Which heat pumps qualify
Four names come up in quotes. Three can be grant categories. A hybrid is not.
Key takeaways
- Air-to-water: £7,500, or £9,000 for oil and LPG off-gas until 31 March 2027.
- Ground source and water source sit with ground source at the same amounts.
- Air-to-air: £2,500.
- A hybrid is excluded.
The types
An air-to-water heat pump heats the water in radiators or underfloor heating, and usually a hot water cylinder. A ground source heat pump takes heat from the ground. A water source heat pump is treated with ground source in the public grant lists. An air-to-air heat pump heats air in the rooms and does not run a wet central heating system.
Shared ground loops are mentioned on the GOV.UK page as part of the ground source grant. The capacity limits are higher for a shared loop. Your installer, not this page, has to design that system.
Match the row
The values notice does not pay one flat sum for “a heat pump”. It pays by category. If the quote says hybrid, read why hybrids are excluded before you rely on £7,500 or £9,000.
Biomass is a boiler, not a heat pump, and it has its own page. It is not the default suggestion for a home that can take a heat pump.
Check your combination
The eligibility checker asks which machine you want, because the amount changes. Change that answer and the result changes with it.
Certification of the product and the installer is part of the application. See what certification means. We do not use the certification scheme’s logo.
Sources
- Ofgem: Boiler Upgrade Scheme for property owners
- Ofgem: Boiler Upgrade Scheme for installers
- Ofgem: Boiler Upgrade Scheme property owner guidance (April 2026)
- GOV.UK: Notice of approved grant categories and values (updated 29 September 2026)
- GOV.UK: Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme — what you can get
- GOV.UK: Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Reviewed by
UK Heat Pump & Funding Specialist
MCIBSE and MCS certified retrofit specialist. Director of Thomson and Sons Low Carbon Consulting Firm Ltd, specialising in heat pump retrofits since 2005.