4 April 3, 2022The Sunday TimesHome
G
overnment grants
of up to £6,000
per household are
now available to
help homeowners
in England and Wales make
the switch from gas boilers to
alternative energy sources
such as heat pumps.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme
(BUS) offers a grant of £5,000
towards an air source heat
pump, taking energy from the
outside air and turning it into
electricity, and biomass
boilers (in rural homes off the
gas grid, in designated areas
with populations of 10,000
people or fewer) and £6,000
for a ground source heat
pump, which takes energy
from the earth.
The Energy Saving Trust
says fitting an air source
heat pump costs between
£7,000 and £13,000 and a
ground source heat pump
from £24,000.
Up to 90,000 homes are
expected to benefit from the
£450 million scheme, which
replaces the Renewable Heat
Incentive (RHI).
Given that there are more
than 25 million homes in
England and Wales, 85 per
cent of which rely on gas
boilers, it’s a small step on the
way towards net zero carbon
emissions by 2050.How will the scheme work?
All domestic low-carbon
heating systems
commissioned after April 1
will be eligible. Homeowners
should approach certified
installers, registered with the
Microgeneration Certification
Scheme (MCS) to ensure
quality installation, and obtain
three quotes for comparison.
The installer applies for
the grant on the homeowner’s
behalf. Ofgem, the energy
regulator, will check with
the homeowner that the
installer is acting according
to the rules.
Bear in mind that installers
cannot register with Ofgem for
BUS until April 11. The scheme
opens to applications and
payments from May 23, but
funding can be claimed
retrospectively back to April 1.
Halifax has announced a
£1,000 cashback on loans
taken for the scheme,
bringing the potential saving
up to £7,000.Am I eligible?
You must be a homeowner.
New-build properties will not
normally be eligible, unless it’s
a self-build. Vouchers are valid
for three months for air source
heat pumps and biomass
boilers, six months for ground
source heat pumps. All works“hybrids [will] offer the
opportunity to completely
decarbonise home heating in
these properties”.And what are “hotter”
heat pumps?
Manufacturers and energy
companies are working on
ways to provide hot water at
the same temperature as gas-
fired boilers. A heat pump
delivers water at about 45C
to 55C, compared with gas at
60C to 80C. Developers such
as Vattenfall, the Swedish
state-owned energy group,
claim that higher-temperature
heat pumps could remove the
requirement for homeowners
to pay additional costs to have
radiators upgraded so they are
heat pump-ready.Are heat pumps noisy?
The majority of heat pumps
are “as quiet or quieter than a
gas boiler flue”, says Phil
Hurley, chairman of the Heat
Pump Association. He adds
that “manufacturers have
innovated to reduce noise
levels”, so they are much
quieter than they were. Look
for the Quiet Mark badge
awarded to Daikin, Grant,
Vaillant, Warmflow and
Worcester Bosch.Jayne Dowlemust be completed and the
voucher claimed within the
stated period.Does my home need to meet
certain conditions?
It must have a valid Energy
Performance Certificate
(EPC). If not, ask a local
company to issue one, at a
cost of about £60. There must
be no outstanding
recommendations for loft or
cavity wall insulation, to
ensure the energy efficiency is
sufficient. There are some
exemptions. Ask your installer
and see government advice
here: gov.uk/guidance.What about hybrid
systems?
This is when a heat pump is
combined with a fossil fuel
boiler. It’s typically suggested
when a home has especially
high heating demands.
Specialists are divided over
hybrids. Edward Robinson of
Electrify Heat, a campaign
group backed by the European
Climate Foundation, says they
are nothing more than a
“security blanket”.
Jess Ralston of the Energy
and Climate Intelligence Unit
(ECIU), a non-profit think
tank, says that if the gas grid is
switched to using hydrogen
rather than natural gas,What you need to know about
the boiler upgrading scheme
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