Government Backed Scheme | Free Boiler Grants
If you own a home in Preston and are considering upgrading your heating system, you could qualify for a £7,500 government grant towards a new air source heat pump.
The UK government has been pushing hard to move homes away from fossil fuel heating. Air source heat pumps have become one of the main long-term alternatives to gas boilers, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is designed to make that switch more accessible.
Through the BUS, eligible homeowners can receive a £7,500 grant toward the cost of installing an air source heat pump. This significantly reduces the upfront cost, making the switch far more practical for many households.
Free Energy Savings is a trusted UK energy specialist helping Preston homeowners:
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 clear set of eligibility requirements. Many Preston homeowners will find they meet them, or can meet them with some relatively straightforward preparation.
The property must be owner-occupied, privately owned, or a self-build home. Landlords can also apply for properties they rent out, provided the other eligibility criteria are met.
To qualify, the property must have a valid EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) and must not have any outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation. If the EPC does flag insulation improvements, those will usually need to be completed before installation can go ahead. Many homes across Preston, particularly in Deepdale, Ribbleton, Ashton-on-Ribble, and Ingol, were built before modern efficiency standards and may benefit from insulation upgrades first.
The good news is that many Preston homes meet the property requirements once basic insulation work has been done.
The scheme is primarily aimed at replacing fossil fuel heating. Eligible existing systems include:
Homeowners switching away from these systems are the main target of the BUS grant.
Common qualifying homes include semi-detached houses, detached properties, bungalows, and larger terraced homes where there is sufficient outdoor space for the heat pump unit. New-build homes typically do not qualify, as the scheme is focused on upgrading existing housing stock.
Thousands of homes across Preston are suitable for air source heat pumps, especially properties currently heated by gas, oil, or older heating systems.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a UK government programme designed to speed up the move toward low-carbon heating. It provides a £7,500 grant toward the cost of installing an air source heat pump and is available to homeowners across England and Wales. The scheme runs until 2028.
The grant exists to reduce carbon emissions from residential heating, replace gas and oil boilers with cleaner alternatives, improve home energy efficiency, and help households lower their long-term heating costs.
One important thing to understand: this is not a loan. The £7,500 does not need to be repaid. Your MCS-certified installer applies for the grant on your behalf and it is applied directly to the installation cost, reducing the total amount you pay.
So how does an air source heat pump actually work? The system extracts heat from the outdoor air and uses electricity to compress and transfer that heat into your home. It provides both space heating and hot water, and it works efficiently even during cold weather.
The efficiency difference compared to a gas boiler is significant. A typical gas boiler operates at around 85 to 90% efficiency. An air source heat pump, by contrast, can deliver 300 to 400% efficiency, meaning it produces three to four units of heat for every one unit of electricity it uses.
Installation typically costs between £10,000 and £13,000. The £7,500 grant cuts a large portion of that, making the switch far more affordable for many Preston homeowners than most people expect.
Preston contains large areas of Victorian and Edwardian housing, a significant amount of suburban stock built between 1950 and 1990, and a growing number of residential developments in surrounding areas. The majority of these properties still rely on traditional gas central heating.
That dependence on gas contributes to rising energy costs for residents, higher carbon emissions across the city, and an ongoing reliance on imported fossil fuels. The UK government’s net zero strategy aims to address all three, with a clear focus on reducing emissions from residential heating and phasing down gas boiler use over the coming decades.
Neighbourhoods across Preston with significant older housing stock include:
Each of these areas contains thousands of homes that could potentially benefit from modern, low-carbon heating. Heat pumps tend to work particularly well in properties that have good insulation, and many Preston homes can reach that standard with relatively modest improvements.
Upgrading Preston homes to heat pumps is a key step in reducing energy costs and cutting carbon emissions across Lancashire.
Many homeowners find the grant process confusing. There are eligibility rules, EPC requirements, installer certifications, and application steps that can feel like a lot to navigate without guidance.
Free Energy Savings is a UK specialist in government energy grants. The team has experience helping homeowners understand what they are entitled to, assess whether their property is suitable, and connect with the right certified installers to get the work done properly.
Working with Free Energy Savings means:
The team regularly supports homeowners across Lancashire, including Preston, Fulwood, Bamber Bridge, Leyland, and the surrounding areas.
Our team helps Preston homeowners explore whether the £7,500 heat pump grant could work for their property.
The process is often simpler than people expect. Here is how it typically unfolds:
You provide a few basic details about your property, including its type, your current heating system, and your location. The whole thing takes less than a minute.
We review your property ownership, EPC status, current heating system, and overall suitability. This helps determine whether the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is likely to apply to your home.
If your property looks suitable, an MCS-certified installer will carry out a full assessment. They will check heat pump sizing, outdoor unit placement, pipework compatibility, hot water cylinder requirements, and insulation levels.
The installer applies for the £7,500 BUS grant on your behalf. You do not need to deal with any government paperwork directly.
Once approved, the heat pump is installed, the system is commissioned, heating and hot water are tested, and a warranty is provided. The grant is applied directly to the installation cost, reducing the amount you need to pay from the outset.
Free Energy Savings and our network of MCS-certified installers cover the full Preston area and the wider Lancashire region. Whether your home is in the city centre or one of the surrounding towns and villages, we can help you explore whether the heat pump grant is available to you.
Areas we regularly cover include:
Wherever you are in Preston or the surrounding areas, we can help you explore whether the heat pump grant is available for your home.
Upgrading an old heating system has a direct impact on your home. The financial savings alone can make a noticeable difference, especially for households that have been relying on a boiler installed two or three decades ago.
Key benefits include:
Older Wolverhampton properties are among the least energy efficient in the West Midlands. A modern A rated boiler reduces wasted heat and makes the entire home feel steadier and warmer. We see this difference often. After one installation in Oxley, the homeowner told us the house felt warm for the first time in years and that the boiler no longer needed to run constantly.
These improvements do not just save money. They make everyday life at home easier and more comfortable. And since the upgrade is fully funded for eligible households, it removes the financial barrier that often stops people from replacing their old system.
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 in your home. The grant does not need to be repaid and is handled by your MCS-certified installer on your behalf. It is designed to reduce the upfront cost of switching from fossil fuel heating to a low-carbon alternative.
To qualify, you need to own a home in England or Wales that is heated by a gas, oil, LPG, or electric storage heating system. The property must have a valid EPC with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation. New-build homes are not eligible. Landlords can also apply for properties they rent out. Many homes in Preston, including semi-detached and detached houses, bungalows, and larger terraced properties, are well suited to the scheme.
The grant is designed specifically to replace an existing heating system with an air source heat pump. You do not keep both systems running side by side. The heat pump takes over as your primary source of heating and hot water. Most homeowners find the heat pump handles both functions effectively, and in many cases a hot water cylinder is installed as part of the process.
A typical air source heat pump installation costs between £10,000 and £13,000 before the grant. After the £7,500 BUS grant is applied, the remaining cost to the homeowner is usually in the range of £2,500 to £5,500, depending on the property and the specific system installed. The exact figure will depend on the installer’s assessment of your home’s requirements.
In most cases, installing an air source heat pump takes between one and three days. The timeline depends on the size of the property, the complexity of the installation, and whether any additional work such as fitting a hot water cylinder or upgrading pipework is required. Your installer will give you a clear estimate before work begins. Most homeowners are surprised by how straightforward the process tends to be.
Yes. Modern air source heat pumps are designed to work efficiently in cold temperatures and can extract usable heat from outdoor air even when temperatures drop to around minus 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. The UK’s climate is generally well suited to heat pump technology. Performance is at its best in well-insulated homes, which is one reason the scheme requires EPC insulation recommendations to be addressed before installation.
In most cases, no. Installing an air source heat pump in England is usually covered by permitted development rights, meaning planning permission is not required. However, there are some exceptions. Properties in conservation areas, listed buildings, or certain flats may have different requirements. Your installer will clarify this as part of the assessment process before any work is agreed.
Yes, landlords can apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for properties they own and rent out. The same eligibility criteria apply: the property must have a valid EPC, meet the insulation requirements, and currently use a fossil fuel or older heating system. The grant process works in the same way, with the MCS-certified installer managing the application. It is worth noting that the grant cannot be claimed for new-build rental properties.
If your EPC recommends loft or cavity wall insulation, you will generally need to have that work completed before a heat pump can be installed under the BUS. This is to ensure the system operates efficiently once it is in place. Free Energy Savings can help you understand what your EPC shows and point you toward any insulation support that may be available. In many cases, the insulation work can be arranged relatively quickly and does not significantly delay the overall process.
The first step is a quick eligibility check. You provide some basic details about your property and current heating system, and we review whether the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is likely to apply. If your home looks suitable, we connect you with an MCS-certified installer who carries out a full assessment. The installer then applies for the grant on your behalf and manages the process through to installation. You do not need to apply to the government directly.
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