule is dropped
The requirement to clear any outstanding loft and cavity wall insulation recommendations on your EPC was removed, taking away a common barrier to applying. Good insulation is still strongly recommended for efficiency, but it is no longer a condition of the grant.
2025 - extended to 2028
Originally due to end in 2025, the scheme was extended by three years to 2028 with substantial extra funding, moving to an annual budget structure. That gave the market much-needed certainty that the grant would remain available.
April 2026 - air-to-air and hybrids added
Amendment regulations added air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries to the scheme for the first time, with a £2,500 grant, alongside exhaust air heat pumps and more flexible rules for hybrid systems. Installers were also required to deduct the grant directly from your upfront quote.
July 2026 - £9,000 uplift for off-grid homes
A temporary uplift was introduced for homes off the gas grid that currently heat with oil or LPG, raising the air and ground source grant to £9,000. This higher rate is time-limited, running until the end of March 2027 unless it is extended.
What are the current 2026 BUS grant amounts?
As things stand in 2026, the grants available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme are:
- £7,500 towards an air source, ground source or water source heat pump.
- £9,000 towards an air or ground source heat pump for eligible oil and LPG homes off the gas grid, available until 31 March 2027.
- £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump or heat battery, covered in more detail in our air-to-air grant guide.
- £5,000 towards a biomass boiler, limited mainly to rural, off-grid properties where a heat pump is not practical.
The grant is paid to your installer and deducted from your bill, so you do not have to claim it back yourself. The off-grid uplift is explained further in our £9,000 oil and LPG grant guide.
What changed in the 2026 rules?
The 2026 amendment regulations were the biggest shake-up since the 2023 grant increase. The headline was the arrival of air-to-air heat pumps, which had always been excluded before, opening the grant to homes where a traditional radiator-based system is harder to fit. Heat batteries and exhaust air heat pumps were brought in too, and the rules around hybrid systems were relaxed so more part-electric setups qualify.
Alongside the new technologies, the rules on evidence were loosened further and the requirement for installers to show the grant as an upfront deduction was tightened. If you want the detail on how the official guidance itself has evolved, our BUS guidance changes guide tracks the version-by-version updates.
When does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme end?
The scheme is currently confirmed to stay open for applications until the end of 2027, operating within a funding framework that runs through 2028. That is a big change from the original plan, which had the scheme closing in 2025. The extra years and larger budgets were designed to give households and installers the confidence to plan ahead.
No detailed successor scheme has been confirmed for after 2028, and the temporary £9,000 off-grid uplift is due to end in early 2027 unless it is renewed. As with everything on the policy side, the sensible approach is to act while the grant you want is available rather than waiting for a better deal that may not come.
What about Scotland and Wales?
Wales is covered by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in exactly the same way as England, so the amounts and rules above apply. Scotland is different: it runs its own support through Home Energy Scotland rather than BUS. Scottish homeowners can access a grant of up to £7,500 towards a heat pump, plus an optional interest-free loan, with an additional £1,500 uplift for rural and island homes.
If you are in Scotland, it is the Home Energy Scotland grant and loan you want to look at rather than the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, though the underlying goal of making heat pumps more affordable is the same.
