Leicester Heat Pump Grant Eligibility — Common Questions Answered

The basic test

A Leicester property qualifies for the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme when:

• you own it — as the person living there, a private landlord, or a small business
• the heat pump replaces gas, oil, LPG or electric heating as the main system
• it is fitted by an MCS-certified installer, who makes the application

That’s it. There is no income test, no minimum EPC rating and no limit on the value of the property.

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My house is an old Victorian terrace. Does that matter?

Not for eligibility. Until April 2026, a terrace with an Energy Performance Certificate recommending wall or loft insulation could be refused. That requirement was removed on 28 April 2026, which opened the door for many of the solid-brick terraces in Clarendon Park, Highfields, Belgrave and the West End.

Whether a heat pump suits your terrace is a separate question, answered by the survey: usually yes, with some larger radiators and a cylinder.

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I rent my home. Can I apply?

Tenants can’t apply, because the scheme is for property owners. Your landlord can, and the grant covers private rentals on the same terms. If you rent from Leicester City Council or a housing association, the scheme doesn’t apply: social housing is funded through other programmes.

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I’m a landlord with several properties

You can apply for each property separately, provided each has its own heating system being replaced. A house in multiple occupation with one boiler is one application.

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We have electric storage heaters, not gas

Electric heating qualifies. Storage and panel heaters are expensive to run, so moving to a heat pump usually brings one of the largest running-cost reductions of any switch.

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We’re on oil or LPG on the edge of the city

Some properties on the fringes of Aylestone and Birstall, and in villages around the city, are off the gas grid. They qualify, and on applications made from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 the grant is £9,000 for an air source or ground source heat pump. Cadent can confirm whether your road has a mains gas supply.

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We live in a conservation area

Leicester has 25 conservation areas, from Stoneygate and Knighton to Ashleigh Road and Castle Gardens. You can still claim the grant. You may need planning permission if the outdoor unit would go on a wall or roof facing the road, and a listed building needs listed building consent for any external alteration. Sort out consent before the grant voucher is requested, so the voucher doesn’t run out while the council decides.

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Our house is a new build

If you bought it from a developer, it isn’t eligible: new homes are expected to be built with low-carbon heating. A genuine self-build, where you built the house or employed the builder directly, can qualify with title deeds and invoices.

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We want to keep the gas boiler as a back-up

Then the system isn’t eligible. BUS doesn’t fund hybrid systems that combine a heat pump with a gas boiler. The heat pump has to be the main heating system.

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We had a heat pump fitted before

If the existing heat pump was paid for with BUS or an earlier government grant, you can’t claim again for its replacement. If it was paid for privately, ask your installer to check.

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Is there anything better than the grant?

If your household income is under £36,000 and your home has an EPC rating of D to G, Leicester City Council’s Warm Homes: Local Grant may pay for a heat pump, insulation or solar panels in full. The city has more than £4.5 million to spend. If you live outside the city boundary, note that Leicestershire County Council has paused new applications to its scheme.

The two schemes can’t be combined on the same heat pump, so check the free route first.

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Next: how the application works · grant values and recent changes