BUS Guidance v5 Explained: 28 April 2026 Changes

Ofgem's Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) guidance v5 came into force on 28 April 2026 and now governs every BUS application properly made on or after that date. The headline change is the removal of the mandatory EPC requirement — a long-standing application blocker for properties with expired or missing certificates. This guide walks through what changed vs the previous v4.2 guidance, what evidence is now acceptable in place of an EPC, and what the changes mean for installers, property owners, and landlords. As always with policy content: refer to the official Ofgem BUS guidance documents for the binding text — this guide summarises but does not replace them.

The EPC requirement was the most-cited blocker on BUS applications under v4.2 and earlier. The pattern was predictable: a homeowner ready to switch to a heat pump would discover their EPC had expired (10-year shelf life), or that the rating was the wrong category, or that the EPC carried unresolved insulation recommendations. Resolving any of those required either a new EPC assessment (£60–£120, 1–3 weeks lead time) or remedial works (loft insulation, cavity-wall fill — £200–£800 plus another EPC after) before the BUS application could even start.

v5 removes this as a hard gate. The shift is from 'show us a valid EPC' to 'show us evidence the property qualifies':

• If a valid EPC exists, it remains the primary evidence — no behaviour change.
• If no valid EPC is available, the installer collects an alternative evidence pack: a utility bill dated within the last 3 months showing the existing fuel type, plus photographs of the current heating system (boiler, oil tank, LPG tank as applicable). The expired EPC, if any, is included alongside.

Net effect: applications that previously stalled for a fortnight while a new EPC was commissioned can now move forward inside the survey-to-quote window. This is particularly meaningful for older off-grid properties with expired or never-issued EPCs — exactly the segment the separate £9,000 oil/LPG uplift is also designed to reach.

Three things commonly assumed to have changed under v5 but didn't:

• The grant amounts. £7,500 (air-to-water / ground-source), £2,500 (air-to-air), and £5,000 (biomass) all stand under v5. The expected £9,000 uplift for off-grid oil and LPG properties is a separate piece of regulation expected to take effect in July 2026 — not part of v5.
• The installer-claimed flow. Property owners still don't apply directly. The [MCS-certified installer](/blog/best-heat-pump-installers-uk-2026/) applies on behalf of the owner, takes the grant amount off the invoice, and is paid by Ofgem after install completion.
• The scheme end date. BUS regulatory window remains as set by the underlying regulations — at the time of writing the GOV.UK 'Find a grant' service lists a closing date in late 2027, with subsequent reporting describing the scheme as extended through 2028. v5 changes operational guidance, not the scheme's lifespan; check the live Ofgem and GOV.UK pages for the current end date if your install timeline is close to either.

Most property owners won't notice v5 directly because the application is installer-claimed — the installer absorbs the procedural detail. The exceptions where v5 visibly helps:

• You have an expired or missing EPC — under v4.2 you'd need to commission a new one before applying. Under v5 you don't, provided you have a recent utility bill and the installer collects photos of your existing system on the survey.
• Your EPC has unresolved recommendations — these still matter (loft insulation in particular is something you'll want to address regardless), but they no longer block the application directly. Discuss with your installer whether to address them as part of the install package or separately.
• You're a tenant whose landlord is installing — you'll receive written notice (typically 28 days) before the install starts. Your written consent is not required, but the landlord must give you that notice.

v5 brings two welcome clarifications for landlords pursuing BUS-funded heat pump installs in let properties:

• The 28-day tenant notice is explicit. Under v4.2 the notification expectation existed but the timing was less clearly framed. v5 makes 28 days the standard expectation, allowing landlords to plan against a known timeline.
• Written tenant consent is not required, only written notice. This sounds minor but matters in practice — chasing tenant consent can delay an install indefinitely; chasing tenant notification has a fixed end date.

The EPC removal also helps landlords with mid-portfolio properties that had EPCs from before the rated-stock-improvement push of the late 2010s. Those properties no longer need a fresh EPC before BUS can apply, though most landlords will still want one for ongoing letting compliance.

v5 is a procedural update, not a structural one. Grant amounts haven't moved; the installer-claimed mechanic is unchanged; the scheme remains open to England-and-Wales properties replacing fossil heating with eligible heat pumps or biomass. What v5 does — meaningfully — is remove the EPC requirement as a blocker, allowing installers to use a utility bill plus heating-system photos as alternative evidence. For property owners with expired or missing EPCs, that's the difference between waiting weeks and proceeding now.

For the broader picture on BUS in 2026 — eligibility, the standard application flow, and the v5 changes in context — read our complete BUS 2026 guide. For the separate £9,000 oil/LPG uplift expected in July 2026, see our £9,000 BUS uplift explainer.