What should I have ready for a boiler upgrade grant assessment?

For a useful Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant assessment, have the household, property and heating information ready, along with any permissions that could affect the work. The assessment is not simply a check of paperwork. We use it to establish whether an air source heat pump could suit the home and whether the proposed installation meets the grant rules.

A Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant is intended for an eligible renewable heating system, such as an air source heat pump. It does not normally contribute towards replacing an existing gas or oil boiler with another boiler. We confirm the current grant position before an application is made, because the rules and funding arrangements can change.

Have these additional details available:

• Who owns or occupies the property. If the home is rented, arrange the landlord’s consent before the assessment. Lease conditions, shared ownership arrangements or restrictions on external equipment may also need checking.
• Any previous public funding. Tell us if the property or its heating system has already received grant support. Previous funding can affect what work qualifies.
• The way the home is used. We need to understand which rooms are occupied, how the house is heated now and whether hot water demand changes during the week. This helps us assess the system against real use rather than a standard assumption.
• Details of the building fabric. Tell us about insulation, draughts, solid walls, extensions, converted rooms and areas that are difficult to heat. A heat pump works best when the heat loss of the building is properly understood.
• Any restrictions on the property. Listed status, a conservation area, planning conditions or restrictions from a landlord or freeholder may affect the position of the outdoor unit, pipework or cylinder. We can identify these issues early, but the relevant consent still has to be obtained.

Older homes do not automatically fail an assessment. Solid-wall houses, barn conversions and off-gas-grid properties need a careful look at heat loss, radiator output, pipework and hot-water arrangements. We do not assume that every radiator must be replaced. We calculate what each room needs and explain where an upgrade would improve the result.

Expect the assessment to cover more than the heat pump itself. We look at the likely outdoor unit position, the route for heating and electrical cables, condensate drainage, the hot-water cylinder, consumer unit and available electrical capacity. We also consider access for installation and how the work could affect rooms, flooring and external walls.

The assessment should leave you with clear answers to practical questions, including:

• Could the home operate comfortably with a heat pump?
• Would radiators, pipework, insulation or controls need changing?
• Where could the outdoor unit and cylinder go?
• Would planning or other property consent be needed?
• What work is essential, what is recommended and what is optional?
• What would the grant cover, and what would remain for you to pay?

Ask us to separate the proposed installation cost from any grant contribution. A grant assessment is not grant approval, and an application cannot be treated as complete until the property and system have been checked against the current scheme requirements. We explain any conditions before work starts rather than presenting the grant as a guaranteed deduction.

Our MCS certification allows us to make a Boiler Upgrade Scheme application on your behalf when the property and proposed installation meet the rules. We also provide a written quotation before work starts, setting out the equipment, associated electrical or plumbing work and any customer contribution. That gives you a clear basis for deciding whether to proceed.

If you are unsure whether a document, permission or previous grant matters, mention it before the assessment. It is more useful to resolve a possible eligibility issue at the start than after the system design has been completed.