Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants for older Cambridge homes

The scheme runs through installers, not householders. An MCS certified installer applies, and the discount comes off the quote, so it shows up as money off the price. Ofgem administers it, and where its wording differs from other government summaries, this page follows Ofgem.

How much is the grant?

The current amounts are £7,500 air-to-water or ground source, £5,000 biomass, £2,500 air-to-air and £9,000 off-gas to 31 March 2027. Air-to-air is for residential property only.

The £9,000 rate needs a home heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas connection, and GOV.UK frames it as an extra £1,500. Biomass is limited to rural and off-gas properties. Some villages around Cambridge may have houses in that position, but it depends on the individual property, so check your own supply.

Who qualifies, and who does not?

You need to own the property, which includes second homes and lets, and be replacing fossil fuel heating. GOV.UK defines that as including oil, gas, electric and LPG. Social housing and most new builds are out. The scheme covers England and Wales.

There is one grant per property. Hybrids are excluded, and a grant cannot replace existing low-carbon heating. Capacity tops out at 45kWth, or 70kWth for multiple heat pumps and 300kWth for shared ground loops.

Does an old house have to be insulated first?

Nothing in Ofgem's guidance for property owners, V5.2 makes insulation a requirement. It is presented as a recommendation (paras 4.08 to 4.12), with the note that heat pumps perform best in a well-insulated home. If there is no valid EPC, the installer can use alternative evidence (para 4.24).

That is the grant position, not advice on what suits your walls. Traditional fabric has its own cautions, set out on the Victorian terrace page, which should be read before you assume a house is ready.

Does listed or conservation status change the grant?

The same guidance does not mention listed buildings or conservation areas, except planning permission as an evidence document. So no special grant rule applies that this site can point to, but the consent rules still do.

A heat pump on a listed building or within its curtilage is not permitted development. In a conservation area there are limits on where the unit goes. Cambridge has 18 conservation areas and South Cambridgeshire 85, so check whether your home sits in one. The council decides, so ask the conservation officer first, and read the pages on heat pumps in conservation areas and listed building consent before accepting a quote.

What happens after you say yes?

The timings below come from Ofgem. Any council consent you need sits outside this timetable, so raise it early with the installer.

Ofgem's helpline is 0330 053 2006. If the old boiler is being taken out, gas work stays with a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Is there a closing date?

No closing date for the scheme is stated in any of the official pages used here. The Warm Homes Plan gives £2.7 billion "to 2030", and Budget 2026 keeps the Boiler Upgrade Scheme at £400 million in 2027-28, rising broadly with inflation. The dates that are fixed are 31 March 2027 for both the £9,000 rate and the 0% VAT period. Check Ofgem's page before relying on any amount, because the £9,000 rate is time-limited.

Sources, read 4 November 2026: Ofgem, Boiler Upgrade Scheme; Ofgem, Boiler Upgrade Scheme for property owners; Ofgem, guidance for property owners, V5.2; GOV.UK, what you can get; GOV.UK, check if you're eligible; Warm Homes Plan; Budget 2026; General Permitted Development Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 14; Greater Cambridge Planning, conservation area appraisals.