UK Energy Grant Statistics 2026

Quick answer: The headline UK energy grant in July 2026 is the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which has supported nearly 80,000 heat pumps in four years. The Warm Homes: Local Grant adds up to £30,000 for eligible lower-income households, and 0% VAT on solar, batteries, heat pumps and insulation runs until March 2027.

This page separates two kinds of number: verified scheme facts from GOV.UK, and uptake statistics from DESNZ official releases and MCS certification data. Where a figure is analysis rather than a primary source — such as Nesta’s four-year review — we say so and link it.

Key UK energy grant statistics for 2026

• The standard Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant is £7,500 for air source and ground source heat pumps in England and Wales — GOV.UK, checked July 2026.
• A targeted £9,000 BUS uplift runs from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 — but only for homes currently heated by oil or LPG — GOV.UK.
• Air-to-air heat pumps attract a £2,500 BUS grant, introduced from April 2026 — GOV.UK.
• BUS has no income test, runs to March 2030 and carries a £400m budget for 2026-27 — GOV.UK, checked July 2026.
• BUS has supported nearly 80,000 heat pump installations in its first four years (April 2022 to April 2026) — Nesta analysis of DESNZ data, April 2026.
• The scheme funded 30,600 air source heat pumps in 2025/26, up 24% on the 24,700 of 2024/25 — Nesta, April 2026.
• 98% of BUS-funded installations are air source heat pumps — Nesta, April 2026.
• The median BUS heat pump installation cost £13,041 in 2025/26 — Nesta analysis of DESNZ data, April 2026.
• BUS voucher demand kept climbing through 2025, with the January 2026 DESNZ release reporting applications up 27% year on year — DESNZ official statistics.
• 2025 was a record year for MCS-certified heat pump installations, up 34% on 2024 — MCS, January 2026.
• 43% of the heat pumps MCS certified in 2025 were delivered under BUS — MCS.
• The UK passed 250,000 certified heat pump installations in total in 2026 — MCS.
• The Warm Homes: Local Grant offers up to £30,000 per home (£15,000 insulation + £15,000 heating) for EPC D–G households with income under £36,000, open to March 2028 — GOV.UK, checked July 2026.
• 0% VAT applies to solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and insulation until March 2027 — GOV.UK, checked July 2026.
• ECO4 closed to new applications in March 2026 and the Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026; the OZEV EV Chargepoint Grant (£500/socket, renters and flat owners) remains open — GOV.UK, checked July 2026.

What the £7,500 grant does to heat pump costs, by region

Combining the BUS grant with our modelled regional heat pump costs shows the out-of-pocket picture across England and Wales (rows for Scotland and Northern Ireland are shown for cost comparison only — BUS applies in England and Wales; Scotland has Home Energy Scotland and NI has NISEP). Modelled figures per our methodology.

Note the contrast with the official DESNZ median of £13,041 for BUS-funded installations in 2025/26: grant-funded jobs skew larger and more complex than our all-comers modelled average, which is exactly the kind of gap a methodology note should admit to.

How to claim

For BUS, an MCS-certified installer applies on your behalf via GOV.UK, and the application date sets the grant amount — which matters for the oil/LPG £9,000 window opening 21 July 2026. Our BUS guide walks through the process, the Warm Homes: Local Grant guide covers council applications, and every grant still open in 2026 is the full checklist. To see what a grant-assisted upgrade could save you, use the savings calculator.