Big change to £7,500 home improvement grant hidden in Autumn Statement documents – are you now eligible?
THE government is making a big change to the rules surrounding boiler upgrades.
It means that some households who were previously put off from taking up the £7,500 boiler upgrade grant to install a heat pump now have more flexibility to get it.
The government is ending a rule which means that heat pumps can only be installed at least one metre away from a property’s boundary.
Burried in the Autumn Statement document, the government wrote that it will “end the blanket restriction on heat pumps one metre from a property boundary in England“.
Current restrictions mean that to qualify for the £7,500 boiler upgrade scheme you’ll need to install the device at least one metre (3.28ft) away from your neighbour’s property.
It leaves those with small properties and little land with little draw to replace their gas-guzzling boilers with newer energy-efficient devices.
The rule was originally introduced over concerns of noise, however, the latest models are much quieter and have mitigated this concern enough for the government to scrap the plan.
It means that more people could now be inclined to take up the option of installing an air source heat pump.
A heat pump is a type of renewable energy technology that enables you to heat your home in an environmentally friendly way.
They deliver heat at a lower temperature than gas and oil boilers so
There are also ground source heat pumps that take the heat from underground by pumping water through it in pipes.
Heat pumps take the available heat from the ground or air and increase it to a higher temperature using a compressor.
It then transfers the heat to the heating system in your home.
The pump uses electricity to run but it takes less energy than the heat it produces, making it an efficient way to warm your home.
Those wishing to install the device can get cash support to help through the government’s boiler upgrade scheme.
What is the boiler upgrade scheme?
The boiler upgrade scheme is a £450million fund that offers grants to homeowners in England and Wales to purchase heat pumps.
The grant was first launched in 2022 and was originally worth £5,000 or £6,000, depending on the type of heat pump.
But as heat pumps are typically expensive to purchase and install, costing between £5,000 and £8,000, the government boosted the grant in October.
The grants for heat pumps went up on October 23 to £7,500 for both air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps.
Those wishing to install a biomass boiler can also apply for a £5,000 grant.
You will need to find an MSC-certified installer to claim the grant on your behalf.
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.
You will need to pay the difference if the pump costs more than the grant.
How much does it cost to run a heat pump?
For an average UK home, it’s currently about the same price to run a heat pump as a gas boiler, according to experts at Octopus Energy.
For customers on a standard variable tariff (SVT), the energy cost of a heat pump is £868 compared to £812 for a gas boiler.
If you completely give up gas by having a heat pump, and have your gas meter removed, you could save £100 a year on standing charges for gas.
Standing charges are the same cost of having a gas supply.
Heat pumps have a longer lifespan than a gas boiler, and a lower risk of failure, according to the Energy Savings Trust.
It is estimated that the lifespan of a heat pump is around 20 years, compared with between 10 and 15 years for a gas boiler.
This means you should pay far less for maintenance than gas boiler cover – which costs on average £288 a year, or £2880 over a decade.
Here, we reveal how much it costs to run an electric blanket.
Plus, we explain how much it costs to run a heated clothes airer.