Boiler Upgrade Scheme increased to £9k

The UK Government is upping the stakes with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme by increasing the heat pump grant to £9,000 for homes running off oil.

The government grant to change an oil boiler to a heat pump has increased to £9,000

DESNZ currently pay out £7,500 for any homeowner in England and Wales that replaces a fossil fuel boiler with a heat pump. Latest figures show they’ve paid out 75,000 times since 2022.

💌 Eligible homes for the higher pay-out will be notified by post.

I can see why there's extra focus here. Around 900,000 houses still rely on oil boilers in England and Wales.

The cost of oil continues to spike, and the carbon emissions from a kWh of oil is 3-4 times higher than electricity.

Where I live, in my quiet corner of the Cotswolds, plenty of my neighbours still have clunky oil tanks in their front gardens, and get regular oil deliveries... I dread to think how much the price goes up each time!

But if £7,500 isn’t enough of an incentive to switch to heat pumps, will £9,000 make a difference?

I expect a common issue is that properties are rented, and the landlord isn't interested in upgrading.

Changes to MEES, due in 2030, will rate a dwelling's heating system on the new Energy Performance Certificate. Poorly ranked houses will be blocked from new rental agreements until upgrades take place (unless exemptions apply). That might help to focus a few minds!

If anyone out there is still running on oil and you own your home, what’s putting you off from switching?