Air-to-air heat pumps joined the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in April 2026. It's the first time England has granted them anything — and the reporting promptly muddled it. Some blogs claim air-to-air now gets £7,500. It doesn't; the rate is £2,500. This page gives the real number, the real conditions, and how to choose between the two grant routes.
What Does the Grant Actually Pay?
£2,500, for residential properties only, one voucher per home, when an MCS-certified installer fits an air-to-air heat pump that becomes your home's heating. The application is installer-led: we apply to Ofgem, you confirm consent by email once, and the £2,500 comes off your invoice. Single-zone installs of £2,500–£4,500 can land at zero out of pocket.
It's part of the wider Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and full price tiers are on the air-to-air service page.
The Rule That Catches People Out: Full Replacement
The grant funds heating replacements, not add-on air conditioning. To qualify, the air-to-air system must fully replace your existing fossil-fuel or electric heating — the gas boiler, the storage heaters, the panel radiators come out. A wall unit added to one hot bedroom while the boiler keeps running is a normal paid job, no grant. This single rule explains most of the "I was told I qualify" disappointments we hear, and it shapes who the grant genuinely suits: homes where a few indoor units really can carry the whole heating load, with hot water solved separately (air-to-air doesn't heat water — budget an immersion cylinder or keep your existing setup, and make sure any quote says which).
£2,500 Air-to-Air or £7,500–£9,000 Air-to-Water — Which Route Wins?
As a rule: homes with a boiler and radiators serving four or more rooms do better on the £7,500–£9,000 air-to-water route; flats, small well-insulated homes and storage-heater conversions do better on £2,500 air-to-air. Hot water is the deciding factor — air-to-air doesn't provide it.
| Factor | Air-to-air (£2,500) | Air-to-water (£7,500 / £9,000) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical net cost | £0–£4,500 | £1,000–£5,000 |
| Heats water for taps/showers | No — separate solution needed | Yes, cylinder included |
| Uses existing radiators | No (they're removed) | Yes, with some upsizing |
| Summer cooling | Yes — real air conditioning | No |
| Install disruption | 1–2 days, no wet pipework | 2–3 days |
| Best-fit homes | Flats, small well-insulated homes, storage-heater conversions | 3+ bed family homes, anything on oil/LPG |
The Bucks-specific corollary: an oil or LPG home should essentially never take the £2,500 route, because from 21 July 2026 it's leaving a £9,000 voucher on the table — see the £9,000 grant guide. Where air-to-air shines locally is Aylesbury's flats and the all-electric cottages and annexes that never had oil in the first place: storage-heater homes cut their heating cost by roughly two-thirds, with the install mostly paid for by the voucher.
Two practical notes before the questions. Timing: air-to-air vouchers follow the same installer-led process as the main scheme, and single-zone installations are usually surveyed, approved and fitted within a few weeks — there's no 21 July window to wait for, because the £2,500 rate is already live. And condition of entry: the standard EPC rule applies, so an expired certificate or an outstanding loft recommendation pauses the application until it's cleared.
Air-to-Air Grant Questions
Can I get £2,500 per unit if I install several?
No — it's £2,500 per property, one voucher, however many indoor units the system uses. A three-room multi-split at £6,000 nets to £3,500; it doesn't collect three vouchers.
Do the EPC insulation rules apply to air-to-air too?
Yes — the standard scheme conditions carry over: valid EPC, no outstanding loft or cavity wall recommendations, owner applies through an MCS installer. The eligibility checklist on the grant hub applies unchanged.
I read air-to-air gets £7,500 now — is that true?
No. The £7,500 (and £9,000 oil/LPG) rates apply to air-to-water and ground source systems that heat water and radiators. Air-to-air's rate is £2,500. The confusion comes from articles conflating "air source" (the family) with "air-to-air" (one member of it) — worth knowing, because a mis-sold expectation of £7,500 surfaces at voucher time, after the contract.
Does a granted air-to-air system make sense for a rental flat?
Often the best case of all: landlords qualify, the net cost after the voucher is small, there's no wet system to maintain between tenancies, the EPC improves, and tenants get cooling — which is starting to appear in letting listings the way dishwashers once did. Freeholder consent for the outdoor unit is the one extra step; we prepare the technical pack for it.
Get Both Routes Priced Side by Side
The survey settles it in one visit: we'll tell you whether your home is a £2,500 air-to-air property or a £7,500–£9,000 air-to-water one, and if it's genuinely borderline you'll get both quotes with the vouchers deducted so the arithmetic decides. Start on the air-to-air page or the Boiler Upgrade Scheme hub.