Is there a grant for air conditioning in the UK?

Last checked: 11 September 2026. Every figure below is sourced and linked — see sources & cited data at the bottom.

The grant, in one table

Source: gov.uk — what you can get. The air-to-air amount was added by The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/390), in force 28 April 2026. The scheme is funded through to 2029/30.

Who qualifies for the £2,500 air-to-air grant

• ✅ Property in England or Wales. The scheme doesn’t cover Scotland or Northern Ireland, which run separate schemes.
• ✅ You own the property — a main home, a second home, or one you rent out to tenants all qualify.
• ✅ You’re replacing an existing fossil fuel or electric heating system (gas, oil, LPG or electric) — the air-to-air heat pump is taking over the job of heating the home, not adding to it.
• ✅ The heat pump is sized to meet the property’s full space heating demand, alone or alongside a non-fossil-fuel supplementary heater. A hybrid system that keeps a fossil-fuel boiler running alongside it is not eligible.
• ✅ An MCS-certified installer does the work and commissions it within 120 days of applying.
• ❌ Most new-build homes and social housing don’t qualify.
• ❌ A cooling-only air conditioner never qualifies, however efficient it is — see below.

Sources: gov.uk — check if you’re eligible and Ofgem — BUS guidance for property owners.

How claiming it actually works — it’s installer-led

You don’t apply for this grant yourself. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is installer-led: your MCS-certified installer submits the application on your behalf, and the £2,500 is paid directly to them, not to you — so it should already be deducted from the quote you’re given, not something you claim back afterwards.

1. 1. Get quotes from installers who can do air-to-air heat pumps. Ask directly whether they’re MCS-certified for this specific technology — see the honest status check below, because not every installer will be able to say yes yet.
2. 2. Confirm the system replaces your heating, not just adds cooling. The design has to meet your property’s full space heating demand for the grant to apply.
3. 3. Your installer submits the BUS application and sends you a digital consent to approve — the same process used for the £7,500 heat pump grant.
4. 4. The £2,500 comes off your quote once the grant is approved, and the installer must commission the system within 120 days of applying.

If you just want to cool a room, this grant isn’t for you

Most people searching for “air conditioning grant UK” want to cool a bedroom or living room in summer — and for that, we found no nationwide UK government grant (checked 11 September 2026), from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme or elsewhere in UK government policy. The £2,500 only applies to a system that’s doing your home’s heating, and happens to also be able to reverse into cooling mode. A portable AC unit, a standard fixed split system bought purely for summer cooling, or a system that leaves your existing boiler running alongside it, all get nothing.

If cooling is genuinely your priority and you don’t need a whole-home heating replacement, a reversible split-system air conditioner without a BUS claim is usually the faster, cheaper route — see our air conditioning vs heat pump comparison for real installed costs either way.

The other saving: 0% VAT, for now

Separately from the grant, qualifying heat pumps carry 0% VAT on both the unit and the installation labour in Great Britain, under HMRC’s energy-saving materials relief. That temporary zero rate is currently due to end on 31 March 2027, after which the rate is set to revert to 5% — worth factoring in if you’re weighing up timing, and worth confirming directly with your installer since VAT rules can change with little notice.