For most households in England there is no government grant towards a new gas boiler in 2026. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme only helps you swap a gas, oil, LPG or electric heating system for a heat pump or biomass boiler, and help with a replacement gas boiler is limited to low-income households through ECO4, which ends on 31 December 2026, and council-run Warm Homes schemes.

Which boiler grants exist in 2026

“Boiler grant” is used online for several different schemes, and most of them do not pay for a like-for-like gas boiler. This table sets out what is actually available in England at the time of writing.

Scheme	Who it is for	What it can pay for	Covers a new gas boiler?	How you apply
Boiler Upgrade Scheme	Property owners in England and Wales, including landlords and businesses	A heat pump or biomass boiler replacing fossil fuel heating	No	Your MCS certified installer applies to Ofgem
ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation)	Households on qualifying benefits in lower rated homes, plus some referred by councils	Insulation, and replacing or repairing a boiler or other heating upgrades	Yes, for eligible households, until 31 December 2026	Through your council or a participating energy supplier
Warm Homes: Local Grant	Low-income households in privately owned or privately rented homes rated D to G	Insulation, solar panels and an air source heat pump where suitable	Not listed as a measure	Through your local council, where it is taking part

The Great British Insulation Scheme, which some older articles still mention, closed on 31 March 2026. Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own schemes. If none of these fit and you simply need a like-for-like replacement, our boiler installation page explains how we survey, price and fit a new boiler.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme explained

Despite its name, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is not about boilers in the usual sense. It is a fixed grant that comes off the price of a low carbon heating system when it replaces a fossil fuel one. The government’s Warm Homes Plan, published in January 2026, confirmed the scheme will continue until 2029/30.

What it pays for

GOV.UK lists grants for:

• air source heat pumps
• ground source heat pumps, including water source and shared ground loops
• air-to-air heat pumps, which were added more recently
• biomass boilers, but only for rural homes off the gas grid, and only with an emissions certificate

A higher grant is available for air source and ground source heat pumps until March 2027 where the home currently uses oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection. The current grant amounts are published on the scheme’s GOV.UK pages.

Hybrid systems, where a heat pump works alongside a gas boiler, do not qualify. You also cannot use the scheme to replace a heat pump or other low carbon system you already have, and each property can only receive one grant.

Who qualifies

You must own the property, which includes a second home, a business or a home you let to tenants, and you must be replacing fossil fuel heating such as gas, oil, LPG or electric. Most new build properties and social housing are excluded, as is any property that has already had government funding for a heat pump or biomass boiler. The system also has to fall under the scheme’s capacity limit, which is 45kWth for most individual systems.

How the application works

You do not apply yourself. The process runs like this:

1. Get quotes from MCS certified heat pump or biomass installers. MCS certification is a condition of the scheme.
2. The installer checks your eligibility with you.
3. You accept a quote. The grant is shown as a deduction on the quote and the invoice.
4. The installer applies to Ofgem on your behalf, and Ofgem contacts you to confirm the installer is acting for you.
5. Once approved, the installer has 120 days to install and commission the system. Ofgem or MCS may contact you afterwards to check the installation.

Is a heat pump right for your home?

A heat pump works best in a well insulated home, with radiators sized for lower flow temperatures and space for a hot water cylinder and an outdoor unit. Many homes need some radiators upsizing, and a home with a combi boiler and no cylinder will usually need one fitting. Running costs compared with gas depend on your electricity and gas tariffs and how well the system is designed. It is worth getting a detailed heat loss survey before you commit, whoever installs it.

ECO4: help replacing a boiler for low-income households

ECO4 is the only scheme on this list that can pay to replace or repair a gas boiler. It is funded by the large energy suppliers and runs until 31 December 2026, following a nine-month extension. After that it closes.

According to GOV.UK, homeowners may qualify if someone in the household receives one of these and the home has an energy rating of D to G:

• Universal Credit
• Pension Guarantee Credit or Pension Savings Credit
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Benefit or Housing Benefit

Private tenants need a rating of E to G and their landlord’s permission. Councils can also refer some households who do not receive these benefits. Help is not guaranteed even if you qualify, because suppliers choose which measures to fund, and a new boiler is usually only offered where the existing one is broken or very inefficient. With the closing date approaching, time is short for any new application.

The Warm Homes: Local Grant and what comes next

The Warm Homes: Local Grant is delivered by councils in England for low-income households in privately owned or privately rented homes rated D to G. It funds upgrades such as insulation, solar panels and air source heat pumps where they suit the home. A replacement gas boiler is not among the listed measures.

The Warm Homes Plan says the government intends to merge this grant and the social housing fund into a single low-income scheme from 2027/28. If you are on a low income, your council’s energy or housing team is the best place to ask what is open in your area now.

How to check what you can get

1. Find your energy rating. Look up your home on the government’s energy performance certificate register. Several schemes depend on the rating.
2. Check your benefits. If anyone in the household receives one of the benefits listed above, ask about ECO4 before the end of 2026.
3. Contact your council. Ask whether it is taking part in ECO4 flexible eligibility and the Warm Homes: Local Grant.
4. Consider a heat pump properly. If you are open to one, get a heat loss survey and quotes from MCS certified installers, who will handle the Boiler Upgrade Scheme application.
5. Price a gas boiler anyway. If you do not qualify, or a heat pump does not suit your home, a fixed price for a like-for-like boiler tells you exactly where you stand.

If you do not qualify for a grant

Most people searching for boiler grants have an old or failing gas boiler and want to know whether help exists. If it does not, the useful questions are whether the boiler is worth repairing and, if not, what a sensible replacement looks like.

A boiler that is 12 to 15 years old, has had several expensive faults, or needs a major part such as a heat exchanger is usually better replaced. Our guides on how long a boiler lasts and whether to repair or replace a boiler walk through the decision. A modern condensing boiler, correctly sized and set up with good controls, will usually use noticeably less gas than an old non-condensing one.

We carry out boiler installation across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. We are an Ideal Max accredited installer and a Vaillant myREWARDS installer, which means manufacturer guarantees of up to 12 years on selected Ideal boilers and up to 10 years on selected Vaillant boilers. Every new boiler package includes a magnetic system filter, the first year’s service and removal of the old boiler. If you are comparing firms, our guide to choosing a boiler installer lists what to check.

How we price a new boiler

Installations are quoted as a fixed price after a free survey, so the price you agree is the price you pay. You can get your price online in a couple of minutes with our boiler quote tool. Our published rates for repairs and other work are on our prices page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a free boiler from the government?

Only in limited cases. Households on qualifying benefits in homes rated D to G may get a boiler replaced or repaired through ECO4 until 31 December 2026. Outside that, there is no government grant for a gas boiler.

Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pay for a new gas boiler?

No. It only pays towards a heat pump or, for rural homes off the gas grid, a biomass boiler, and only when it replaces fossil fuel heating. Hybrid systems that keep a gas boiler are not eligible.

Can landlords use the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?

Yes. GOV.UK confirms you can apply for a property you let to tenants, as well as a home you live in or a second home. Social housing is excluded.

Are pensioners entitled to a free boiler?

Not automatically. Someone receiving Pension Guarantee Credit or Pension Savings Credit may qualify for ECO4 help if the home’s energy rating is low enough, but being a pensioner on its own does not qualify you.

Do I need an EPC to apply?

For ECO4 and the Warm Homes: Local Grant, your energy rating decides whether you qualify, so you need to know it. For the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, your installer will confirm what paperwork is needed for your property.

Help in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire

If grants do not cover your situation and your boiler needs replacing, our Gas Safe registered engineers (registration 956889) can survey your home and give you a fixed price. See our boiler installation service or call 01462 506374. The phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.