Government Backed Scheme | Free Boiler Grants
Homeowners in Accrington may qualify for a £7,500 government grant toward installing an air source heat pump through the UK government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). The grant is designed to help households currently relying on gas, oil, or LPG boilers make the transition to a cleaner and more efficient heating system, with the upfront cost significantly reduced.
The UK government has been pushing households toward low-carbon heating alternatives, and air source heat pumps are one of the primary technologies being supported. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides a £7,500 grant specifically to reduce the cost of making that switch, making it a realistic option for far more homeowners than might otherwise have considered it.
Free Energy Savings helps homeowners in Accrington and the surrounding area understand what the scheme involves, work out whether their property is likely to qualify, and connect with MCS-certified installers who can carry out the work.
Checking eligibility is straightforward and takes very little time. If you own a home in the area and are thinking about your heating options, it is worth finding out where you stand.
Fill out the form below to take advantage of our the £7,500 Air Source Heat Pump Grant offer.
The eligibility criteria for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme are clear and apply to a wide range of property types. Many homeowners in Accrington and the surrounding villages will find they already meet the requirements, or can do so with a modest amount of preparation.
The property must be owner-occupied, privately owned, or a self-build home. Landlords can also apply for the grant on properties they own and rent out, provided the remaining eligibility conditions are satisfied.
To qualify, the property needs a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation. If the EPC does flag insulation improvements, those will generally need to be completed before the heat pump installation can proceed under the scheme. The property must also be physically suitable for a heat pump system, which the installer will assess during their site visit.
Older properties in Accrington, Oswaldtwistle, and the surrounding area that were built before modern efficiency standards are sometimes in this position. It is common and does not usually cause significant delays.
The BUS grant is aimed at replacing fossil fuel and older heating systems. Systems that can be replaced under the scheme include:
Most homes across Accrington currently run on gas central heating, which puts a large number of local households in a strong position on this particular requirement.
If your EPC recommends loft insulation or cavity wall insulation, those improvements will typically need to be in place before installation can go ahead under the BUS. Many older properties in the Accrington area, particularly those built before the 1970s, may need some insulation work before they are ready. In many cases this is relatively straightforward, and Free Energy Savings can help you understand what your EPC says and what steps, if any, are needed.
Typical qualifying homes include semi-detached houses, detached properties, bungalows, and larger terraced houses where there is enough outdoor space for the heat pump unit. New-build homes are not eligible for the scheme, as it is specifically designed to upgrade the existing housing stock.
A good number of Accrington homeowners are eligible without realising it. If your property is currently heated by gas, oil, or LPG and you own it, the eligibility check is a sensible first step.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a UK government programme aimed at increasing the number of homes using low-carbon heating. It provides a £7,500 grant toward the cost of installing an air source heat pump and is available to eligible homeowners across England and Wales. The scheme is designed to replace fossil fuel heating systems as part of the government’s broader plan to reduce residential carbon emissions.
The grant is not a loan. It does not need to be repaid. Your MCS-certified installer applies for it on your behalf, and the full £7,500 is deducted directly from the installation cost before you pay anything. The scheme has been running since 2022 and remains available until 2028.
An air source heat pump works by extracting heat from the outdoor air, even in cold conditions, and compressing it to warm the water in your heating system. It provides both space heating and hot water, and the process works reliably throughout the year, including during colder months.
The efficiency difference compared to a conventional boiler is substantial. A standard gas boiler typically runs at around 85 to 90% efficiency. An air source heat pump can operate at 300 to 400% efficiency, meaning it produces three to four units of heat for every single unit of electricity it consumes. That is why the technology has become central to the government’s long-term heating strategy.
Before the grant, installation typically costs between £10,000 and £13,000. The £7,500 BUS grant brings that cost down considerably, and for many Accrington homeowners the remaining balance is more manageable than the full figure suggests.
Accrington developed rapidly during the industrial era, and like many East Lancashire towns its housing stock reflects that growth. Streets of terraced homes were built to house workers in the textile and manufacturing industries, and much of that fabric remains in place today, occupied by the families who have lived in these communities for generations.
Victorian terraced housing is concentrated in Peel Park, Church, and Oswaldtwistle. Early 20th-century homes run through Baxenden and Clayton-le-Moors. Post-war developments fill parts of Huncoat and Rishton. Across all of these areas, gas central heating has been the norm for decades, with many properties running on systems that have been in place for a long time and are becoming less efficient year by year.
Older boilers cost more to run and are more prone to unreliability. The fluctuation in energy prices over recent years has brought this into sharper focus for a lot of households, and many residents have started looking at their options more seriously than before.
The UK government’s net zero commitments make clear that fossil fuel heating is being phased out over the coming decades. The BUS grant is part of the infrastructure designed to help homeowners make that shift while meaningful financial support is still available. Heat pumps work best in properties with good insulation, and many homes across Accrington and the surrounding villages can reach that standard without major disruption.
For households across Peel Park, Church, Baxenden, Clayton-le-Moors, Oswaldtwistle, Huncoat, and Rishton, the combination of older housing stock and widespread gas heating means a realistic number of local properties are strong candidates for the scheme.
Government grant schemes have a reputation for being difficult to navigate, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is no exception. There are eligibility criteria to check, EPC requirements to understand, an installer assessment to arrange, and a grant application to manage. For most homeowners, the process feels unclear until someone walks them through it.
Free Energy Savings specialises in government heating grants. The team works with homeowners across Lancashire to explain the scheme plainly, review potential eligibility honestly, and introduce residents to MCS-certified installers who can carry out the full assessment and installation.
Choosing to work with Free Energy Savings means:
The team regularly works with homeowners across Accrington and the wider area, including Blackburn, Burnley, Preston, and Darwen. Whether your home is a terraced house in Oswaldtwistle or a semi-detached in Rishton, the process starts in the same place: a straightforward eligibility check that takes only a few minutes.
There is no obligation attached to checking eligibility. Most homeowners have a clear sense of where they stand after the initial review, often faster than they expected.
The application process is more straightforward than most people assume. Here is how it works from the first enquiry through to a completed installation.
You provide some basic information about your property, including its type, your current heating system, and your location. The whole thing takes less than a minute and gives us enough to run an initial eligibility review.
We look at your ownership status, EPC rating, current heating system, and overall property suitability. This step confirms whether the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is likely to apply to your home and flags anything that may need attention before installation, such as outstanding insulation recommendations on your certificate.
If your property looks like a good fit, an MCS-certified installer will visit to carry out a full assessment. They will check the appropriate heat pump size for your home, where the outdoor unit can be positioned, insulation levels, hot water cylinder requirements, and how the system will connect with your existing pipework and radiators.
The installer submits the Boiler Upgrade Scheme application on your behalf. You do not need to deal with any government paperwork directly. The £7,500 is applied to your installation cost, and you pay the balance once the work is complete.
Once the grant is approved, the heat pump is installed, commissioned, and tested. Your heating and hot water are handed over in full working order with a warranty in place. Most installations in properties of the type common across Accrington are completed within one to three days, with less disruption than many homeowners anticipate.
Free Energy Savings and our network of MCS-certified installers cover Accrington and the surrounding East Lancashire area. The communities around the town are varied in character, and our installers are familiar with the range of property types found across the region, from Victorian terraces to post-war semis and rural detached homes.
Areas we regularly cover include:
We also cover Blackburn, Burnley, and the wider East Lancashire area. If your property sits just outside the areas listed, it is still worth making an enquiry. Most homes within the Hyndburn borough and neighbouring postcodes fall well within our coverage.
Wherever you are in the Accrington area, the process starts with a quick eligibility check, and we can confirm coverage at the same time.
Switching to an air source heat pump offers practical advantages alongside the environmental ones. For many Accrington homeowners, both sides of the case are worth understanding before making a decision.
Heat pumps produce significantly fewer carbon emissions than gas or oil boilers. As renewable energy continues to make up a larger share of the UK electricity grid, the emissions associated with running a heat pump will fall further over time. For households in Accrington looking to reduce the environmental footprint of their home, replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump is one of the most direct steps available.
Because heat pumps operate at much higher efficiency levels than traditional boilers, many households find their heating costs reduce over the long term. The savings are typically most noticeable in well-insulated properties with a correctly sized system. Using smart heating controls alongside the heat pump, and choosing a renewable electricity tariff where possible, tends to improve the outcome further. Running costs vary between properties, but for a number of Accrington residents the long-term comparison with gas is favourable.
A heat pump installation, particularly when paired with insulation improvements, can raise a property’s EPC rating. A stronger EPC can add value to a home and makes it more appealing to future buyers or tenants. For landlords, an improved rating also provides some protection against the minimum energy efficiency standards that are being tightened for rental properties across England and Wales.
Switching to electric heating removes your home from the gas network entirely. For Accrington residents on mains gas, that means no longer being exposed to wholesale gas price movements, which have proved volatile and unpredictable in recent years. For properties on oil or LPG, the benefits are equally tangible: no more fuel deliveries, no storage tanks, and no exposure to supply-driven price changes.
The government’s position on gas boilers is not going to shift. Regulations are expected to tighten over the coming years, and the long-term plan to move home heating away from fossil fuels is settled policy. Installing a heat pump now, with the £7,500 BUS grant reducing the upfront cost, means Accrington homeowners are making the transition on their own terms rather than being forced into it later, at potentially greater expense and with less support available.
To start your application process you can fill in our application form above. We will then get in touch to check your eligibility and move your application forward.
The £7,500 heat pump grant is provided through the UK government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme. It is a one-off payment applied directly to the cost of installing an air source heat pump. The money does not need to be repaid and is not a loan of any kind. Your MCS-certified installer applies for it on your behalf and the £7,500 is taken off the total installation cost before you pay the remaining balance. The scheme is open to eligible homeowners in England and Wales and is currently available until 2028.
To qualify, you need to own a property in England or Wales that is currently heated by a gas, oil, LPG, or electric storage heating system. The home must have a valid EPC with no outstanding insulation recommendations, or those must be completed before installation goes ahead. New-build homes are excluded. Landlords can apply for rental properties they own. Common qualifying property types in the Accrington area include semi-detached houses, detached homes, bungalows, and larger terraced properties where there is sufficient space for an outdoor heat pump unit.
Air source heat pump installations typically cost between £10,000 and £13,000 before the grant is applied. After the £7,500 BUS grant, most homeowners are left with a remaining cost somewhere between £2,500 and £5,500. The exact figure depends on the size of the property, the system required, and whether additional work is needed such as fitting a hot water cylinder or carrying out insulation improvements. Your installer will provide a clear quote after the site assessment, before any commitment is made.
Yes, reliably. Modern air source heat pumps are designed to extract usable heat from outdoor air even when temperatures drop to around minus 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. East Lancashire winters are mild by comparison. The technology has been in widespread use across Scandinavia and Northern Europe for many years, in conditions far colder than anything Accrington experiences. Systems perform best in well-insulated homes, which is part of the reason the BUS requires EPC insulation recommendations to be addressed before installation.
Most installations are completed within one to three days. The timeline depends on the size of the property, how complex the pipework is, and whether additional work is required, such as installing a new hot water cylinder or making adjustments to the radiator system. Your installer will give you an estimate before work begins. The process tends to be less disruptive than many homeowners expect, and the transition from old boiler to operational heat pump is usually smooth.
In most cases, no. Installing an air source heat pump in England falls under permitted development rights, which means planning permission is not normally required. Exceptions apply to listed buildings, properties in conservation areas, and some leasehold homes or flats. Your installer will confirm the position for your specific property during the assessment visit, well before any work is agreed or costs are committed.
Yes. Landlords can apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme on properties they own and rent out. The eligibility criteria are the same as for owner-occupiers: the property must have a valid EPC, meet insulation requirements, and currently use a fossil fuel or older heating system. New-build rental properties are not eligible. The MCS-certified installer manages the application process on the landlord’s behalf, so there is no requirement to submit anything to the government directly.
Possibly, depending on what your current EPC says. If it lists loft insulation or cavity wall insulation as recommendations, those will generally need to be completed before a heat pump installation can proceed under the BUS. Many older properties in Accrington, Oswaldtwistle, Clayton-le-Moors, and the surrounding area were built before modern efficiency standards and may need some insulation work. This is very common and does not usually cause long delays. Free Energy Savings can help you understand what your certificate shows and what options may be available.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme supports the replacement of fossil fuel and older heating systems with low-carbon alternatives. Systems eligible for replacement include gas boilers, oil boilers, LPG boilers, and electric storage heaters. The scheme does not cover homes already using low-carbon heating or new-build properties. If your home in Accrington currently runs on any of the systems listed and you own the property, it is worth checking eligibility. A significant number of households in the area qualify without being aware of it.
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