◐ HEAT PUMPS · UK · 2026

Heat pumps in the UK.
The honest guide.

The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme makes heat pumps financially viable for millions of UK homes. But the maths varies enormously depending on what you currently heat with, how well insulated your home is, and which region you're in. Scotland and Wales have additional schemes. Off-gas areas have a much stronger case. Start with the calculator.

Run the heat pump calculator → Check my grants
◐ QUICK FACTS · 2026

What's actually true right now.

£7,500

BUS grant for air-source or ground-source heat pump. Open to all homeowners in England and Wales — no income test. Confirmed running until 2030.

£2,500

BUS grant for air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries — added late 2025. Suits flats, smaller homes, and properties without space for a hot water cylinder.

SCOP 3.0–4.0

Typical seasonal efficiency of a UK air-source heat pump. For every 1 kWh of electricity used, you get 3–4 kWh of heat — making it cheaper to run than direct electric and often comparable to gas.

Oil / LPG homes

The strongest case for heat pumps. Running cost savings of £400–£900/year are typical replacing oil, versus £100–£300 replacing gas. If you're off the gas grid, run the numbers first.

EPC C or better

The sweet spot for heat pump performance. EPC D can work but you'll see lower SCOP and higher running costs. EPC E or below — improve insulation first. ECO4 may fund that free (closes Dec 2026).

Scotland / Wales / NI

Additional regional schemes: Home Energy Scotland (grants + 0% loans), Nest Wales (free upgrades for eligible households), NI Affordable Warmth. Check the grants checker for your area.

◐ TOOLS

Run your numbers.

FLAGSHIP CALCULATOR
Heat pump + BUS grant calculator

Heat demand by property type, SCOP-based running cost, grant deducted, payback vs your current fuel. 7 inputs.

7 INPUTS · 3 MIN
GRANTS
Grants eligibility checker

BUS + ECO4 + Warm Homes Local Grant + Nest + Home Energy Scotland — what you qualify for in your area.

5 INPUTS · 2 MIN
GUIDE · 7 MIN
Boiler Upgrade Scheme explained

Grant amounts, eligibility, MCS requirements, application process and the gotchas nobody mentions.

UPDATED APR 2026
GUIDE · 8 MIN
Air-to-air vs air-to-water

The £2,500 air-to-air grant changes the choice for many homes. Decision tree for which suits yours.

UPDATED APR 2026
◐ HEAT PUMP CALCULATOR BY LOCATION — 50 UK CITIES

Find heat pump data for your city.

Each page pre-fills the local fuel type, flags regional grant schemes, and explains what the BUS grant means for your specific area — including where off-gas properties have a much stronger financial case.

South & South-West England
BUS £7,500 · mild winters · off-gas areas common
Bristol
Gas · strong case
Brighton
Gas · mild winters
Bournemouth
Gas · mildest UK
Exeter
⚡ Off-gas areas
Plymouth
⚡ Off-gas areas
Truro
⚡ 30%+ off-gas
Southampton
Gas · South coast
Portsmouth
Gas · Solent
South-East England
BUS £7,500 · good SCOP · rural off-gas
London
Gas · long payback
Oxford
⚡ Rural off-gas
Reading
Gas · Thames Valley
Guildford
⚡ Surrey Hills oil
Canterbury
⚡ East Kent oil
Maidstone
⚡ Weald oil
Midlands & East England
BUS £7,500 · East Anglia high off-gas rate
Birmingham
Gas · West Midlands
Coventry
Gas · modern stock
Leicester
Gas · East Midlands
Nottingham
Gas · East Midlands
Derby
⚡ Peak Dist. oil
Wolverhampton
Gas · 60s-80s stock
Cambridge
⚡ Fen oil common
Norwich
⚡ High off-gas rate
Ipswich
⚡ Suffolk oil
Peterborough
⚡ Fen oil
Milton Keynes
Gas · modern homes
Northampton
Gas · Midlands
Luton
Gas · Beds
Worcester
Gas · Worcs.
Cheltenham
Gas · Cotswolds
North England
BUS £7,500 · insulation critical · rural off-gas
Manchester
Gas · long payback
Leeds
Gas · Yorkshire
Sheffield
Gas · S. Yorks
Liverpool
Gas · Merseyside
Newcastle
Gas · Tyne & Wear
Bradford
Gas · insulation first
Hull
Gas · East Riding
York
Gas · N. Yorks
Sunderland
Gas · N. East
Middlesbrough
Gas · Teesside
Stoke-on-Trent
Gas · Staffs.
Preston
Gas · Lancashire
Blackpool
Gas · Fylde Coast
Lancaster
⚡ Lune Valley oil
Carlisle
⚡ Cumbria oil
Wales
BUS £7,500 + Nest Wales free upgrades for eligible
Cardiff
BUS + Nest
Swansea
⚡ W. Wales oil
Scotland
BUS £7,500 + Home Energy Scotland grants & 0% loans
Glasgow
BUS + HES
Edinburgh
BUS + HES
Aberdeen
⚡ Off-gas · HES
Northern Ireland
NISEP + Affordable Warmth — BUS does not apply
Belfast
⚡ Oil — NISEP