Free heat pump for 1 and 2 bedroom flats: who qualifies and how it works

If you are asking whether a one or two bedroom flat may qualify for a free heat pump, this article sets out what the scheme rules say, what we could and could not find in them, and what the free survey (assessment) decides. It sits alongside our guides to free heat pumps for flats, whether your home is small enough and how to start an application.

Can a heat pump really be free in an eligible 1 or 2 bedroom flat?

It may be, if your flat is eligible. The scheme does not hand you a heat pump. It pays a fixed grant to the installer, who must take that grant off the quote before you pay anything. If the quote for your flat is no more than the grant, there may be nothing left to pay; if it is more, you would pay the difference. Which of those applies depends on your flat, so no honest article can promise it in advance.

That is why the first step is a free survey. It tells you whether your flat is eligible and what, if anything, would be left to pay, before you commit to anything. For the wider picture, see our guide to which homes may get a free heat pump.

What the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant is

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a government grant for England and Wales, run by Ofgem. GOV.UK lists £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, which it says is sometimes called an air-to-water heat pump, and Ofgem’s installer guidance gives the same £7,500 for an air-to-water heat pump. GOV.UK also says you can get one grant per property.

You do not apply yourself. GOV.UK says the installer applies on your behalf on the Ofgem website, and that the value of the grant is taken off the amount you pay and shown on your quotation and invoice. Ofgem’s guidance goes further: installers must deduct the full grant from the quote before any payment is made by the owner. For the detail, read our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.

Who may be eligible

GOV.UK says you are eligible for a grant if both of these are true: you own the property you are applying for, and you are replacing fossil fuel heating systems such as oil, gas, electric or LPG. The table sets out what the sources say about the situations flat owners ask about most.

GOV.UK adds that you are still eligible if you have already had funding to make your property more energy efficient, for example by insulating it. Ofgem’s guidance adds that a property is not eligible if the heat pump being installed under the scheme has also been promoted under the Energy Company Obligation or has received any other grant from public funds towards its cost.

Owners, landlords, leasehold and shared ownership

Landlords. GOV.UK’s test is that you own the property, including one you rent out to tenants. Ofgem asks an owner who does not live in the property to confirm that they have told the tenant of the impact of the installation. Our guide to heat pumps for landlords covers the practical side.

Social housing and shared ownership. The regulations exclude social housing, using the meaning in section 68 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. Ofgem’s guidance describes social housing as homes owned or managed by councils, housing associations or other organisations providing housing at below market rent or through shared ownership schemes for people in housing need. So a shared ownership home provided that way is treated as social housing and is not eligible. The guidance also says that a home sold through Right to Buy and now privately owned is not classed as social housing and may be eligible. If you own a share of your flat, say so at the start, because the answer turns on how your home is classified.

Leasehold and the freeholder. No source we read says how a leasehold flat is treated, or whether the freeholder’s consent is a condition of the grant. We searched GOV.UK’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme pages, Ofgem’s version 5.2 guidance and regulations 5, 14 and 15 for leasehold, freehold and lease, and found nothing. That means we do not say leaseholders qualify as a matter of scheme rules, and we do not say they are excluded. Your lease is a separate matter from the grant: it may require permission for work to the building or its exterior, which is why we ask you to bring it. Read permission for a heat pump in a flat before the survey.

Why a smaller flat can need less work

ByEco’s own view is that smaller homes and flats need less material and less labour than bigger houses, which is why ByEco can offer a heat pump free of charge under the scheme for eligible properties, subject to survey and eligibility. That is ByEco’s explanation, not a scheme rule and not a promise, and it is not a size limit: the grant does not change with the number of bedrooms.

What follows from it is general. No source we read says how much work a particular flat needs, so treat it as a reason to ask, not as a rule. What your flat needs is decided by the surveys described in the next section. If you want the reasoning behind smaller homes, see whether your home is small enough.

What the free survey and the heat loss survey decide

There are two checks. ByEco’s free survey (the assessment) looks at whether your flat is eligible and suitable. The installer’s heat loss survey is the detailed one that decides what the system must do.

• Eligibility. Ofgem’s guidance says that before applying, the installer must carry out an on-site assessment and be satisfied that the property and chosen technology meet all the eligibility requirements.
• Heat loss. For a heat pump (other than air-to-air) that is to supply 100% of the space heating load, the MCS standard for heat pump design (MIS 3005-D) says a heat load calculation should be performed on the building, otherwise complying with BS EN 12831-1:2017, and requires a heat pump selected to provide at least 100% of the calculated heat load.
• The building and the electrics. The same standard requires the building to be assessed by a competent professional so that the works do not compromise Building Regulations compliance, in particular energy efficiency and electrical safety, and requires the installer to ensure the electricity supply is adequate for the size of heat pump. See heat pumps and your electricity supply.
• The quote. The installer must give you a quote that includes the grant as an upfront discount, and the quote is where you see whether anything is left to pay.

For what the visit involves, see what to expect from a heat pump survey. We do not state any size, noise, efficiency or hot water arrangement for a particular unit here, because those depend on the unit and the survey.

What happens next

1. Get in touch for your free survey. Tell us it is a flat, what heats it now, and whether you own it outright, own a share or rent it out.
2. The survey and heat loss calculation. The installer checks eligibility and works out what your flat needs.
3. The quote. It shows the grant deducted. You decide whether to go ahead, and you can say no.
4. The application. The installer applies to Ofgem on your behalf. Ofgem emails you for consent, and you must use the link within 14 days or the application will expire and may be rejected. Ofgem will also verify your identity.
5. Ofgem decides. Ofgem issues a boiler upgrade voucher once the application is properly made, and must refuse it where it is not satisfied the conditions are met.
6. Installation. The work has to be done within the voucher’s validity, explained below.

Our step-by-step guide for an eligible flat covers installation day. Under the scheme rules the installer must be MCS certified for the technology, and may use subcontractors only where the arrangement complies with MCS standards.

Why it is sensible to ask early

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is not permanent, and these are the facts the sources give us:

• Final date. The regulations say Ofgem must refuse to issue a voucher after 31 December 2029.
• Budget. Ofgem cannot issue new vouchers once the budget threshold is met. If the available budget runs out, Ofgem may operate a queue, ordered by when an application is deemed properly made. Separately, the Secretary of State may introduce a cap on the number of vouchers issued each quarter.
• Voucher validity. An air-to-water voucher expires three months after it is issued, and an expired voucher cannot be extended, although the installer can re-apply for a new one. GOV.UK words the limit differently, as 120 days from applying, so plan around whichever limit comes first.

Ofgem’s BUS monthly scheme update, with statistics to 30 September 2026 and last updated on 13 October 2026, lists £143,585,000 as the remaining budget for Year 5 (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027). Ofgem’s footnote says that figure includes all undetermined applications and vouchers issued yet to be redeemed, and that it is a dynamic value. It is a snapshot, so check the latest report. We are not forecasting when funds might be used.

So asking for your free survey sooner means your application can be made while funding is available, if your flat is eligible. Rules and funding can change.

Where ByEco stands

Call 0161 710 4510 or use the contact page and tell us the flat’s address area, what heats it now and who owns it. The survey is free, and it is how we find out whether your flat is eligible and what would apply. For background, see our heat pumps and grants pages, or get in touch for your free survey.

Worth asking any installer: how will you show I own the flat, what happens if my application is rejected, and what does the contract say about the grant? Ofgem’s guidance says that if an application is rejected, the installer’s ability to seek payment of the deducted amount depends on the contract between you and the installer.

Sources

Every figure on this page was checked against primary sources on 9 November 2026. Grant rules, planning rules and prices change — if you are reading this much later, verify before acting.

• GOV.UK — Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get
• GOV.UK — Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: check if you’re eligible
• GOV.UK — Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: how to apply
• Ofgem — Boiler Upgrade Scheme: guidance for installers
• Ofgem — Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance for installers V5.2 (PDF)
• Ofgem — BUS monthly scheme update
• legislation.gov.uk — Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) Regulations 2022, regulation 5
• legislation.gov.uk — Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) Regulations 2022, regulation 14
• legislation.gov.uk — Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) Regulations 2022, regulation 15
• MCS — MIS 3005-D The Heat Pump Design Standard, Issue 3.0