The grants will help property owners to overcome the upfront cost of installing low carbon heating technologies. The scheme is open to domestic and small non-domestic properties in England and Wales and runs from 2022 to 2025.
Applicants who live in England or Wales and own their own property (whether domestic or a small non-domestic property) can get £5,000 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump or biomass boiler and £6,000 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump. Private landlords and second-home owners are also eligible. The scheme is open to properties with an installation capacity of up to 45 kWth and/or a current energy performance certificate (EPC) with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation.
“The Boiler Upgrade Scheme aims to give more households ‘low carbon’ heating options by making heat pumps and biomass boilers cheaper to install” said Polly Billington, Chief Executive of UK100, welcoming the scheme. “We're pleased to see the scheme open for applications. However, while plans to target rural, off-grid properties are a positive step, the scheme relies on a flawed ‘one-size-fits-all’ EPC rating system that discriminates against rural homes. UK100 has long campaigned for changes to EPC ‘tickbox’ rules to shift the emphasis towards ensuring energy efficiency measures are assessed on efficacy rather than just the number of measures installed. The plans are, ultimately, short-termist. Long-term funding would help ensure the scheme is a game-changer for accelerating Net Zero action and reducing energy bills amidst a cost of living crisis, but, as it stands, pleas for sustained funding have been ignored in favour of a 2025 funding cliff-edge.”
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