Save Money With Energy Switching Deals and Government Grants
Homeowners in Burnley may qualify for a £7,500 government grant toward the cost of installing an air source heat pump through the UK government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). The grant is designed to help households currently running on gas, oil, or LPG boilers make the switch to a cleaner, more efficient heating system, with a significant portion of the upfront cost covered.
The UK government has made low-carbon heating a central part of its long-term energy strategy. Air source heat pumps are one of the primary technologies being encouraged as a replacement for fossil fuel boilers, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides a £7,500 grant specifically to help homeowners make that transition.
Free Energy Savings works with Burnley homeowners to explain the scheme, help identify whether a property is likely to qualify, and connect residents with MCS-certified installers.
If you own a property in Burnley and are thinking about your heating options, it is worth taking a few minutes to check whether the grant could apply to your home.
Fill out the form below to take advantage of our the £7,500 Air Source Heat Pump Grant offer.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has a defined set of eligibility requirements that cover a wide range of homes. Many Burnley homeowners will find they already meet them, or can do so without significant difficulty.
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, as long as the remaining eligibility conditions are satisfied.
The property needs a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation. If the EPC does list insulation improvements as needed, those will generally have to be completed before the heat pump installation can proceed under the scheme. The property also needs to be physically suitable for a heat pump system, which the installer will confirm during their site visit.
Many older Burnley properties, particularly those built before the 1970s, may need some insulation work before they are ready. This is a common starting point and rarely leads to a significant delay in the overall process.
The scheme is specifically aimed at replacing fossil fuel and older heating systems. Systems eligible for replacement include:
Gas central heating is by far the most common heating system across Burnley, which means a large proportion of local homeowners are well positioned on this particular requirement.
If your EPC recommends loft or cavity wall insulation, those upgrades will generally need to be completed before a heat pump can be installed under the BUS. Many older properties in Burnley, Padiham, and the surrounding area predate modern energy standards and may need some improvement before they are ready. Free Energy Savings can help you interpret your EPC and work out whether any insulation support might be available to you alongside the heat pump grant.
Common qualifying property types include semi-detached houses, detached homes, bungalows, and larger terraced properties with enough outdoor space for a heat pump unit. New-build homes do not qualify for the scheme, as it is focused on upgrading the existing housing stock rather than supporting properties that were recently built to current standards.
Many homeowners across Burnley qualify without being fully aware of it. If you currently heat your home with gas, oil, or LPG and you own the property, running through a quick eligibility check is a sensible starting point.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a UK government initiative designed to speed up the adoption of low-carbon heating across England and Wales. It provides a £7,500 grant toward the cost of installing an air source heat pump, with the aim of replacing fossil fuel systems and reducing the carbon emissions produced by residential heating.
The grant is not a loan. Nothing needs to be repaid. Your MCS-certified installer handles the application and the £7,500 is taken directly off the installation cost before you pay the remaining balance. The scheme has been running since 2022 and is available until 2028.
An air source heat pump absorbs heat from the outdoor air, compresses it to raise the temperature, and uses it to warm the water in your heating system and hot water cylinder. It works throughout the year, including in cold weather, and the underlying technology is well proven across Northern Europe where winters are significantly harsher than in East Lancashire.
The efficiency comparison with a conventional boiler is worth understanding clearly. A standard gas boiler runs at around 85 to 90% efficiency. An air source heat pump operates at 300 to 400% efficiency, producing three to four units of heat for every unit of electricity it consumes. That efficiency advantage is one of the core reasons the government has invested in the scheme.
Installation typically costs between £10,000 and £13,000 before the grant. With the £7,500 BUS grant applied, the remaining cost to the homeowner is substantially lower, and for many Burnley households the switch becomes considerably more financially realistic than the headline installation figure suggests.
Burnley’s housing stock is a direct reflection of the town’s growth during the peak of its industrial period. The town expanded rapidly from the mid-19th century onward, with streets of terraced housing built to accommodate the workforce that kept its cotton mills running. That housing fabric remains largely intact today, and it represents one of the largest concentrations of older residential property in East Lancashire.
Victorian terraces are spread across Gannow, Daneshouse, and Stoneyholme. Early 20th-century homes cover much of Rosegrove and Brunshaw. Post-war development pushed the town’s boundaries outward into Padiham and Hapton. In all of these areas, gas central heating has been the dominant system for decades, and many properties are now running on boilers that are well past their most efficient years.
An aging boiler costs more to run and is less reliable. Many Burnley households have noticed this directly over recent years, particularly as gas prices have fluctuated and the cost of maintaining older systems has increased. Replacing a failing gas boiler with another gas model is one option, but it does not address the underlying direction of energy policy or the likely tightening of gas boiler regulations in the years ahead.
Heat pumps work best in properties with reasonable insulation, and a number of Burnley homes can reach that standard with modest improvements. The BUS grant provides meaningful financial support while it remains available, and for households in Gannow, Daneshouse, Stoneyholme, Rosegrove, Brunshaw, Padiham, and Hapton, the combination of older housing and widespread gas heating means the scheme is relevant to a significant number of local properties.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme involves several steps, and for many homeowners the process is not immediately clear. There are eligibility rules to understand, EPC requirements to check, an installer assessment to arrange, and a grant application to manage. Trying to navigate it without guidance can feel more complicated than it needs to be.
Free Energy Savings specialises in government heating grants. The team works with homeowners across Lancashire to explain the BUS clearly, review whether a property is a realistic candidate, and connect residents with MCS-certified installers who can carry out the full assessment and installation.
Working with Free Energy Savings means:
The team regularly supports homeowners across Burnley and the surrounding area, including Blackburn, Accrington, Preston, and Darwen. Whether your property is a terraced house in Stoneyholme or a semi-detached in Padiham, the process starts in the same place and takes only a few minutes to get underway.
There is no obligation attached to an eligibility check. Most homeowners come away with a clear picture of where they stand, usually more quickly than they expected.
The process from initial enquiry to completed installation tends to be more straightforward than most people anticipate. Here is how it typically unfolds.
You provide some basic details about your property, including its type, your current heating system, and your location. This takes less than a minute and gives us enough information to carry out a first assessment of your potential eligibility.
We look at your ownership status, EPC rating, current heating system, and overall property suitability. This step identifies whether the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is likely to apply to your home and flags anything that may need attention beforehand, such as outstanding insulation recommendations on your EPC.
If your property looks like a suitable candidate, an MCS-certified installer will visit to carry out a full site assessment. They will check the right heat pump size for your home, where the outdoor unit can be placed, insulation levels, hot water cylinder requirements, and how the system will work with your existing pipework and radiators.
The installer submits the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant 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 remaining balance once the work is finished.
Once the grant is approved, the heat pump is installed, commissioned, and tested. Your heating and hot water are handed over fully operational, with a warranty in place. Most installations across the types of property common in Burnley are completed within one to three days. The disruption is typically less than homeowners expect going in.
Free Energy Savings and our network of MCS-certified installers cover Burnley and the wider East Lancashire and Pendle area. Whether your property is in one of the town’s established residential neighbourhoods or in one of the communities just outside, we can help you find out whether the heat pump grant applies to your home.
Areas we regularly cover include:
We also cover the surrounding parts of East Lancashire and the Pendle Valley. Our installers are experienced with the range of property types found across the Burnley area, from tightly packed Victorian terraces to post-war semis and the more dispersed housing in Padiham and Hapton, and can advise on the most suitable setup for your specific home.
If you are not sure whether your street or postcode is within our coverage area, the quickest way to find out is to submit a short enquiry. Most Burnley properties fall well within the areas we serve.
There are practical reasons to consider switching to a heat pump, alongside the environmental ones. For many Burnley homeowners, both sides of the case are worth taking seriously.
Heat pumps produce significantly fewer carbon emissions than gas or oil boilers. As the UK electricity grid moves further toward renewable sources over the coming years, the environmental footprint of running a heat pump will continue to decrease. For households in Burnley looking to reduce their home’s carbon impact, replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump is one of the most direct and measurable steps available.
Heat pumps operate at far higher efficiency levels than conventional boilers, and many households find their heating costs reduce over time as a result. The savings tend to be clearest in well-insulated properties with a correctly sized system. Adding smart heating controls and, where possible, a renewable electricity tariff can improve the financial outcome further. Running costs vary between properties, but for a number of Burnley residents the long-term comparison with gas heating is a favourable one
Installing a heat pump, particularly when combined with insulation improvements, can raise a property’s EPC rating. A stronger rating can add value to a home and makes it more appealing if the property is ever sold or let. For landlords, an improved EPC also provides protection against the tightening minimum energy efficiency requirements that apply to rental properties, which are expected to become more demanding in the years ahead.
Switching to electric heating removes your household’s connection to the gas network entirely. For Burnley residents on mains gas, that means no longer being exposed to the wholesale gas price movements that have caused significant disruption to household budgets in recent years. For any properties in the area still running on oil or LPG, the benefits are equally concrete: no deliveries, no storage, and no exposure to supply-driven price swings.
The government’s direction on home heating is not going to reverse. Gas boiler regulations are expected to tighten, and the long-term plan to phase out fossil fuel heating in homes is settled policy. Heat pumps are central to that transition, and installing one now, with the £7,500 BUS grant in place, means Burnley homeowners are making the move on their own timeline rather than being pushed into it later under less favourable conditions.
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 grant comes through the UK government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which was set up to help households move away from fossil fuel heating. It is applied directly to the cost of installing an air source heat pump and does not need to be repaid. Your MCS-certified installer applies for the grant on your behalf, and the amount is deducted from the installation cost before you pay the remaining balance. The scheme covers eligible homeowners in England and Wales and runs until 2028.
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 property must have a valid EPC with no outstanding insulation recommendations, or those recommendations must be completed before the installation goes ahead. New-build homes are excluded from the scheme. Landlords can apply for the grant on rental properties they own. In Burnley, common qualifying property types include semi-detached houses, detached homes, bungalows, and larger terraced properties with sufficient outdoor space for a heat pump unit.
Before the grant, a typical air source heat pump installation costs between £10,000 and £13,000. After the £7,500 BUS grant has been applied, most homeowners are looking at a remaining cost of between £2,500 and £5,500. The precise figure depends on the size of the property, the specific system needed, and whether any additional work is required, such as a new hot water cylinder or insulation improvements. Your installer will give you a clear quote following the site assessment, so you know exactly where you stand before committing.
Yes. Modern air source heat pumps are designed to work efficiently in temperatures down to around minus 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, which is well below anything Burnley typically experiences. The technology has been standard practice in Scandinavia and other Northern European countries for many years, where winters are considerably more severe. A properly installed system will keep your home warm reliably throughout the year. Performance is best in properties with good insulation, which is one reason the scheme requires any EPC insulation recommendations to be addressed first.
Most heat pump installations are completed within one to three days. The timeline varies depending on the size of the property, how straightforward the pipework is, and whether additional work is needed, such as fitting a new hot water cylinder or making adjustments to the existing radiator system. Your installer will set out a clear timeframe before any work begins. The process is generally less disruptive than people expect, and most homeowners are surprised by how smoothly the transition from old boiler to working heat pump tends to go.
In most cases, no. Installing an air source heat pump in England is generally covered by permitted development rights, so planning permission is not typically required. The main exceptions are listed buildings, conservation areas, and some flats or leasehold properties where additional restrictions may apply. Your installer will check the position for your specific address during the assessment visit and let you know if anything further needs to be arranged before work can proceed.
Yes. Landlords are eligible to apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant on properties they own and rent out. The eligibility requirements are the same as for owner-occupiers: the property must have a valid EPC, meet insulation requirements, and currently run on a fossil fuel or older heating system. New-build rental properties are excluded. The installer manages the grant application process on the landlord’s behalf, so there is no need to deal with the government directly.
That depends on what your current EPC says. If the certificate lists loft insulation or cavity wall insulation as recommendations, those will usually need to be completed before a heat pump installation can go ahead under the BUS. Many older properties in Burnley, Padiham, and the surrounding area were built before modern insulation standards and fall into this category. It is a common situation and does not have to mean a long delay. Free Energy Savings can help you understand what your EPC shows and explore whether any insulation support is available alongside the heat pump grant.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is designed to replace gas boilers, oil boilers, LPG boilers, and electric storage heating systems with low-carbon alternatives. It does not cover homes already using renewable or low-carbon heating, or new-build properties. If your Burnley home is currently on any of the qualifying systems and you own the property, it is worth checking eligibility. A substantial proportion of households across the town meet the basic requirements, often without being aware of it.
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