Where to look for grants to upgrade heating systems on unmodernised house

[Woodswoman]

I often see adverts for heating system grants but haven’t paid much attention as I haven’t needed them before. They often look a bit like a scam! How do I find out what government grants are available, if any, and who would be reputable to do the work?

I don’t get any benefits or tax credits except child benefit, and our new house has an ancient oil boiler and no wall or ceiling insulation.

Any advice?

There used to be something called the warm front grant but the tories killed that off. You also had to be on benefits to be eligible.

There is a less generous replacement but again you have to be on benefits. www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation/

www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-may-be-eligible-for-the-boiler-upgrade-scheme-from-april-2022

Also if you're in an old house (pre-1930s or so) read up on the necessity for those houses to breathe, you may create damp issues by adding insulation.

So is this kind of thing a scam? This says replace they can replace an old oil boiler with a heat pump and solar panels, but that’s not mentioned on the Energy Saving Trust website or the government page mentioned above.

Look at Ofgem website. I believe there is a scheme now available that is not means tested and will offer up to £5000 upfront towards the cost of a renewable heating system if you are going down that road. The scheme started 1st April 2022 and replaced the RHI. Ofgem will be able advise.

Google your local council and insulation / energy saving.
We had loft insulation fitted for free earlier this year because our local council has a grant for eligible families. We qualified because we have a child under 5, no other questions asked about income and we don't receive any benefits - not even child benefit.

Use an official Gov.uk site, or your local council, or Which

Adverts by vendors are just a marketing gimmick, like "50% discount off beds! Sale ends tomorrow!" Where they increase the "price" by a thousand pounds and then offer you a thousand pound reduction .

Don't bother with air source heat pumps (ASHP). They are useless and alot are being ripped out and replaced with "old technology" ie. Gas boilers.
In principle, they recover heat from the outside air. The colder it gets, the less heat they recover. Unfortunately, the colder it gets, the more heat you need. In a super well insulated house they may be suitable, but in something older it would just be a waste of money.
I would recommend spending more on insulation. It is expensive, but with the energy prices the way they are, it won't take long to pay back.
Our house is mid 1800s. We have fully renovated and now have floor, wall and loft insulation (before that there was nothing, not even sealed windows). It now maintains 10-15 degrees above the outside air temperature with no heating (more with a good sunny day). There is minimal heat loss therefore minimal heating required.

Well yes but until a couple of months ago I still received an enormous grant for heating my house with logs…. And remember the push to get us all using diesel..

I agree. We've installed air source heat pumps in two well designed properties and our energy bills are minimal. Well worth the investment for the right house.

See if your area has a local energy advice service that can help you.

Our flat is a ground floor garden conversion in a Victorian terraced townhouse.
There's no roof to insulate, or for solar panels - we've got 2 sets of neighbours above us and the roof belongs to the top ones!
The space is long and thin so external walls are quite minimal, we have neighbours attached on both sides.
The floor is original boards over a 1.5m deep void, which is very damp.
The ceilings are very high and windows are big - we spent £££ having the original single glazed ones replaced with double glazed wood sashes.
Obviously it's a pain to heat and often chilly.
The boiler is on it's way out and needs replacing.
I'd love to go for a greener option - but I can't see how this space could work with any of the green tech.
Feels so retrograde to replace like for like with a gas boiler but what else could I do that wouldn't cost me £20K (that I don't have)?
If anyone can advise I'd be really grateful.

Return on investment for draughtproofing and insulation are higher than for anything else.

@WoolyMammoth55

You say you have a large void under the floor.

In your case you could insulate between the joists with mineral wool. Especially round the edges of the room where draughts come up in the skirting gap.

You say it is damp, so clean out the airbricks and look for sources of water, especially the incoming water pipe, and leaking gullies and waste pipes beside he house wall. The gullies will be cracked and leaking, they always are.

I would be cautious about ASHP mainly because the units fail a few months after they are out of warrranty. We were, briefly, in the business and have one in our kitchen. It is very quick to warm and energy efficient but we have replaced the most expensive components every three years, so go for American-made not Asian-made. We have had both Daikin and Fujitsu systems over the last 12 years, and all the components are made down to a price.