Is it Your Time to hop on the BUS?
Let us explain to you how the latest updates to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme mean you do not need to add insulation before applying for the £7,500 grant.
For those of you that are not aware, the Scheme offers £7,500 towards the purchase and installation of an air source heat pump. This means, if your home is ‘HEAT PUMP READY’, your new heat pump could be COMPLETELY FREE!!
❓So ‘What does ‘heat pump ready’ actually mean?🤔
It refers to homes that won’t need any additional equipment or adjustments (such as a hot water tank or radiator changes) in order to have a heat pump installed. To be honest, it’s most likely to apply to newly built homes with modern fixtures. Many homes will need a compatible hot water tank installed with their heat pump. This will ensure your heating system provides ENERGY-EFFICIENT HEATING AND HOT WATER for your home. This will, of course, add an additional cost (we estimate around £1,400) to your installation so you will need to factor this in.
Since May this year, the Scheme now accepts Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) with insulation recommendations. This means that more properties can apply for funding WITHOUT HAVING TO UPDATE THEIR EPC (if it previously recommended loft or cavity insulation).
❓What does this mean for you as a homeowner?🤔
It means you don’t HAVE to worry about adding loft or cavity wall insulation before applying. It will make many more households eligible for the grant BUT remember, you still DO NEED AN EPC and you NEED TO OWN the property.
❓Why is it important to have good insulation?🤔
Even though the government is awarding the grant to properties without loft and cavity wall insulation, here, at Emerald Green, we still HIGHLY RECCOMEND insulating your home properly. HERE’S A BIG FAT WHY…
As heat pumps are designed to keep your home at a STEADY TEMPERATURE (that LOW, CONSISTENT heat we keep banging on about!), it’s important to make sure your home is WELL INSULATED to get the MOST EFFICIENT results.
Although you can now apply for the grant before installing insulation, it’s most definitely an idea to plan to GET IT UPGRADED in the future. NOW…WE, HERE AT EMERALD GREEN, ARE GOING TO THROW A BIG OL’ SPANNER IN THE WORKS I’M AFRAID…
As a transparent company working on heat pump projects, we do STRONGLY recommend that homeowners prioritise having loft and cavity wall insulation completed PRIOR TO INSTALLING a heat pump. Yup, that’s right – PRIOR. WHY you ask? Because this will keep the size of the heat pump and radiators down, whilst IMPROVING THE HEAT LOSS of your property.
❓Interested? Want to know how YOU can apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?🤔
Installing a heat pump isn’t a do-it-yourself job, and neither is applying for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Your chosen installer will apply for the grant on your behalf (hi, we handle this part!🙋♀️).
The BUS has been extended to run until 2028 so YOU DO have time to make an INFORMED DECISION to transition to the wonderful world of renewable energy.
To sum all this up, this is POSITIVE news for homeowners who are wanting to take advantage of the Scheme but not yet ready for the inconvenience and upfront costs of recommended insulation upgrades to their home beforehand. Bear in mind that the outdated Scheme meant that loft and cavity wall insulation needed to be added BEFORE applying. There was and still is good reason for this; improved heat loss and energy-efficiency. The way we see it is if you are wanting to lower your carbon footprint and step into the world of renewables, then you should be wanting to get the most energy-efficient results, whether this be BEFORE or AFTER a heat pump installation. The more energy-efficient, the more eco friendly and the lesser the running cost. After all, there is no Planet B.
Have further Questions after reading this? Give us a bell on 01935 350011 OR simply come and see us in our renewables showroom (did we mention it is stunning?) at Old Yarn Mills, Sherborne. We can chat over a brew (or coffee if you prefer!)☕
Perhaps worth mentioning here that we are open Saturdays for those who cannot visit during the week.😊
Further Info Below:
If you are a property owner who is interested in installing low carbon heating at your property, please visit Ofgem’s page for property owners.
If you are an installer thinking of installing low carbon heating with Boiler Upgrade Scheme support. You will need to read Ofgem’s detailed guidance for installers before you apply to the scheme.
