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The grant, and what you’ll actually pay
What the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is worth, who gets which rate, how the money reaches you, and why there’s no headline price on this site.
Current grant values
England and Wales. Correct at the time of writing. The certified installer confirms current values and your eligibility when the application is made.
Air source, standard rate
For most homes, including those on mains gas. This is the figure for the large majority of York.
Off the gas grid
No mains gas, currently heated by oil or LPG. A temporary higher rate that runs until 31 March 2027.
VAT
Qualifying domestic installations are zero rated until 31 March 2027. Nothing is added on top of the quote.
How the grant reaches you
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is paid through an MCS certified installer. They apply for the voucher and take the grant off your invoice before you pay. NorthStar surveys, designs and manages your job; the installation is carried out and MCS certified by our MCS registered installation partner, and that certification is what the grant is claimed against.
In practice: the grant is deducted up front in the normal way, and eligibility is confirmed by the certified installer rather than by us. That’s the honest way to put it.
Why we won’t put a price on this page
A website figure would either be too low to be true or too high to be useful. The real cost depends on things nobody can see from a postcode.
- Heat loss varies house to houseTwo semis on the same Acomb street can need different sized systems if one has had its walls insulated.
- Radiators are the big swingSome houses need two changing. Some need nine. That’s thousands of pounds either way.
- Hot water changes the jobComing off a combi means finding space for a cylinder. Coming off a system boiler, the space is usually already there.
- Where the unit goesAgainst the wall next to the kitchen is one thing. Down a long garden or raised above flood level is another.
- So you get it in writingAfter the survey, with the grant shown as a line on the quote so you see both numbers.
Oil and LPG homes around York
If your house has a tank in the garden rather than a gas meter, the numbers are on your side right now.
Out past the ring road, in the farms and smaller villages, plenty of homes still rely on heating oil or bottled gas. Neither has a price cap, and both depend on deliveries. Until 31 March 2027, those homes get £9,000 off a heat pump instead of £7,500.
Rural houses are often bigger and older, so the survey matters even more. We’ll also talk about what happens to the old tank.
Grant questions
Who can get the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?
Owner-occupiers, private landlords and some self-builds in England and Wales. It isn’t means tested. The heat pump needs to replace a fossil fuel or electric heating system rather than an existing heat pump.
Do I pay it up front and claim it back?
No. The MCS certified installer applies for the voucher, and the grant comes off your invoice before you pay. You never handle the money.
Who actually applies, you or your partner?
The application is made by the MCS certified installer who registers the installation, which is our MCS registered installation partner. NorthStar surveys, designs and manages the job. We spell that out because the grant rests on their certification, not ours.
Do I still need an EPC or insulation work first?
The rules on this changed in April 2026. Rather than quote a condition that might move again, the certified installer confirms what applies to your property when the application is made. Ofgem publishes the official guidance.
Can I use the grant and the 0% VAT together?
Yes. Qualifying domestic heat pump installations are zero rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, so both apply to an eligible job.
What if I get a survey and decide not to go ahead?
Then you don’t. There’s no obligation at any stage, and nobody will chase you.
Find out which grant applies
Two things decide it: what heats the house now, and whether it’s on mains gas. Tell us those and we’ll come back with the figure you’re looking at.
01904 911024Happy to talk it through on the phone before anybody books anything.
- We installAir source heat pumps. That’s the whole business.
- AreaYork, inside and outside the ring road, and the villages around it
- Grant£7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme, or £9,000 for oil and LPG homes until 31 March 2027
- CertificationInstalled and MCS certified by our MCS registered installation partner
Check my grant
Final eligibility is confirmed by the MCS certified installer who registers the job.