Free heat pump for a flat with electric heating: can you get one?

If your flat is heated by storage heaters, panel heaters, an electric boiler or electric underfloor heating, you may be wondering whether any of that stops you getting a free heat pump. This article sets out what the scheme accepts, what such a flat may be missing, and what ByEco’s free survey (assessment) works out. If your flat may be eligible, this sits alongside our guides to free heat pumps for flats, free heat pumps for 1 and 2 bedroom flats and heat pumps against electric heating.

Can an eligible flat with electric heating get a free heat pump?

It may, if your flat is eligible. Electric heating is not a barrier in itself: the scheme rules name it as a system that can be replaced. The £7,500 grant is paid to the installer, who must take it 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, and if it is more you would pay the difference. Which applies depends on your flat, so we cannot promise it in advance.

What makes an electrically heated flat different is not the grant. It is the heat pump itself. ByEco’s indoor unit is an air-to-water unit, so it heats water rather than the air in the room, and your flat needs a way to use that heat. That is the question the free survey answers first. See which homes may get a free heat pump.

Which electric heating the grant accepts

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme regulations say that where a property already had a heating system, the original system must have been fuelled by fossil fuel or be an electric heating system. They define an electric heating system as one that provides heat generated wholly or mainly from electricity, but not a heat pump. Ofgem’s installer guidance gives examples. GOV.UK’s eligibility page words it more loosely, listing electric among fossil fuel heating systems, so rely on the regulations and Ofgem for the detail.

What a flat with only electric heaters may lack

Storage heaters, panel heaters and electric underfloor mats are normally direct electric heaters, which warm a room without a water circuit. An air-to-water heat pump works the other way round: ByEco’s own guide to heat pumps without an outdoor unit explains that the heat passes into the water for your radiators. So a flat with only direct electric heaters may have no radiators and no heating pipework, and an electric boiler flat may already have both. No source we found says how common either case is, so the survey looks at your flat.

Here is what the primary sources do say.

• The heat pump must meet the heating demand on its own. Ofgem says a grant-funded heat pump must have enough thermal capacity to meet the full space heating demand of the property by itself, whether or not any supplementary heating appliances are present. The MCS heat pump design standard (MIS 3005-D) requires a heat pump selected to provide at least 100% of the calculated heat load without input from any supplementary electric heater.
• Supplementary heating can remain, but the heat pump is not allowed to rely on it. Since 28 April 2026 Ofgem allows a grant-funded heat pump alongside supplementary heating appliances that are not fossil fuel based, and its examples include direct electric heating and storage heaters. Whether any of yours stays is a design decision for the survey.
• Existing radiators and pipework can be reused in some cases. Ofgem says you do not need to remove every part of the existing system, and that pipework and radiators or other heat emitters can be retained if they are in good condition and suitable for the new installation.
• The emitters are part of the design. MIS 3005-D asks for performance data from the heat pump manufacturer and from the emitter system designer, and says the customer must be given the type and dimensions of the emitters in writing before installation starts. The MCS heat emitter guide (MCS 021) shows how a radiator’s output against a room’s heat loss sets the water temperature needed, and gives reducing the room’s heat loss or fitting a radiator with a higher output as ways to improve the result.

The sources do not say a flat with electric heaters is unsuitable, or that it is simple: the heat emitters are designed, not assumed. See whether you need new radiators and heat pumps and underfloor heating.

What the free survey and heat loss calculation decide

ByEco’s free survey (the assessment) is where these questions get answers for your flat. According to ByEco’s catalogue, a surveyor measures each room and looks at the walls, windows, radiators, pipework and electrics, and a room-by-room heat loss calculation then sets the kW size needed and whether any radiators should change. Ofgem separately says the installer must carry out an on-site assessment and be satisfied that the property and technology meet all the eligibility requirements.

• Radiators and pipework. Whether you have any, whether they can be reused, and what would be needed where you have none. The quote after the survey confirms what is included.
• Where the unit and its openings go. ByEco’s catalogue says its indoor units need two circular openings through the external wall, one for the air inlet and one for the air outlet, and that the final opening sizes, positions and terminal type are confirmed on site and set out in your quote and drawings. A flat with an outside wall in a suitable place is the starting point.
• The electricity supply. MIS 3005-D requires the installer to ensure the electricity supply is adequate for the size of heat pump specified. ByEco’s catalogue lists a single-phase electrical supply for its indoor units. See heat pumps and your electricity supply.
• The building. MIS 3005-D also 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.

For what the visit involves, see what to expect from a heat pump survey.

Ownership, shared ownership and the lease

Owners and landlords. GOV.UK’s test is that you own the property you are applying for, including a second home or a property 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. Letting the flat? See heat pumps for landlords.

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 flat is excluded only if it counts as social housing in that sense. The regulations do not exclude shared ownership by name, but Ofgem’s list of what an application must declare includes whether the property is social housing or has shared ownership, so treat a shared ownership flat as unlikely to qualify until the survey confirms it. Tell us at the start if you own a share.

The lease and the freeholder. We found no Boiler Upgrade Scheme source, in GOV.UK’s pages or Ofgem’s guidance, that states freeholder consent as a condition of the grant. Your lease is a separate matter and may require permission for work to the building or its outside walls. Bring it to the survey and read permission for a heat pump in a flat.

What the grant covers

GOV.UK lists £7,500 towards an air source (air-to-water) heat pump, and describes the scheme as a grant to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems. Ofgem says the installer must deduct the full grant from the quote before you pay. ByEco’s offer for eligible 1 and 2 bedroom flats is described in the offer box at the top of this page. The quote you receive after the survey confirms whether anything is left to pay and whether any radiator, pipework or electrical work is included. For the detail, read our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.

What to have ready and what happens next

Ofgem says evidence of the previous heating system would typically include a recent utility bill or fuel receipt and photographs of it, ideally gathered from the owner in advance. For electric heating, the bill must be dated within the last 3 months, show the installation address, and include all pages or show usage figures. The photographs must clearly show the heat source, such as an electric boiler or plug-in wall radiators, its make and model and its location.

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, including the radiators and pipework question.
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.
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.

Why it is sensible to ask early

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is not permanent. The sources give us these facts:

• 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 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 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. See also our heat pumps and grants pages, or get in touch for your free survey.

Worth asking any installer: which radiators and pipework would my flat need, are they in the quote, and what does the contract say if my application is rejected? Ofgem says the installer’s ability to seek payment of the deducted amount then depends on the contract between you and the installer.

Sources

Every figure on this page was checked against primary sources on 10 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: overview
• 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 15
• MCS — MIS 3005-D The Heat Pump Design Standard, Issue 3.0
• MCS — MCS 021 Heat Emitter Guide for Domestic Heat Pumps, Issue 2.1