Air to air heat pump grant: what you can claim, and when (checked 10 October 2026)

The air to air heat pump grant is £2,500 and has been law in England and Wales since 28 April 2026, but nobody has been able to use it yet. Government figures to the end of August 2026 show 145 applications, 0 vouchers issued and 0 payments, because no installer can yet hold the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certification that the scheme requires for air-to-air systems.

Quick answer: In law, yes; in practice, no. The grant does not cover cooling-only air conditioning, and it only pays when the system replaces a whole home's heating. What you can claim today is 0% VAT on installing fixed reversible air conditioning, until 31 March 2027.

Checked on 10 October 2026 against Ofgem's installer guidance V5.1, MCS's latest air-to-air update (8 September 2026), Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) statistics and HMRC VAT Notice 708/6.

The short answer: in law, not claimable

The air to air heat pump grant is a £2,500 payment under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which pays £7,500 for air-to-water and ground source heat pumps. Ofgem's installer guidance V5.1 (published 2 July 2026) says the air-to-air grant applies "in residential properties only", and that the scheme has been extended to 2030.

Search results disagree because of their dates: November 2025 pages announce £2,500 off too early, and a May 2024 page saying there is no grant predates the law.

MCS, the body that certifies installers, said on 28 April 2026 that certified installations would be eligible "once the technology is fully implemented into MCS". That has not happened, which is why DESNZ's August figures (published 24 September 2026) show applications but no vouchers.

Why you cannot claim it yet

Ofgem says your installer must be certified by MCS. For air-to-air, that certification is still being built.

When will it open?

There is no published date. MCS calls the timeline "outside of our direct control". Its consumer page on the scheme says air-to-air comes into MCS "later this year", without a date. Watch the MCS news page instead.

Is there an air conditioning grant UK homes can claim?

Cooling-only air conditioning gets no grant, because the scheme pays to replace a heating system. A reversible unit added next to a working boiler does not qualify either. Ofgem's guidance requires the system to meet 100% of the property's space heating and rules out fossil-fuel hybrids. See air conditioning vs heat pump and heating with air conditioning.

Warm Homes: Local Grant, run by councils in England, lists "air source heat pumps" and does not mention air-to-air, so do not assume it funds one. Ofgem also bars the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant where the heat pump has received other public grant money (para 3.36), so the grants cannot be stacked.

Who will qualify when it opens

"Yes" means Ofgem's rules allow it once claims open.

The home and the heating system you have now

What the system has to do

Ofgem says the new system must "fully replace the property's existing fossil fuel or electric heating system". It must have the capacity to provide 100% of the space heating. Hot water can come from the system or from a kept or new immersion heater or cylinder, and the installer declares which. No energy performance certificate has been needed since 28 April 2026 (para 3.40).

One voucher, not one per room

Two or more air-to-air units can form one eligible system, but Ofgem issues one voucher for the whole system, and one per property (paras 3.33, 3.101 to 3.104).

Ofgem bars a property that has already received a Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for a heat pump at the same address (paras 3.33 and 3.36). The guidance does not say whether taking the £2,500 would block a later £7,500 air-to-water grant. Our reading of those paragraphs is that it might. Ask Ofgem before you rely on either answer.

What the £2,500 would actually cover

The air to air heat pump grant is a fixed sum, so what matters is the price of a system that meets the whole-home rule. These are published figures, not our quotes.

One room rarely qualifies, because a single unit seldom heats a whole property, so the grant matters mainly for multi-split and ducted systems. If it were claimable, the Energy Saving Trust's £3,700 three-bed figure would fall to £1,200.

See our air-to-air heat pump guide, cost guide, running costs guide and cost calculator for your own rooms.

What you can claim today: 0% VAT until 31 March 2027

HMRC's understanding is that "most air conditioning units are air source heat pumps" (VAT Notice 708/6, para 2.15, last updated 31 January 2024). Only permanently fixed units count, and doubtful cases depend on the facts.

The zero rate applies to the installation of those materials until 31 March 2027. From 1 April 2027 the reduced rate of 5% applies. Selling the materials without installing them is standard rated, so a unit bought from a shop and fitted separately does not get the relief.

Ask for an itemised quote with the VAT rate on installation written down. If it shows 5% or 20% on a fixed installation in a home, ask which HMRC rule the installer is relying on. This is general information, not tax advice.

How to check an installer before you trust a grant promise

1. Ask which grant the quote means. One Brighton installer says its MCS certification means it "can help you access the government grant", but that page is about the £7,500 grant for water-based heat pumps.
2. Ask for the MCS certificate number and the scope in writing. Today no installer can hold an air-to-air scope (MCS, 8 September 2026).
3. Check the F gas certificate on the register. Our F gas guide shows how.
4. Do not pay a deposit against a grant. Ofgem issues the voucher, and the installer deducts it from the price.
5. Get three itemised quotes for the same specification, showing the price before any grant and the VAT rate.

Of the 39 Brighton and Hove installers we list, 7 say on their own sites that they hold MCS, all for heat pumps or renewables. None publishes a certificate number, and none was verified on the MCS register. A further 11 offer air-to-air or reversible systems. That counts claims in our data on 10 October 2026, not every installer in the city. Our installer pages show what we found for each firm.

Should you wait for the grant?

You need cooling by next summer. Do not wait. No opening date has been published, and the 0% VAT rate ends on 31 March 2027.

You heat with storage heaters and have no radiators. The rules fit this home best, since Ofgem lists direct electric heating as an eligible starting point. Simon Baseden of AAC Group points to homes with old direct electric heating and no wet system as the kind where air-to-air makes sense.

You have good radiators and a hot water cylinder, and you do not need cooling. Baseden said on the Renewable Heating Hub podcast that an air-to-water heat pump is generally the better fit here. That is one installer's view.

How to claim when it opens

1. Get a survey and a quote that shows the £2,500 deducted from the price.
2. Your installer applies to the scheme on your behalf.
3. Confirm your consent when Ofgem asks, within 14 calendar days.
4. Use the voucher within its validity. For air-to-air that is 3 months (Ofgem V5.1, Table 8).

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