Boiler Upgrade Scheme for Installers: How to Claim the Grant, Step by Step

To claim the £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant on an air-to-air job, you need MCS certification for air-to-air heat pumps, an approved consumer code and a BUS installer account — then you quote with the grant deducted, apply for a voucher, and redeem it after commissioning. Here is the process step by step, from Ofgem's Installer Guidance V5.1.

Before your first job

1. MCS certification for the technology. A temporary MCS number can't be used.
2. An approved consumer code: RECC, HIES or MCS:2025. If you're on MCS's redeveloped scheme you don't need separate RECC or HIES membership; on the previous scheme you do.
3. A BUS installer account — apply 2–3 weeks before your first application. Email the form and documents to Ofgem: photo ID and proof of address for the authorised representative (a director, company secretary or the sole trader), and a business bank statement from the last 3 months.

On each job

1. Check eligibility on site. England or Wales; a home (air-to-air is residential only); fully replacing fossil-fuel or electric heating that doesn't include a heat pump; the system able to meet 100% of the space heating on its own; no previous BUS grant at the address; not social housing or a developer new build.
2. Quote with the grant deducted up front. Show the full price, the grant and the balance. Tell the owner Ofgem will contact them to confirm consent and identity.
3. Apply for the voucher in the portal: property and owner details, technology, the fuel being replaced, gas-grid status, the EPC number or alternative evidence, and the quote details (total with and without the grant, heat pump unit cost, quote reference and date).
4. The owner confirms by email within 14 days, or the application expires.
5. Voucher issued — valid for 3 months for air-to-air, and tied to you, the owner, the address and the technology. It can't be extended; re-apply instead.
6. Install and commission, register the installation with MCS and issue the MCS certificate.
7. Redeem the voucher with the MCS installation certificate number, your BUS account ID and the voucher ID.
8. Payment — usually within 5 working days of approval, by BACS.

Timing and records

• Ofgem strongly recommends waiting for the voucher before commissioning. If you commission first, the application must be made within 120 days of the commissioning date.
• The discount must appear on the quote and on the invoice after installation.
• Keep every document you relied on for 6 years.

No EPC? You can still apply

An EPC hasn't been required since 28 April 2026. If the property has a valid one (the most recent, under 10 years old) give its number; if not, provide a utility bill or fuel receipt from the last 3 months and photos of the existing heating system showing the heat source, nameplate and location.

Multi-room air-to-air systems

Two or more air-to-air units serving one property can be treated as one system — one voucher and one MCS certificate — up to 70 kWth in total. Systems serving several separate properties, such as individual flats, aren't eligible.

Vento's proposal builder applies the grant to the quote and the deposit, so the customer sees the price they'll actually pay and the discount is on the paperwork from the start. Start a free trial.

Sources

Checked on 24 October 2026.

• Ofgem — Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance for installers (Installer Guidance V5.1, 2 July 2026)
• Ofgem — Boiler Upgrade Scheme