Heat Pump Grants Northern Ireland: 2026 Guide

TL;DR (Updated July 2026)

Northern Ireland is not covered by the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). That grant runs in England and Wales only, so the headline figure quoted across most UK websites does not apply here.
There is no like-for-like capital grant for heat pumps in Northern Ireland right now. The old Boiler Replacement Scheme has closed, and no direct £7,500 heat pump voucher has replaced it.
The main funded route is income based. The Affordable Warmth Scheme, delivered by the Housing Executive, offers up to £7,500 of heating and insulation work for private owner-occupiers with a household income under £23,000.
NISEP is the second route. The Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme funds a rotating list of measures each year through your electricity bill, allocated first come, first served.
Oil dominates here. 61% of Northern Ireland homes still run on oil central heating, which changes the running cost sums compared with gas-heated Great Britain.
Action step: confirm eligibility with the Northern Ireland Energy Advice line, then get quotes from an MCS certified installer before committing.

If you have read about the UK's £7,500 heat pump grant and assumed it applies everywhere, this guide corrects a costly misunderstanding. Heating policy is devolved, and Northern Ireland sits outside the flagship English and Welsh scheme entirely. Homeowners in Belfast, Derry, Armagh, and the rural counties face a different, quieter set of support options that far fewer articles explain properly.

I analyse regional adoption patterns for a living, and Northern Ireland is the most distinctive heating market in the UK. Oil rules, the gas grid is patchy, and the grant landscape looks nothing like the one across the Irish Sea. This article lays out exactly what funding exists in 2026, who qualifies, how the schemes interact, and what a realistic path to a heat pump looks like when the big national voucher is off the table.

Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cover Northern Ireland?

No. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not operate in Northern Ireland. The scheme supports heat pump and biomass installations in England and Wales only, offering £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump. Northern Ireland residents cannot apply, and no installer here can redeem a BUS voucher on your behalf.

This is confirmed directly in the government eligibility guidance, which states the property must be a home or building in England or Wales and that the Boiler Replacement Scheme in Northern Ireland is now closed (see the GOV.UK Boiler Upgrade Scheme eligibility page). Scotland has its own separate route through Home Energy Scotland, which we cover in the Scotland heat pump grants guide. Wales is included in BUS and can stack it with the Nest scheme, explained in the Wales heat pump grants guide.

The practical consequence is simple. If a national comparison site tells you a heat pump "only" costs a few thousand pounds after the grant, mentally cross that out. In Northern Ireland you are starting from the full installed price, then looking for the narrower, means-tested help described below. For the underlying numbers before any grant, see our complete UK heat pump cost guide.

Why Northern Ireland is treated differently

Heating policy is devolved, and Northern Ireland's housing stock runs on oil rather than gas, so the schemes designed for a gas-grid country do not transfer neatly. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme was built around persuading gas boiler households in Great Britain to switch. Northern Ireland's problem is different in scale and shape.

According to the 2024/25 Continuous Household Survey published by NISRA, 61% of Northern Ireland households use oil central heating as their main heating source, with 36% on gas (see the NISRA heating source release). That is close to the mirror image of Great Britain, where the large majority of homes are on the gas grid. Oil prices swing sharply, many rural homes have no gas connection at all, and fuel poverty rates are among the highest in the UK.

That backdrop matters for two reasons. First, a heat pump replacing an oil boiler often produces better running cost savings than one replacing mains gas, because oil is typically the more expensive fuel per useful unit of heat. Our guide on how to replace an oil boiler with a heat pump walks through that comparison in detail. Second, the absence of a broad capital grant means the upfront barrier stays high, which is why the funded schemes here are aimed squarely at lower-income households rather than the general market.

The Affordable Warmth Scheme: the main funded route

The Affordable Warmth Scheme is the closest thing Northern Ireland has to a mainstream heating grant, offering up to £7,500 of energy efficiency and heating work to lower-income private owner-occupiers. It is delivered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and targeted at households on modest incomes living in the private sector.

The headline eligibility rules are straightforward:

You must own and live in the property as your main home, or rent privately.
Your total gross annual household income must be under £23,000.
The property is assessed for a range of measures rather than a single product.

Grants run up to £7,500, rising to around £10,000 where solid wall insulation is involved. Covered measures include loft, cavity, and solid wall insulation, replacement heating systems, and replacement windows where appropriate. You can read the official overview on the nidirect Affordable Warmth pages and the eligibility changes announced by the Department for Communities.

A word of realism here. Affordable Warmth has historically prioritised insulation and conventional replacement heating rather than routinely funding air source heat pumps. The scheme is fabric-first by design, which is sensible, because a well-insulated home is the foundation for any low temperature heating system. If you qualify, treat it as a way to get your home heat-pump-ready and to fund efficiency work, and ask the assessor directly what heating technologies are currently offered in your case rather than assuming a heat pump is on the menu.

There is also a change on the horizon. The Warm Healthy Homes Fund is expected to become the Department's main fuel poverty intervention for private sector homes, with Affordable Warmth transitioning across. If you are reading this later in 2026 or beyond, check the current Warm Healthy Homes Fund page before applying, because the delivery route may have moved.

NISEP: funding through your electricity bill

The Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme, or NISEP, funds a rotating list of energy efficiency measures each year, paid for through a levy on electricity bills and allocated on a first come, first served basis. It is overseen by the Utility Regulator and delivered through energy suppliers and their appointed scheme managers.

NISEP works differently from a fixed voucher. Each programme year the Utility Regulator approves a list of schemes, a portion of which is ring-fenced for lower-income and vulnerable households, with the remainder open to the general public. Because the pot is finite and demand is high, popular schemes are often oversubscribed within weeks and move onto a waiting list.

Key points to understand about NISEP in 2026:

The programme year runs from 1 April to 31 March, or until that year's funds run out.
Schemes and the organisations delivering them change annually, so last year's offer is not a guide to this year's.
Measures have leaned towards insulation, controls, and efficient heating rather than heat pumps specifically, though the approved list is worth checking each spring.

You can see the current approved schemes on the Utility Regulator NISEP page. The practical advice is to act early in the programme year and to enquire through the named scheme manager rather than waiting for a national marketing push, because the good schemes close fast.

How the Northern Ireland schemes compare

Northern Ireland's support is means-tested and measure-based rather than a universal heat pump voucher, which is the single biggest difference from the rest of the UK. The table below sets the local options against the Great Britain schemes so you can see where you stand.

Feature	Affordable Warmth (NI)	NISEP (NI)	Boiler Upgrade Scheme (GB)
Region	Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	England and Wales
Grant value	Up to £7,500 (up to ~£10,000 with solid wall)	Varies by scheme each year	£7,500 for a heat pump
Eligibility	Income under £23,000, owner-occupier or private renter	Mixed: targeted plus general public	All homeowners with a valid EPC
Funds heat pumps directly?	Sometimes, insulation and heating led	Occasionally, check the annual list	Yes, this is its core purpose
How you apply	Housing Executive assessment	Through the appointed scheme manager	MCS installer claims on your behalf
Funding source	Department for Communities	Levy on electricity bills	UK Government via Ofgem

The takeaway is that neither Northern Ireland scheme behaves like BUS. Both are worth pursuing if you are eligible, but you should plan your project on the assumption that a large slice of the heat pump cost will come from your own budget, then treat any grant as a welcome reduction rather than the foundation of the deal.

What a heat pump realistically costs in Northern Ireland

Without a universal grant, most Northern Ireland households should budget for the full installed price of a heat pump, which typically lands between £8,000 and £14,000 for a standard air source system before any means-tested help. Ground source systems cost considerably more because of the groundworks involved.

Northern Ireland pricing broadly tracks the rest of the UK, with a few local wrinkles. Installer density is lower than in the big English cities, which can lengthen quote times and reduce competitive pressure on price. On the other hand, many properties are detached or semi-detached with reasonable outdoor space, which suits air source units and avoids the tight-siting headaches common in dense terraces.

Because oil is the incumbent fuel for most homes here, the running cost case can be stronger than a gas-to-heat-pump switch elsewhere. A well-designed system running at a low flow temperature, paired with a sensible electricity tariff, can undercut oil heating on annual cost. The variables that decide this are your insulation level, the system design, and the tariff, so treat any single headline figure with caution and model your own numbers. Our real-world heat pump running cost breakdown shows how the sums move once you plug in genuine usage.

Before you commit, it is worth checking whether your home is a good candidate at all. Poorly insulated properties with undersized radiators will disappoint on any heating system, and a heat pump is unforgiving of a leaky fabric. Use our home suitability checklist as a first filter, and only then move to detailed quotes.

Step-by-step: getting funded and installed in Northern Ireland

The most reliable path is to confirm your grant eligibility first, sort any fabric work, then commission an MCS certified heat pump install. Rushing to install before checking funding can mean missing help you were entitled to.

Check your household income against the £23,000 threshold. If you are under it and own or privately rent your home, Affordable Warmth is your primary route. If you are over it, your realistic options are NISEP measures and self-funding.
Contact the Northern Ireland Energy Advice line. The free service can point you to the current schemes and check eligibility. It is reachable on 0800 111 4455 and is the single best starting point.
Get an assessment. For Affordable Warmth, the Housing Executive arranges a survey. Ask specifically what heating measures are offered and whether a heat pump is available in your case.
Prioritise the fabric. Loft and wall insulation, draught-proofing, and heating controls all improve heat pump performance and may be funded even where the pump itself is not. This is money well spent regardless.
Get MCS certified quotes. Whether or not a grant funds the pump, use an MCS certified installer so the work meets the recognised standard and any future scheme or warranty claim is protected.
Compare at least three quotes. Given the thinner installer market here, spreading your enquiries wider than you would in England is worth the effort.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant in Northern Ireland?

No. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is available in England and Wales only. Northern Ireland residents cannot apply, and the old Boiler Replacement Scheme that once operated here has closed. Your funded options are the income-based Affordable Warmth Scheme and the annual NISEP programme, both described above.

Is there any direct heat pump grant in Northern Ireland in 2026?

There is no universal capital grant dedicated to heat pumps. The Affordable Warmth Scheme can fund heating and insulation work up to £7,500 for lower-income owner-occupiers, but it is fabric-led and does not guarantee a heat pump. NISEP occasionally includes heat pump measures on its annual approved list, so it is worth checking each spring.

Who qualifies for the Affordable Warmth Scheme?

You generally qualify if you own and live in your home, or rent privately, and your total gross household income is under £23,000 a year. The scheme is delivered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive following a survey of your property. Confirm the current criteria through the Northern Ireland Energy Advice line before applying, as eligibility rules and the delivery route are changing.

Will a heat pump save me money if I heat with oil?

Often, yes. With 61% of Northern Ireland homes on oil, the switch frequently produces better running cost savings than a gas-to-heat-pump change, because oil is usually more expensive per unit of useful heat. The saving depends on your insulation, system design, and electricity tariff, so model your own figures rather than relying on a headline claim.

What replaces the Affordable Warmth Scheme?

The Warm Healthy Homes Fund is expected to become the Department for Communities' main fuel poverty scheme for private sector homes, with Affordable Warmth transitioning across. If you are applying later in 2026 or beyond, check the current Warm Healthy Homes Fund guidance for the live application route and eligibility.

The bottom line

Northern Ireland homeowners have been handed a genuinely different deal from the rest of the UK. The £7,500 headline that dominates national heat pump coverage simply does not apply, and pretending otherwise leads to disappointment at quote stage. What does exist is a narrower, means-tested set of schemes, Affordable Warmth and NISEP, aimed at helping lower-income households improve their homes and, in some cases, move away from oil.

If your income sits under £23,000, start with the Energy Advice line and pursue Affordable Warmth, using it to get your home heat-pump-ready even if the pump itself is self-funded. If you are above the threshold, plan on funding the installation yourself, take advantage of the strong oil-to-heat-pump running cost case, and get several MCS certified quotes to keep pricing honest. The support here is thinner than in Great Britain, but a well-designed heat pump still stacks up for many oil-heated Northern Ireland homes.

Tom Ashworth is Regional Market Analyst at UK Heat Pump Guide and a former Energy Saving Trust home energy advisor. This guide was reviewed by Sarah Cooper, MCS Certified Heat Pump Engineer. Updated July 2026.