By UK Heat Pump Guide Editorial Team · Last reviewed
Park Home Heat Pumps: BUS Grants and Costs in 2026
A residential park home can be suitable for a heat pump, but suitability and grant eligibility must be checked for the individual property. The old advice that a park home is excluded from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme because it lacks an EPC is no longer a safe starting point.
This guide was reviewed on 2 October 2026. It covers planning a project for an existing residential park home, with grant information for England and Wales. A holiday caravan, a legally separate residential property and a site with shared services may raise different questions. An installer must confirm the case before you commit.
Park-home heat pumps: start with the heating task
Describe what the system needs to do. Is it replacing direct electric heaters, LPG or oil? Does it need to provide hot water as well as space heating? Are there existing radiators and pipework, or would those need to be installed?
An air-to-water system and an air-to-air system are different proposals. The former can serve a water-based heating system when designed appropriately; the latter needs a separate hot-water plan unless another solution is included. Compare the complete project, rather than selecting on the outdoor unit's price alone.
The building's heat loss, intended room temperatures, electricity supply and installation constraints matter more than a generic claim that every park home needs a particular unit size.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme: the EPC rule has changed
Ofgem's installer guidance applying from 28 April 2026 includes park homes among examples of residential property types and says a valid EPC is no longer required for a BUS application. If no valid EPC is available, the installer must supply evidence of eligibility. The guidance discusses recent utility bills or fuel receipts and photographs of the existing heating system.
This does not guarantee eligibility for every park-home project. Location, existing heating, ownership and property arrangements, the system being installed and funding restrictions still need checking. Ask your installer to identify the applicable requirements for your case.
Source: Ofgem installer guidance, version 5, sections 3.28 to 3.44. Do not reject a project solely because there is no EPC.
Which BUS grant amount should appear on the quote?
The government grant-value notice effective from 21 July 2026 distinguishes technologies and the heating system being replaced. It lists £7,500 for many air-to-water installations and £9,000 for an eligible off-gas-grid property replacing oil or LPG with an air-to-water heat pump. Air-to-air grants are listed at £2,500.
These amounts are scheme categories, not a promise that your proposal qualifies or a national installation price. Have the installer confirm the category, current availability and the deduction shown on your written quote. Do not assume the higher amount merely because the home is on a park.
Source: GOV.UK approved grant categories and values, checked 2 October 2026.
ECO4 and GBIS: do not budget on an assumed free installation
Ofgem's current ECO4 delivery guidance records an extension to 31 December 2026. A scheme deadline is not evidence that a local supplier is accepting new applications or that it will fund your project. Confirm availability and the written funding decision with the provider or council involved.
For example, Cheshire West and Chester Council says its ECO/GBIS route ended for new applications on 31 March 2026, while ECO4 was extended to support managed closure. That is a local example, not a rule establishing availability in every council area.
GBIS officially ended on 31 March 2026, according to the government's May 2026 statistics publication. Do not direct a new applicant to it as an open insulation funding route.
Sources: Ofgem ECO4 delivery guidance, Cheshire West and Chester's current scheme information, and GOV.UK GBIS closure information.
The survey questions that make a quote useful
| Question | What to ask the installer to record |
|---|---|
| How much heat is needed? | Room-by-room heat-loss assessment and design assumptions |
| What happens in cold weather? | Design temperature, output and any supplementary heating |
| What needs changing indoors? | Radiators, pipework, controls and hot-water equipment |
| Where does the outdoor unit go? | Base, clearances, access, condensate and noise considerations |
| Is the electricity supply suitable? | Required electrical work and responsibility for checks |
| What does the park require? | Permissions and site constraints to be confirmed in writing |
This checklist helps organize a survey; it is not a readiness score validated on park homes. An online checklist cannot prove that a proposed unit will achieve its advertised efficiency.
Photographs and approximate dimensions are useful preparation. They do not replace an installer survey, permission checks or electrical assessment.
Compare two complete project totals
Separate equipment and installation, fabric work, distribution-system changes, electrical work, grant deduction and ongoing maintenance. Ask whether each extra is included, optional or a provisional allowance.
Illustrative budget only: proposal A is £11,000 before an approved £7,500 grant, leaving £3,500 for that quoted scope. Proposal B is £12,000 before the same deduction, leaving £4,500. If A excludes £1,500 of necessary radiator work included in B, the original headline comparison is incomplete.
Those numbers are not market averages, verified offers or evidence that your property qualifies. Do not deduct an unapproved grant to make an unaffordable quotation appear affordable. Keep the full pre-grant price visible until the route is confirmed.
Estimate running costs from useful heat
For a planning estimate, electricity for heating equals useful heat demand divided by the assumed seasonal efficiency. Multiply that electricity by your applicable tariff. Add standing-charge changes, maintenance and other heating or hot-water costs separately where relevant.
Fictitious scenario: 9,000 kWh of annual useful heat at an assumed seasonal performance factor of 3 needs 3,000 kWh of electricity. At an assumed 25p/kWh, that is £750 of energy for this calculation. It excludes other costs and is not a performance forecast.
Use your own inputs in the heat pump calculator and read the running-cost guide. Compare a cautious efficiency scenario with the installer's design estimate; a single optimistic result should not determine the purchase.
Questions to settle before a deposit
Ask which exact model and scope are quoted, which funding category has been checked, what permissions remain outstanding and what happens if the funding is refused. Confirm commissioning, handover, maintenance and responsibility for faults.
If you have not yet gathered these inputs, use the calculator to organize your assumptions first. Then ask the installer for a written proposal based on your park home. This guide does not promise lower bills, a free heat pump or approval of a grant.