The £2,500 air-to-air grant: where it actually stands
Current status
Last verified: 25 July 2026.
Is the grant law? Yes, air-to-air heat pumps became eligible on 28 April 2026. Can an installer claim it for you today? In most cases, not yet, because MCS product certification is still being rolled out. When is it likely to be routinely available? Trade estimates point to late 2026 into 2027.
We check this monthly and update the date above whether or not anything has changed.
This page exists because most sites covering this grant are telling homeowners to claim it now. The regulations support that. The certification infrastructure does not yet. Here is the difference.
What the law says
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/390, were made on 19 March 2026 and came into force on 28 April 2026. They amend the original 2022 regulations rather than replacing them, and they changed four things that matter.
| Change | Effect |
|---|---|
| Eligible technologies | Air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries added, each at £2,500 |
| EPC requirement | Removed. A valid EPC is no longer needed to apply |
| MCS certification | Moved into the primary regulations rather than installer guidance |
| Scheme duration | Extended to 2030 as part of the Warm Homes Plan |
Sources: Home Energy Model, UKEM and Energy Saving Trust. Links in the sources section below.
Separately, on 21 April 2026 the government announced a temporary uplift for off-gas-grid homes. From 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, properties heated by oil or LPG can receive £9,000 towards an air source or ground source heat pump. That uplift does not apply to air-to-air.
So on paper, the grant exists and you can have it.
What is actually stopping you
A Boiler Upgrade Scheme voucher is not something you apply for yourself. Your installer raises it, and to do that three things have to line up.
First, an MCS-certified product. The specific model going on your wall has to appear on the MCS Product Directory. As of mid-2026 there were no air-to-air products publicly listed. Manufacturers have to put individual models through product certification, and that process is under way but not complete.
Second, an MCS-certified installer with air-to-air on their scope. Existing MCS installers are certified for particular technologies. Adding air-to-air requires a fresh assessment from their certification body, and certification bodies in turn need UKAS accreditation to carry those assessments out. MCS has confirmed timescales vary by body depending on readiness and UKAS resources.
Third, a BUS installer account with Ofgem, which most established heat pump installers already hold.
The bottleneck is the first two. Without a listed product, no compliant voucher can be generated at all.
Register your interest now and we will tell you when certified installers are available in your area.
Check eligibilityTwo questions to ask any installer
Take-up so far has been minimal. Reported figures for the first month of availability run to a few dozen vouchers nationally, against a scheme processing thousands of air-to-water applications a month.
If an installer tells you today that they can definitely secure your £2,500, ask them two things. Which MCS Product Directory listing does the unit you are quoting appear under? And is air-to-air on your MCS certification scope, and which certification body assessed you for it?
If they cannot answer both, they cannot raise your voucher. That does not make them dishonest. Most of the industry is working from the government announcement rather than the certification position.
What you should do now
If you need heating replaced urgently, do not wait for this. An air-to-water air source heat pump is available today at £7,500, or £9,000 if you are off gas grid on oil or LPG until 31 March 2027. That is a live, working scheme with thousands of certified installers.
If you want cooling this summer, buy the system without the grant and understand you will not qualify retrospectively. Cooling-only installations were never eligible in any case, because the grant requires the system to become your primary heat source.
If you are planning a heating replacement in the next twelve months and air-to-air suits your property, this is the group the timing actually affects. Get quotes now, understand the specification, and ask installers to flag you when their air-to-air certification lands.
What we are watching
We review this page monthly against the MCS Product Directory for the first listed air-to-air products, MCS news and standards updates for certification body readiness, Ofgem BUS guidance for operational changes, and DESNZ voucher statistics for actual redemption volumes.
When the first products list, we will update this page and say so on the date line at the top.