BUS applications hit record high as industry urges stronger government action

30 October 2025

The number of applications to the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme reached a record high in September, rising 20% from the previous month and more than a quarter higher than a year earlier, new figures show.

Sachin Vibhute, technical consultant at LG Electronics UK, says the data “show real momentum behind low‑carbon heating in the UK”. He described September’s total as  evidence that “more homeowners and businesses are choosing cleaner, more efficient technologies.” However, Vibhute said the progress must go further:

“To truly meet the green energy challenge, schemes must go further in scope and ambition. All eyes will be on next month’s Autumn Budget for stronger commitments to low‑carbon heating. This includes continued investment in installer skills and consumer awareness, which along with government policy are key to accelerating the transition to a cleaner, more resilient energy future.”

The surge in applications comes as the government publishes its Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, a comprehensive roadmap for how the UK intends to meet its legally binding carbon budgets through to the mid-2030s. The plan aims to align decarbonisation with economic growth, promising “clean energy, lower bills, warmer homes and good jobs,” and highlights domestic heating and building energy efficiency as key sectors for emissions cuts.

Responding to the plan’s release, Garry Felgate, chief executive of The MCS Foundation, says he welcomes the government’s “restated commitment to reducing electricity prices and significantly increasing heat pump installations”. He credits existing policies for the growth in uptake, saying: “MCS data shows that government policies such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants have helped boost heat pump uptake across the UK.”

But Felgate warns that further action is needed to hit future targets:

“What is needed now to reach the target of 1.5 million heat pumps installed every year is real action to reduce electricity prices. Heat pumps must always be cheaper to run than a gas boiler. Moving levies off electricity bills into general taxation in the upcoming Autumn Budget would both tackle fuel poverty and finally set the country on a trajectory to replacing fossil fuel heating entirely.”

Access the government release on Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics here.