What is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: A Background
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) will launch in April 2022 to assist in the decarbonisation of residential and non-residential living spaces. This is to encourage homeowners to install more efficient, low carbon heating systems in replacement of fossil fuel systems. It will provide upfront capital grants to support the installation of renewable energy such as air source and ground source heat pumps, and in some circumstances biomass boilers. The BUS will be open to properties located in England and Wales
Through the Heat and Buildings Strategy, the government in October 2021 published plans to incentivise people to install low-carbon heating systems in a simple, fair, and cheap way as they come to replace their old boilers over the coming decade. The idea is that this new upfront incentive will encourage homeowners to make the switch to renewable energy, rather than simply replace their current fossil fuel boiler with a new one. By doing so, this will significantly reduce the UK’s dependency on fossil fuels and exposure to global price spikes with the Government hoping to meet the net-zero emissions target by 2050
What does the Boiler Upgrade System offer?
- A £5,000 upfront voucher towards the purchase and installation of an air source heat pump.
- A £6,000 upfront voucher towards the purchase and installation of a ground source heat pump.
- 0% VAT.
Any remaining costs towards the installation are then paid by the homeowner.
Are you eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
You can consider yourself eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme if you meet a few simple requirements:
- You must be a homeowner or small business owner
- Your property must be in England or Wales
- The building must have been issued an energy performance certificate (EPC) in the past 10 years
Why is switching to renewable energy important?
Renewable energy such as, ground and air source heat pumps are a low carbon heat source which would have a huge positive impact on our environment. They use electricity – not fossil fuels – to efficiently heat a home, which reduces CO2 emissions. When designed and installed correctly, heat pumps are also incredibly efficient – as much as 400% efficient, where a boiler is around 90%.
As well as being environmentally friendly and an efficient alternative to a fossil fuel boiler, air and ground source heat pumps are low maintenance once installed. A gas boiler is recommended to need replacing roughly every ten years, whereas the life space of a ground source heat pump is around 20-30 years.
With the financial incentive offer being a big positive to home and business owners you can expect ait source heat pump system to cost in the region of £10,000, and for a ground source heat pump £15,000-£20,000, depending on the groundworks required.
“With heat in buildings being one of the largest sources of UK carbon emissions, accounting for 21% of the total, there is an urgent need to deliver a mix of new, low-carbon heating solutions to meet our legally-binding target to end the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050”
– Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
How can Woodhouse Environmental Services help you?
If you’re considering switching to a renewable energy system, we specialise in low carbon heating systems, from ground to air source heat pumps and underfloor heating.
If you’d like to learn more about renewable energy, its effects or the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, then please get in touch with us today, and one of our committed experts will be more than happy to assist you.
