Air to Air Heat Pump Grant UK
ECO4 Guide ·
Air to Air Heat Pump Grant UK 2026
The air to air heat pump grant provides £2,500 towards an eligible system in a domestic property in England or Wales. The funding comes through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Your MCS certified installer applies to Ofgem and deducts the full grant from the price you pay.
Important: InstantGrant is an independent grant information and application support service. We are not the UK Government, Ofgem, an installer or a funding provider. We do not award grants or guarantee that an installation will qualify.
About This Air to Air Heat Pump Grant Guide
This guide explains the £2,500 grant introduced for air to air heat pumps on 28 April 2026. It covers the rules that apply to the property, existing heating, hot water, installer and proposed system. It also explains why a basic cooling unit may not qualify.
How Much Is the Air to Air Heat Pump Grant?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides £2,500 towards an eligible air to air heat pump. This amount applies across England and Wales. It is an upfront discount from the installation quotation, not cash paid to the property owner after the work is finished.
Grant detail | Current position |
|---|---|
Grant amount | £2,500 |
Scheme | Boiler Upgrade Scheme |
Available since | 28 April 2026 |
Available in | England and Wales |
Income or benefits test | No |
Application submitted by | An MCS certified installer |
Property type | Domestic property only |
Oil and LPG uplift | Not available for air to air systems |
Grant limit | One Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant per property |
The £9,000 temporary grant for certain oil and LPG homes only applies to eligible air to water and ground source heat pumps. An air to air system remains at £2,500 regardless of whether it replaces gas, oil, LPG, coal or direct electric heating.
What Is an Air to Air Heat Pump?
An air to air heat pump extracts heat from the outdoor air and moves it into rooms through indoor fan units. It does not use radiators or water filled pipework. Reversible models can provide heating in winter and cooling during warm weather.
The system usually consists of an outdoor compressor connected to one or more indoor units. A single split system serves one indoor unit. A multi split system connects several room units to an outdoor unit and can heat a larger part of the home.
Air to air systems are sometimes advertised as air conditioning. However, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not fund a unit installed only for summer cooling. The proposed system must operate as the home’s eligible heating system and meet the full space heating requirements.
Does an Air to Air Heat Pump Provide Hot Water?
Most air to air heat pumps do not heat water for taps, showers or baths. A separate non fossil fuel hot water system must therefore meet the home’s hot water demand. This could include an immersion heater, electric cylinder or suitable hot water heat pump.
The hot water arrangement must be installed and working when the funded heat pump is commissioned. An installer should include this in the system design before submitting the grant application.
Who Qualifies for the Air to Air Heat Pump Grant?
The grant is available to eligible property owners in England and Wales. There is no household income limit and you do not need to receive benefits. Qualification depends on the property, the heating system being replaced and whether the proposed installation meets the technical rules.
Property Ownership
Homeowners can use the scheme for their main home or another residential property they own. Private landlords may also qualify for an eligible rented property. A tenant cannot apply independently because the owner must approve the work and own the new system after installation.
Existing Heating System
The new system must replace an existing fossil fuel or electric heating system. This can include a gas boiler, oil heating, LPG heating, coal heating, storage heaters or direct electric heaters. The funded heat pump cannot replace an existing low carbon heating system.
Domestic Property
Air to air grants are restricted to residential properties. Commercial and other non residential buildings cannot receive the £2,500 air to air grant, even though some other Boiler Upgrade Scheme technologies can be installed in eligible business properties.
New Build Rules
Most new build homes are excluded. An eligible custom self build can qualify when it was built mainly using the first owner’s labour or resources, has never been owned by a business and is not part of an excluded development.
Social Housing
Social housing is excluded from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Social landlords may have access to separate government or devolved funding programmes for heating and energy improvements.
Air to Air Heat Pump Grant Eligibility Checklist
A successful project must satisfy several household, property and technical conditions at the same time. Passing one condition does not guarantee the grant. The installer is responsible for checking the full project before applying to Ofgem.
The property is in England or Wales.
The building is used as a domestic property.
The applicant owns the property.
The new system replaces fossil fuel or electric heating.
The installation does not replace an existing low carbon heating system.
The air to air system can meet the full space heating demand.
Hot water demand is met by an eligible non fossil fuel system.
No fossil fuel boiler remains as supplementary heating.
The installer is MCS certified for the relevant technology.
The equipment meets the approved technical standards.
The same installation is not funded by another public grant.
The property has not already used its Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.
Check Which Heat Pump Grant Fits Your Home
An air to air system is not the right choice for every property. InstantGrant can help you understand the available grant routes and the questions to ask before accepting an installer’s quotation.
Check Your Heat Pump Grant Options
InstantGrant provides independent information and application support. We do not install heat pumps or approve Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding.
Can You Keep Your Gas Boiler?
You cannot keep a gas, oil, LPG or other fossil fuel boiler as part of a hybrid heating system and receive the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant. The funded installation must replace the fossil fuel heating arrangement rather than operate as an optional cooling unit beside it.
This rule prevents a homeowner from retaining a gas boiler for winter and adding one air conditioning unit mainly for summer cooling. That arrangement would not make the air to air system the main eligible heating system.
Non fossil fuel supplementary equipment can remain or be installed. Examples include direct electric heaters, storage heaters, immersion heaters, heat batteries and separate electric hot water systems. The funded heat pump must still be sized to meet the home’s full space heating demand.
Can You Get the Grant for One Air Conditioning Unit?
A single room air conditioning unit is unlikely to qualify if it cannot meet the full space heating needs of the property. Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding is intended for a heating replacement, not an optional unit serving one bedroom, conservatory or home office.
A small flat or studio may only need one appropriately sized indoor unit. A larger house will normally require a multi split system or several indoor units. The installer must complete a room by room heat loss calculation and design a system capable of heating the full eligible property.
Cooling can be included because reversible air to air heat pumps can heat and cool. However, heating must be a genuine primary function of the funded installation.
How to Apply for the £2,500 Air to Air Heat Pump Grant
You do not apply directly to Ofgem. The process is led by an MCS certified installer. The installer checks eligibility, designs the system, applies for a grant voucher and deducts £2,500 from the quotation before installation.
Find installers certified by MCS for air to air heat pump work.
Request a full home assessment and heat loss calculation.
Discuss how every room will be heated.
Confirm how the property will receive domestic hot water.
Ask for an itemised quotation showing the £2,500 deduction.
Check whether planning permission or freeholder consent is needed.
Allow the installer to submit the application to Ofgem.
Respond when Ofgem asks you to confirm consent and eligibility.
Wait for grant approval before installation begins.
Keep the quotation, invoice, MCS certificate and warranty.
Ofgem contacts the property owner after receiving the installer’s application. Confirm the details carefully. Do not approve an application for an installer or system that you have not selected.
Read InstantGrant’s detailed guide explaining how to apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme before choosing an installer.
How Much Does an Air to Air Heat Pump Cost?
A simple air to air system can cost less than an air to water heat pump because it does not require radiators, wet pipework or a large heating cylinder. The final cost depends on the number of rooms, indoor units, electrical work, access and the separate hot water arrangement.
Example installation | Indicative cost before grant | Possible cost after £2,500 grant |
|---|---|---|
Basic single room system | About £1,900 | Usually not eligible unless it meets the full home heating requirement |
Typical three bedroom semi detached home | About £3,700 as a basic market benchmark | About £1,200 before additional work |
Complex multi room installation | Price depends on system design | Quoted price minus £2,500 |
The £3,700 figure is a general installation benchmark rather than a guaranteed Boiler Upgrade Scheme price. A grant compliant project may cost more when it needs several indoor units, electrical upgrades, boiler removal, a new hot water system, access equipment or planning work.
The installer must show the full £2,500 as a deduction on both the quotation and final invoice. The property owner should never be charged the grant amount and told that it will be refunded later.
Air to Air vs Air to Water Heat Pump Grants
Air to air and air to water heat pumps use outdoor air as an energy source, but they distribute heat differently. Air to air systems warm rooms through fan units. Air to water systems heat water for radiators, underfloor heating and usually domestic hot water.
Comparison | Air to air | Air to water |
|---|---|---|
Standard grant | £2,500 | £7,500 |
Heat distribution | Warm air through indoor units | Hot water through radiators or underfloor pipes |
Domestic hot water | Usually requires a separate system | Can provide hot water through a cylinder |
Cooling | Often available | Usually designed mainly for heating |
Radiators required | No | Yes, unless underfloor heating is used |
Typical suitability | Flats, small homes and homes without wet central heating | Homes with radiators or underfloor heating |
Oil and LPG grant uplift | No | Potentially £9,000 until 31 March 2027 |
An air to water system may be more suitable when a household wants a direct boiler replacement using existing radiators. Air to air can work well where installing wet central heating would be disruptive or where summer cooling is also valuable.
For a complete comparison of the scheme’s technologies and grant values, read the Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.
Do You Need an EPC?
A valid EPC is no longer an absolute requirement for a Boiler Upgrade Scheme application submitted under the rules effective from 28 April 2026. If the property has a valid EPC, the installer must provide its certificate number. Alternative evidence can be used when no valid EPC exists.
Previous rules linked eligibility to outstanding loft and cavity wall insulation recommendations. That condition has been removed. Insulation still affects comfort, system size and running costs, so a poorly insulated property should be assessed carefully before installation.
Do You Need Planning Permission?
Many domestic air to air installations in England can be completed under permitted development rights when they meet limits covering size, location, noise and the number of outdoor units. Wales has its own planning rules, so the installer should check the requirements for the property’s location.
Planning permission or additional consent may be required for a listed building, conservation area, flat, restricted development or installation that falls outside permitted development limits. Flat owners may also need permission from the freeholder or building management company.
Do not assume that grant approval replaces planning permission. Funding eligibility and planning compliance are separate matters.
Can Landlords Get the Air to Air Heat Pump Grant?
A private landlord can use the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for an eligible domestic rental property in England or Wales. The landlord is the property owner and must approve the installation. The tenant’s income and benefit status are not used to determine eligibility.
The new system must replace eligible existing heating and meet the property’s full space heating requirement. The landlord should also consider maintenance access, tenant controls, hot water provision and any freeholder consent before accepting a quotation.
Social housing properties cannot use the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Housing providers access separate funding arrangements.
Can You Combine the Grant With Other Funding?
You cannot use another public grant to pay for the same air to air heat pump purchase or installation. The property also cannot receive Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding for a system already funded through the Energy Company Obligation.
Separate support may sometimes fund different work, such as insulation, where the funding programmes permit this. Keep invoices and project scopes separate and tell every provider about other public support connected with the property.
A property can only receive one Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant. You cannot claim £2,500 for air to air heating and later claim another Boiler Upgrade Scheme voucher for an air to water heat pump at the same address.
Air to Air Heat Pump Grants Across the UK
The £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant only covers England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland operate different energy support systems. A general air source heat pump grant in another nation does not necessarily cover air to air technology.
Nation | £2,500 grant available? | Current position |
|---|---|---|
England | Yes | Available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme |
Wales | Yes | Available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme |
Scotland | No | Home Energy Scotland funding excludes air to air heat pumps |
Northern Ireland | No | No equivalent national air to air grant is currently available |
Scottish homeowners may receive support for eligible air to water or ground source systems, but Home Energy Scotland’s current terms specifically exclude air to air heat pumps. Always confirm the exact technology before relying on a general heat pump funding statement.
Will an Air to Air Heat Pump Reduce Your Bills?
Running costs depend on the heating system being replaced, electricity tariff, system design, insulation and how occupants use heating and cooling. A well designed heat pump can produce several units of heat for each unit of electricity, but this does not guarantee lower bills in every home.
Savings may be stronger when replacing direct electric panel heaters. Results can be less certain when replacing mains gas because electricity costs more per unit than gas. Regular summer cooling will also increase electricity consumption.
Ask each installer for a room by room design, estimated seasonal performance and annual electricity use. Do not rely only on a general statement that a heat pump is several hundred percent efficient.
Air to Air Heat Pump Grant Safety Guide
Confirm the current rules through the official Ofgem Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance. A genuine installer must explain the heating design, hot water solution, grant deduction and remaining amount before asking you to sign.
Check that the installer holds current MCS certification.
Request quotations from at least three installers.
Confirm that the design heats the full property.
Ask how domestic hot water will be provided.
Check that no fossil fuel heating will remain as a hybrid system.
Require the £2,500 deduction on the written quotation.
Check planning and freeholder permission before work begins.
Keep the MCS certificate, warranties and commissioning records.
Be cautious if a salesperson promises a free air conditioning unit without assessing every room or the hot water system. The grant supports a complete eligible heating arrangement, not an unrestricted discount on any cooling product.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the air to air heat pump grant?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides £2,500 towards an eligible air to air heat pump in a domestic property in England or Wales.
Can I get a grant for air conditioning?
You may qualify when the air conditioning equipment is an eligible reversible air to air heat pump designed to meet the home’s full space heating demand. A cooling only unit does not qualify.
Can I keep my gas boiler?
No. A funded air to air heat pump cannot form a hybrid system with retained gas, oil, LPG or other fossil fuel heating.
Does the grant cover one room?
Usually not. The system must be sized to meet the full space heating needs of the property. A single unit may only work for a very small home where it can meet that complete demand.
Does an air to air heat pump provide hot water?
Most systems do not. An eligible non fossil fuel appliance must meet the property’s domestic hot water demand.
Do I apply for the grant myself?
No. An MCS certified installer submits the application to Ofgem. You confirm your consent and eligibility when Ofgem contacts you.
Can landlords claim the grant?
Yes. Private landlords can use the scheme for eligible domestic rental properties in England and Wales. Social housing is excluded.
Can I get £9,000 for an air to air heat pump in an oil heated home?
No. The temporary £9,000 oil and LPG uplift only applies to eligible air to water and ground source heat pumps. Air to air systems receive £2,500.
Is the grant available in Scotland?
No. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not operate in Scotland, and current Home Energy Scotland funding excludes air to air heat pumps.
Can the system cool my home in summer?
Yes, an eligible reversible system can provide cooling. However, the funded installation must be designed as a heating system and cannot be installed only for cooling.
Check the Best Heating Grant for Your Property
The £2,500 air to air grant may suit a flat, small home or property without wet central heating. Other homes may receive more support for a different heat pump. InstantGrant can help you compare the routes.
Explore Your Heat Pump Grant Options
InstantGrant is not a government body or installer. Final eligibility is determined through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme application and technical assessment.