Can You Get a BUS Grant for an Oil Boiler Upgrade?

0
53

Yes, as long as the upgrade takes you off oil for good. The grant won’t pay for a newer oil boiler. It pays to replace oil with low-carbon heating, and oil households currently get the highest rate the scheme has offered.

Here’s what you can claim, the rules that catch people out, and how the switch works with us.

What Oil-Heated Homes Can Claim Right Now

The boiler upgrade scheme usually takes £7,500 off an air-to-water heat pump in England and Wales. Oil homes now get more. Homes that heat with oil or LPG and are off the gas grid get £9,000 instead, for a limited time: 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027.

The extra £1,500 depends on the fuel you’re replacing. The £9,000 rate is only for an off-gas-grid property replacing oil or LPG. Homes switching from coal or direct electric heating still get £7,500.

We install air-to-water heat pumps only. They’re the natural replacement for an oil boiler because they feed your radiators and heat your water, just as the oil boiler did.

Three Rules That Trip Up Oil Owners

A like-for-like swap earns nothing. The scheme exists to encourage property owners to replace existing fossil fuel heating with more efficient, low carbon heating systems. Fitting a new oil boiler doesn’t qualify.

Oil can’t stay as a backup. You cannot get a grant for a hybrid heat pump system (for example a combination of gas boiler and air source heat pump). That rule covers oil boilers too, so your old boiler has to come out completely.

Where you live decides it. This scheme is open to people in England and Wales. Social housing doesn’t qualify, and neither does a property that has previously had government funding for a heat pump or biomass boiler.

Good News for Older Rural Properties

Plenty of farmhouses and stone cottages used to stall at the paperwork stage. That obstacle has now gone. From 28 April 2026, the requirement to have a valid EPC was scrapped entirely, so you no longer need one to apply.

The same reforms give homeowners more time to plan, since they extended the scheme’s end date to 2030. The £9,000 oil rate still ends in March 2027, though.

Even without the EPC rule, insulation still matters. A draughty cottage needs a bigger heat pump and more radiator work, so our survey looks closely at heat loss before we recommend a system size.

What the Grant Can Pay For

After assessing your home, an MCS-certified installer decides what the upgrade needs. Depending on that assessment, the grant can contribute towards:

  • The air-to-water heat pump itself
  • Removing your existing oil heating system
  • Replacement radiators where the current ones are too small
  • Smart heating controls
  • A new hot water cylinder, if yours doesn’t meet the standard
  • Expansion vessels that need upgrading

Oil combi boilers heat water on demand, so many oil homes have no cylinder at all. A heat pump usually needs one, so check you have floor space for it, such as an airing cupboard or a corner of the utility room.

Plan for the oil tank too. Draining, cleaning and removing it is a separate job, so ask for it as its own line item. Run your remaining oil down before installation day so you aren’t paying for fuel you’ll never burn.

How the Process Works With Us

You never deal with Ofgem directly. Only an MCS-certified installer can claim BUS for you, and we’re MCS-certified and TrustMark-registered.

The process has three stages:

  1. Talk to our team. We check your eligibility and confirm whether your home qualifies for the £9,000 oil rate.
  2. Book a property survey. We assess heat loss, radiators, hot water and space for the outdoor unit.
  3. Approval and installation. With your consent, we apply to Ofgem, secure the voucher, take the grant off your bill and complete the installation.

Your quote shows three figures: the full price, the grant deducted, and what you pay. If the remaining balance feels steep, our instalment plan lets you spread it into monthly payments.

Is Switching From Oil Worth It?

For off-gas homes, the numbers have never looked better. Industry analysis notes that for an off-gas customer, the £9,000 grant can bring the net cost of a heat pump close to — or below — a like-for-like fossil replacement.

Run a simple comparison. Price a straight oil boiler swap, then price a heat pump with the grant already deducted. Next, add a year of oil deliveries to the first option and a year of electricity to the second. Most oil households see the gap close quickly, and some find the heat pump cheaper from the start.

Pairing the heat pump with solar panels can cut running costs further. Solar isn’t covered by the BUS, but we install both.

Searching for a government grant for air source heat pump installation from an oil-heated home in England or Wales? You’re in the strongest position the scheme offers, at least until March.

Search
Categories
Read More
Other
Visual Signaling Equipment Market Strategic Analysis and Investment Opportunities at 4.6% CAGR (2026–2034)
 According to a new report from Intel Market Research, the global Visual Signaling...
By Priya Intel 2026-03-02 10:08:15 0 165
Other
Hydrochloric Acid Market Strengthens with Expanding Industrial Applications
"Executive Summary Hydrochloric Acid Market: Growth Trends and Share Breakdown CAGR Value...
By Rahul Rangwa 2026-04-24 07:15:37 0 172
Games
Multiplayer Gaming Closures: Lessons for Developers | MakeMyFriends
The landscape of multiplayer gaming is unforgiving, a truth underscored by recent high-profile...
By Xtameem Xtameem 2026-04-17 06:59:39 0 225
Other
Polycarbonate Market Trends Supporting Innovation in Electric Vehicles
The global polycarbonate market is evolving as manufacturers across automotive, electronics,...
By Riya Patil 2026-08-28 09:06:08 0 201
Other
Protective Clothing Market Analysis of Emerging Technologies and Business Opportunities
" According to the latest report published by Data Bridge Market...
By Atharva Inamke 2026-08-03 10:39:09 0 204
MakeMyFriends https://makemyfriends.com