THOUSANDS of households can get a £7,500 grant for a major home upgrade.
Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the boiler upgrade scheme will be increased by 50% in his speech this afternoon.
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The Prime minister said: “The boiler upgrade scheme which gives people cash grants to upgrade their boiler will be increased by 50% to seven and a half thousand pounds.
“There are no strings attached. The money will never need to be repaid.”
He added that the government will not force anyone to replace a gas boiler with a heat pump.
And that households will only be required to switch over when they are due to change their boiler anyway.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a £450million fund that offers grants to homeowners in England and Wales to purchase heat pumps.
In total, the scheme is expected to pay for 90,000 installations and will run until the end of March 2025.
The scheme has been set up to help homeowners looking to reduce their impact on the environment do so more affordably.
How can you apply for a heat pump grant?
You will need to find an MSC-certified installer to claim the grant on your behalf.
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MSC is the certification scheme for energy-efficiency product installers.
You can find the nearest ones to you on the MSC website, but it is worth shopping around to get a few quotes.
Once you agree a price, the installer will apply for the grant and you will then be contacted by Ofgem, the energy regulator, to confirm that the work is being done on your behalf.
What is a heat pump?
Heat pumps take heat from the air outside and use to to warm a liquid refrigerant and turn it into gas.
Effectively working like a fridge but in reverse.
The air is then compressed and transferred to a central heating system to warm radiators.
Having a heat pump could reduce your energy bills as they heat your home at a lower temperature than gas and oil boilers.
How much do heat pumps cost?
Heat pumps can be quite costly which is why many households have been put off them in the past.
While homeowners can purchase boilers from between £500 to £1,500, the Energy Saving Trust estimates that a heat pump can cost £6,000 to £8,000.
It is hoped that the grants from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will make it easier for people to make the switch.
You will need to pay the difference if the pump costs more than the grant but the idea is to get the amount closer to what you would pay when installing a gas boiler.
Who can access heat pump grants?
The scheme is open to households in England and Wales until 2025.
Your property will need to have enough power to support an installation capacity of 45kWth or kilowatt thermal, which covers most homes.
Additionally, your home will also need a valid energy performance certificate with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation, unless you are exempt.
