BUS Scheme now Extended!
Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)
Following an announcement by The Prime Minister on 21st September 2023, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) has been extended to £7,500 from £5,000 for Airsource heatpump installations……..
So What is The Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a new Government scheme to encourage homeowners and business owners to replace their fossil fuel boilers and install low carbon heating systems, like air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps. The scheme is now available. As an MCS certified contractor Energie Solutions is registered with OFGEM to administer BUS grant applications for our customers.
How much Grant Is There Available?
Homeowners or business will receive a grant of £7,500 for installing an air source heat pump, or £6,000 for installing a ground source heat pump. As an MCS accredited installer, Energie Solutions will administer the grant with Ofgem on your behalf, and deduct the full grant amount from your quotation. In this way, the amount you pay upfront for your heat pump will be much closer to the amount you would pay for a traditional fossil fuel system, making it easier for you to access the significant carbon savings and running cost savings.
What Technologies are Eligible for The Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
Heatpumps! Airsource heatpumps will attract a £7,500 grant and Groundsource a £6000 grant under this scheme.
All projects will need to be completed by an MCS accredited installer, like Energie Solutions and have an MCS certificate issued for the project.
What Properties are Eligible for The Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
The scheme is only available in England and Wales.
All existing domestic and non-domestic buildings are eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. As with previous grant schemes there will be a requirement for any basic energy efficiency measures to have been completed prior to the heat pump installation. This means that if you have cavity walls they must be filled, and you need a minimum of 270mm rockwool insulation (or equivalent thermal resistance) in the loft. In order to demonstrate this, you will need to have an up to date Energy Performance Certificate (“EPC”) which does not show these measures as being required.
As well as the existing housing stock, the Government also recognises the need to prevent fossil fuel systems being installed in the first place, and to this end new self-build homes are also eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. In order to be eligible, self-build homes must meet the Ofgem definition of “Custom Build”, which can be found on the Ofgem website.
The following situations will not be eligible for a grant:
- Hybrid installations with a back-up boiler
- Heating only heat pumps, where the heat pump just provides heating and not the hot water
- Installations where the heat pump only covers part of the load defined on the EPC
How Do I Access The Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
The entire Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant process is led by the MCS accredited installer. So, if you chose Energie Solutions for your heat pump project, we will apply for and administer the grant on your behalf.
The process for obtaining your grant is the following:
Energie Solutions will produce an outline quotation for your project.
Once you’re happy that you want to proceed with a heat pump, you pay us to complete the full MCS designs for your property. If it’s a new build or major renovation project we can do this from plans, otherwise we will need to carry out a site survey to gather detailed information about your project.
After the designs are completed, we will issue a final quotation.
Once you accept the quotation, we will apply to Ofgem for your Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant once we have all the information we need.
The contract can then proceed. The payments you make to us will be the quote amount less the grant amount
Once the project is finished, we will redeem the voucher and we are paid the grant directly by Ofgem