Key takeaways
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump in England and Wales.
- It only pays when the heat pump replaces fossil-fuel or electric heating. Keeping your boiler and adding cooling does not qualify.
- An MCS-certified installer applies for you and takes the grant off the quote. Air conditioning fitters working under F-Gas alone cannot.
- Eligibility is real now, but no voucher can be issued until installers can be MCS-certified for air-to-air, and MCS has not set a date.
There is a government grant that can pay towards a system that cools your home. It is not an air conditioning grant, and plenty of articles get that wrong. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump, a unit that heats your home in winter and cools it in summer, and only when it takes over from the heating you have now.
Two routes: replace your heating, or keep it
Whether the grant applies comes down to one decision: are you replacing your heating, or adding cooling alongside it?
| You replace your heating | You keep your boiler and add cooling | |
|---|---|---|
| What you fit | An air-to-air heat pump that becomes your heating | Split or multi-split air conditioning |
| Grant | £2,500 from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme | None: a cooling-only add-on does not qualify |
| Who fits it | An MCS-certified installer | An F-Gas certified, often REFCOM-registered, engineer |
| Planning (England) | Can be permitted development on a house | Needs planning permission for the outdoor unit |
Who can apply
- You must own the property. Homeowners, landlords, owners of second homes and small businesses can all apply.
- The property must be in England or Wales.
- The heat pump must replace fossil-fuel or electric heating, such as a gas, oil or LPG boiler, electric storage heaters or direct electric heating.
- Most new-build homes are excluded, but self-builds can apply.
- Social housing is excluded, as are homes that have already had government funding for a heat pump or biomass boiler.
Qualifying now, claiming later
Claiming it is a separate question from qualifying. Certified air-to-air products are already on the MCS Product Directory, but no installer can be MCS-certified for air-to-air yet, so no installer can issue a voucher today. Installer certification opens once the certification bodies gain UKAS accreditation, and MCS has not set a date for it.
In practice that means you can plan and get quotes now, but you should treat the grant as pending rather than banked until your installer confirms they can apply for a voucher on the specific unit they are quoting.
What it costs after the grant
An air-to-air system for two rooms typically costs around £2,800 to £3,220 to install before the grant, on the trade-guide ranges our checker uses, and about £3,700 to £4,255 for three rooms. With the £2,500 grant, a small system can cost a few hundred pounds. The grant is a fixed amount, so it covers a larger share of a small system than of a whole-home one.
Worked example · one new build in Croydon
Assumes south-facing, EPC band B, modern (2000 or newer), 2 rooms to cool.
Recommended system
Air-to-air heat pump
Cools in summer and heats in winter - the only cooling system the £2,500 grant can fund.
Replacing your direct-electric heating with an air-to-air heat pump cools in summer and heats in winter, and qualifies for the £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant when installed by an MCS-certified installer.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
£2,500 grant - eligible
Eligible: replacing your direct-electric heating with an air-to-air heat pump via an MCS-certified installer qualifies for the £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.
Not claimable yet
The grant itself is law and your eligibility is real, but no installer can be MCS-certified for air-to-air yet, so no Boiler Upgrade Scheme voucher can be issued today. Certified air-to-air products are already listed; installers can certify once the certification bodies gain UKAS accreditation, and MCS has not set a date for that. Get quotes now, but treat the grant as pending rather than banked.
- Installed by an MCS-certified installer
- Residential property only
- Existing qualifying heating system is decommissioned, not retained alongside the new system
- Not combined with another government heating grant for the same install
- The installer must be MCS-certified for air-to-air before a voucher can be issued - no installer can be yet
Indicative cost
- Typical install
- £3,700-£4,255
- Less grant
- −£2,500
- You pay
- £1,200-£1,755
- Indicative UK install cost, sourced from 2026 trade guides - actual quotes vary by property and installer.
- Sized to heat 3 rooms, not just the 2 you want cooled: to qualify for the grant the heat pump has to meet all of your home's space heating.
- Net cost shown after the £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.
If this home keeps its boiler
Single-split air conditioning, no grant
Cooling added alongside a boiler you keep does not qualify for the grant. It is fitted by an F-Gas / REFCOM engineer, typically £1,500 to £3,000 installed.
Planning permission likely needed
- The permitted-development right for a heat pump sits with the whole building, not the individual flat - you will usually need freeholder/management-company consent, and in practice that means a full planning application in most cases.
- External condenser units must meet permitted-development noise limits regardless of planning route.
- This is an indicative assessment only - always confirm the final position with your Local Planning Authority (LPA) before installing.
- Listed-building status was not confirmed - if this building is also listed, listed-building consent will additionally be required.
Illustrative only. Your own floor, aspect, heating and conservation status change the result. Grant rules as of August 2026, and subject to change. Check your own address
When the grant is not the right answer
If you have a gas boiler you are happy with and only want to cool one or two rooms, you do not need to replace your heating to get comfortable. Split air conditioning is private-pay, and in England a cooling-only outdoor unit needs planning permission, but it keeps your heating as it is. The checker shows both routes side by side so you can compare them honestly.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a grant for air conditioning in the UK?
Not for cooling on its own. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump that replaces fossil-fuel or electric heating, fitted by an MCS-certified installer. Cooling added alongside a boiler you keep does not qualify.
How do I apply for the air-to-air heat pump grant?
Through an MCS-certified installer. They apply for the voucher, you confirm it, and the grant is taken off your quote.
Can landlords get the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?
Yes. Private landlords can apply for properties they own. Social housing is excluded.
Can I claim the air-to-air grant today?
Your eligibility is real, but not yet. No installer can be MCS-certified for air-to-air until the certification bodies gain UKAS accreditation, so no voucher can be issued, and MCS has not set a date for that. Get quotes now and treat the grant as pending.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Boiler Upgrade Scheme, what you can get
- GOV.UK: Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
- Ofgem: Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance for installers
- MCS: Implementation of air-to-air heat pumps into MCS enters next phase (8 September 2026)
- SI 2025/560: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2025
Solomon Amos, Founder & Technical Architect, GetComfort
Solomon Amos is the founder and technical architect of GetComfort, and built HomePortfolio, the property-intelligence platform behind this site's property data. He is not an installer: every accreditation and planning claim here is sourced to its primary guidance, as the methodology sets out. More about the author
