What help is there, and do you qualify?

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

For: homeowners in England and Wales replacing a fossil fuel boiler with a heat pump.

A government grant paid to the installer and taken straight off your quote. £7,500 towards an air-to-water air source heat pump. If you're off the gas grid and replacing oil or LPG heating, the grant is £9,000. Your installer must be MCS certified, which ours are, and the application is made for you.

• You don't apply. The installer does, and you see the price with the grant off.
• Eligibility depends on the property and what's being replaced. We check at the survey.
• The scheme has no published end date at the time of checking.

Source: GOV.UK, Notice of approved grant categories and values for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, effective 21 July 2026, page updated 20 October 2026.

Draft: heat pump installs and the grant application go through Scope's MCS-certified heat pump partner (David, 4 Nov 2026).

ECO4

For: low-income and vulnerable households, delivered through energy suppliers.

The Energy Company Obligation funds insulation and heating upgrades for households on certain benefits or low incomes, including some solar and heat pump installs where they fit the home. The government has confirmed ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026 and there will be no successor obligation; replacement funding comes through the Warm Homes Plan below.

• Eligibility is set by the scheme, not by us. It depends on benefits, income and the property's EPC rating.
• Jobs must be completed before the scheme closes, so the window is short.

Source: GOV.UK, Extending the ECO4 end date: government response.

Warm Homes: Local Grant

For: lower-income homeowners in England with an EPC of D or below.

Part of the government's Warm Homes Plan. Councils deliver fully funded energy upgrades, which can include insulation, air source heat pumps and solar panels, to eligible households. Eligibility is based on owning the home, its EPC rating and household income, with some areas and benefits qualifying automatically. Each council runs its own version, so what's on offer in Gateshead, Newcastle, Sunderland or Durham can differ.

• You apply through your local council, not through an installer.
• We can tell you whether your property is likely to fit and point you to the right council page.

Draft: details above taken from industry coverage of the Warm Homes Plan (NICEIC, April 2026). Verify the income threshold and the North East councils' schemes on GOV.UK and each council site before this goes live.

Smart Export Guarantee

For: anyone with an MCS-certified solar install.

Not a grant, but money back. Your electricity supplier pays you for every unit of solar electricity you send to the grid. Rates are set by each supplier and vary a lot, so it's worth shopping around. You need an MCS certificate to sign up, which every Scope install comes with.

Coming, but not yet live

Low- and zero-interest loans for home energy upgrades.

The government has announced a loan scheme for upgrades such as solar, batteries and heat pumps. At the time of checking, how it will be delivered and when it starts hasn't been published. We'll update this page when it is. Until then, finance through our partners below is the way to spread the cost.