Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Guidance for Property Owners

This guidance document is for property owners looking to complete low carbon heating installations as part of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).  

The scheme provides a grant to help cover the costs of installing low carbon heating technologies, such as heat pumps. 

The property owner guidance covers:  

• an overview of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme 
• the roles and responsibilities of all involved in the scheme 
• eligibility requirements
• the application process
• audit and compliance activity 
• the queries, feedback, and complaints process 

Upcoming changes from April 2026  

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to increase the range of eligible technologies and simplify parts of the process.  

Planned changes include: 

• air-to-air heat pumps becoming eligible in residential properties
• greater flexibility to install heat pumps alongside other electric heating appliances
• a requirement for installers to deduct the full BUS grant value from the quote before any payment is made by the property owner
• retrofit properties being able to apply without an EPC 

Which version of the guidance should I use? 

Version 4.1 Boiler Upgrade Scheme Guidance for Property Owners is the current version and applies to all current or active applications. 

A draft of Version 5, published on 27 March 2026, is available to view for information only and may change before it’s finalised. We expect this guidance to apply to applications properly made on or after 28 April 2026. 

If you need to access an earlier version of the guidance, contact us.