Free government grants for air con going largely unclaimed

10 July 2026

As the UK endures another heatwave following two record-breaking periods of extreme heat in May and June, uptake of government grants for air-to-air heat pumps that can not only provide warmth in the winter but also cool air in the summer, has been low.

The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme fund is enough to provide up to almost 1 million air-to-air heat pumps, which can provide both cooling during increasingly hot summers and heating in winter, by 2030 according to new analysis. Yet uptake remains low with just 45 air-to-air heat pumps supported under the BUS in May, when the scheme started supporting this type of reversible heat pump.

Air-to-air heat pumps, sometimes referred to as reversible air-conditioning units, provide efficient heating and cooling using electricity, which in the UK is increasingly generated by renewables. This means they also offer energy security benefits as they reduce the amount of gas we will need to import from abroad as North Sea output continues its inevitable decline.

Jess Ralston, Head of Energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), says:

“The recent June heatwave is estimated to have killed more than 800 people and as is often the case with climate change it is hitting the least well-off the most. The need for air con is now an added expense foisted on families by climate change but not everyone is going to be able to afford it.

“It won’t work for absolutely every home, but help is at hand through the government’s boiler upgrade scheme, giving households up to £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump that generates warmth in the winter, but also cool air in the summer.

“Recent changes by the government mean these units are now eligible for a free grant, but uptake is still low.

“Because air to air heat pumps are running increasingly on British renewables as more wind and solar gets added to the grid, this net zero technology cuts the amount of gas we need to burn, which boosts the UK’s energy security, but also gets us closer to net zero emissions, which is scientifically the only way to stop climate change and this extreme heat simply getting hotter and hotter.”