Heat pump grants in Northern Ireland: what you can actually get in 2026

Quick answer: There is no £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme in Northern Ireland; it covers England and Wales only. NI support comes through NISEP schemes such as Green Heat NI, which fund heat pumps for lower-income households, plus 0% VAT for everyone until March 2027. A typical NI installation costs £8,000 to £14,000.

Here’s the strange part. Northern Ireland is the most oil-heated place in the UK, exactly the housing stock heat pumps were made for, and it’s the one part of the UK with no general heat pump grant. This guide covers what actually exists in 2026, who qualifies, and what to do if you don’t. Figures are from scheme documents and published price guides, checked August 2026.

Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme apply in Northern Ireland?

No. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers England and Wales only. Scotland has its own Home Energy Scotland support instead. Both the standard £7,500 grant and the uplifted £9,000 rate for oil and LPG homes, in force from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, stop at the Irish Sea.

The uplift stings most. Westminster raised it specifically to get oil-heated homes off kerosene, and Northern Ireland has more of those than anywhere else in the UK. The most oil-dependent region gets nothing from the oil-targeted grant. If you’re reading this from England or Wales with an oil boiler, our guide to replacing an oil boiler with a heat pump grant covers what you can claim.

NISEP: the main route to a funded heat pump in NI

The Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP) is an £8 million fund collected through electricity bills, with at least 80% of the money reserved for vulnerable and lower-income “priority” households. The Utility Regulator approves a fresh list of schemes every April, and it has confirmed the programme runs until at least 31 March 2029.

These schemes on the 2026/27 list cover air source heat pumps:

Funding is first come, first served within each programme year, and popular schemes can fill up well before year-end; Efficiency Plus is already running a waiting list. Apply in spring if you can. If your household income is under roughly £35,000, a NISEP scheme is the only realistic way to get a heat pump paid for in Northern Ireland right now. Scheme-by-scheme detail is in our NISEP grants guide.

Can the Affordable Warmth Scheme buy you a heat pump?

No, and this catches people out. Affordable Warmth is NI’s biggest energy grant, worth up to £7,500, or £10,000 where solid wall insulation is needed, for owner-occupiers and private tenants with gross household income under £23,000. But read the measures list. Its heating measures fund natural gas and oil central heating, plus high-efficiency storage systems where neither is available. Heat pumps aren’t on the list.

The scheme works in a strict priority order: insulation, ventilation and draught-proofing first, then heating, then windows, then solid walls. Boiler replacement only applies where the existing boiler is at least 15 years old and the householder is over 65, has a child on Child Benefit, or receives a disability benefit. Private tenants need the landlord’s consent, and the landlord pays half.

Still apply if you qualify. Ring the NI Energy Advice Service on 0800 111 44 55. A heat pump in an uninsulated house wastes money in any country, and this scheme fixes the insulation for free.

Why heat pumps make particular sense in NI

NISRA’s Continuous Household Survey puts 61% of NI households on oil central heating in 2024/25, down from 70% a decade earlier, with 36% on gas. Across the UK as a whole, oil heating is a rural niche. In NI it’s the default.

Oil homes are strong heat pump candidates: they already have wet radiator systems, and rural properties usually have the outdoor space an air source unit needs. The running-cost comparison is the bit to do carefully. NI electricity prices sit outside the GB price cap, and the dominant supplier’s tariffs are set through the Utility Regulator’s own price controls, so GB savings figures don’t copy across. Our heat pump running costs guide explains the GB picture; the principles carry over even where the unit rates don’t.

What you’ll pay without a grant

Our modelled estimate for an air source heat pump installation in Northern Ireland is £10,133. That’s our GB mid-point of £11,014 adjusted by the NI regional index of 0.92, with a realistic spread of £6,600 to £15,700; the method is at how we calculate costs. Local guides quote £8,000 to £14,000 fully installed, which squares with that.

One real consolation: heat pump installations in NI carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, per HMRC’s energy-saving materials rules, after which the 5% rate returns and adds about £500 to a £10,000 job. Choosing kit and sizing it right matters more than in grant-funded markets, because every pound is yours; our heat pumps hub covers both.

What’s coming after 2026?

The Department for Communities launched the Warm Healthy Homes Strategy on 5 February 2026, a ten-year fuel poverty plan with £150 million committed over its first five years. Its delivery scheme, the Warm Healthy Homes Fund, is due from April 2027 and replaces Affordable Warmth. The consultation doesn’t close until 19 August 2026, and nobody has promised the new fund will pay for heat pumps in middle-income homes.

So the decision tree for late 2026 is short. Qualify for a NISEP scheme? Apply now, before the waiting lists. Income under £23,000? Take Affordable Warmth’s insulation and heating help. Neither? You’re paying full price minus the VAT saving, and that window closes in March 2027. Our installer quote comparison is launching soon; you can register interest.

FAQs

Can I claim the £7,500 grant through a property in England?

The grant attaches to the property, not the owner. A home you own in England or Wales can qualify; your Northern Ireland home can’t, under current rules.

Does 0% VAT definitely apply in Northern Ireland?

Yes. The zero rate has applied in NI since 1 May 2023 and runs to 31 March 2027, then reverts to 5%. It covers heat pumps, insulation, solar and batteries.

Is there a waiting list for NISEP heat pump schemes?

Often, yes. Grants are allocated first come, first served each programme year, and at least one 2026/27 scheme was already running a waiting list by summer. Ask the scheme manager where the queue stands before you plan around it.