The UK government wanted to reduce the carbon emissions in the country to almost zero by the 2050s. For this purpose, they started the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in May, 2022 to provide free of cost boilers to all the eligible property owners.
One of the main reasons behind high carbon emissions was inefficient boilers. That’s why the UK government started providing boilers which use renewable energy resources instead of fossil fuels. In this way, this scheme is not only making the country carbon free but also efficient home heating affordable and accessible for low-income households.
What is Covered in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
As the objective of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is to reduce the carbon emissions, they replace the boilers with combustion systems with the following heat sources:
- Air Source Heat Pump
The air source heat pumps don’t use combustion processes like traditional boilers and heaters. They extract the heat energy of atmospheric air and use it to warm the homes. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides the following types of air source heat pump:
- Ductless and Ducted Air Source Heat Pump
- Split and Packaged Air Source Heat Pump
- Single and Multi-zone Air Source Heat Pumps
- Ground Source Heat Pump
The Ground Source Heat Pump or Geothermal Source Heat Pump extracts heat energy of the earth core with the help of air compressors and fans. to warm the homes. The installation of these systems can cost you much higher than the other systems.
But they prove profitable in the long run by saving a lot of energy bills. Some most commonly used types of Ground Source Heat Pumps are the following:
- Horizontal Heat Pump
- Vertical Heat Pump
- Lake/ Pond Heat Pump
- Biomass Boiler
Biomass boilers use eco-friendly fuels options, such as the wood pellets, wood chips, and wood logs instead of non-renewable energy resources. People prefer biomass boilers due to their sustainability, versatility, ease of use, and affordability. However, these are provided only in rural areas.
- Hybrid Heat Pump System
The hybrid heat pump system integrates the heat pump and oil or gas boiler. As the heat pump consumes less fuel, it will operate most of the time especially in the lower temperatures. The grants for boilers don’t include hybrid heat pumps due to their high prices.
- Financial Support for Infrastructure
Sometimes, the boiler upgrade scheme also provides financial support for infrastructure improvements. However, the grants for infrastructure upgrades are limited to only heat efficiency of the home. These grants make the improvements in the home so that the boiler can perform better.
What is the Eligibility Criteria for Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme defines the eligibility criteria in a very concise manner. Anyone can know their eligibility by using the following criteria:
- First of all, you have to check the location of your home. Only homes or properties in England and Wales are eligible for this scheme.
- The property should have a new EPC rating. Moreover, this certificate should not have recommendations of cavity wall or loft insulation.
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not consider new build properties eligible.
- If properties have fossil fuel heating systems, they will consider it eligible. If there are already renewable energy heating systems, they will not be eligible for new boilers.
- Only owners or tenants with the permission of the owner can apply for this scheme.
- The biomass boilers are provided only in the rural areas and to the homes which don’t have gas grids.
Even after reading these eligibility criteria, some people can’t figure out whether they are eligible for this scheme or not. In such cases, they should take the help from online eligibility checkers.
What are Steps to Get Boiler Upgrade Scheme Grants?
If you want to increase the chance of grant approval, you should follow the steps given below:
- Consider all the factors of eligibility of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and compare them with your profile. Only if your profile eligibility criteria, you should proceed with your application, otherwise don’t waste your time.
- Find out a well-reputed and Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified installer. You can use the official MCS website or use the government directories to find a registered installer.
- The installers will assess the conditions, heating requirements, installation costs, and other infrastructure information to make a quote.
- After assessment, the installer will apply for this scheme. They will submit all your information, documents, and application to the Energy Saving Trust.
- If the Energy Saving Trust approves your application, they will send a voucher which has information about the type of boiler which will be installed.
- With the help of this voucher, the installer will install the respective boiler in your home. The installation costs will be automatically deducted from the overall budget for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
When the installation process is completed, they do a final check to ensure that the newly installed boilers are working properly. At the same time, they will provide you with all the documents of boilers, such as warranty and maintenance guide.
What are the Key Benefits of Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme helps by providing free of cost boiler installations. These installations will not only provide you new boilers but also have several other benefits, such as the following:
- First of all, the new boilers are very energy efficient. They will consume less fuel and result in low energy bills.
- Moreover, these boilers don’t rely on carbonized fuels. In this way, they reduce the carbon emissions during combustion.
- These boilers reduce the country’s overall energy consumption of non-renewable energy resources.
- As the boilers installed under this scheme are of high quality, they will result in comfort and peace of mind.
Conclusion
The grant of BUS provides £7,500 for air source heat pump or ground source heat pump and £5000 for biomass heat pump. You can get one grant from the BUS at a time. That’s why it is recommended to take the help of an experienced installer to know which type of boiler is suitable for your home.
