Air Source Heat Pump Grants

Air Source Heat Pumps are increasingly one of the most popular eco-friendly home heating options in Scotland and the UK. One of the most appealing factors is that they can often be backed up by financial grants.

The UK Government’s domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (or RHI for short) can provide you with quarterly cash payments over the course of seven years if you’ve invested in and installed a renewable heating technology.

This isn’t the only grant available. There are others also provided for homeowners in Scotland, which we’ll also go over.

One of these renewable heating technologies are Air Source Heat Pumps, which are recognised as being one of the most eco-friendly heating sources on the market.

What is an Air Source Heat Pump?

An Air Source Heat Pump is a renewable energy-based heater which works by drawing in warm air from outside of your home. It doesn’t burn any fuel or convert any energy to heat; it simply makes use of the existing heat. It is not 100% carbon free in most cases, because it will still need electricity to run (though if it is connected to a source of renewable electricity like solar panels, it is possible to reach 0 carbon emissions).

Heat Pumps have become popular because of this factor and the government has included them in options for grants. Other benefits of a Heat Pump include its minimal requirements for maintenance, which mean in the long term it less costs than other conventional options (such as boilers, which can require a lot of maintenance). It can also cut down on logistical issues like fuel deliveries, and overall, is a simple and easy system to make use of.

What is RHI?

Renewable Heat Incentive provides quarterly payments over the course of seven years.

How Much Can I Get?

How much you’ll be paid depends on the size of your property, the system and how you use it. The Government provides a handy calculator to give you an idea of how much the payments can vary from. In some cases, it has ranged from £500 to £2,900. This can mean that you can easily recoup the costs of the initial system installation.

In general, the biggest savings you’ll make come from replacing the following systems,

  • Electric Boilers
  • Oil Boilers
  • LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) Boilers
  • Or Coal based systems

Other factors that determine how much you get include,

  • The kind of technology you end up installing
  • Tariffs for that technology
  • Metering

As previously noted, the government provides a calculator for figuring out just how much you’ll make quarterly from RHI. You should always consult this before making any choices.

Eligibility

So, am I eligible? Well, that depends on several factors. Most importantly, whether your renewable system is a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified product and has been used a MCS certificate.

This is one of the reasons it’s important to always go with an MCS certified installer and ensure the products they’re installing ae properly certified and come with an MCS certificate.

When it comes to eligibility for Heat Pumps, An Air to Water Air Source Heat Pumps is eligible. An Air-to-Air Heat Pump on the other hand is not (as it doesn’t provide the entire home with heating and cannot provide hot water).

Applying

The following kind of people can apply for RHI,

  • Self-builders
  • Owner-occupiers
  • Private Landlords
  • Registered providers of social housing

If you want to apply, you must do so within one year of your new system being commissioned. To apply, you’ll need to either go onto the Energy Regulator Ofgem’s website OR give them a call at 0300 003 0744. When you reply, it’s crucial you have the following details,

  • Your MCS installation certificate number (for the system)
  • Bank Details
  • And an Energy Performance Certificate number

Other Installation Grants and Loans

The RHI doesn’t pay for the upfront costs of the system. While it can overtime help you recoup the cost of the initial installation, you will still need the funds to purchase the original system.

However well as RHI, there’s a range of other schemes and loans for clients in the UK Scotland. Among these include,

  • Warmer Homes Scotland Scheme – low-income households or vulnerable people can get air source heat pumps via a Warmer Homes Scotland grant.
  • Home Energy Scotland loan – this is an interest free loan from the Scottish government who’ll pay for the upfront cost of an air source heat pump. The maximum loan for a heat pump is £10,000.

This can be made use of alongside the RHI, which makes it a fantastic way to save on the system.