MCS grant: what the funding schemes pay and how certification unlocks them
MCS is not a grant scheme but is the mandatory certification gateway for UK renewable energy grants, primarily the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which pays up to £9,000 toward a qualifying heat pump installation.
In short
MCS is a certification standard, not a grant body, but it is the required gateway to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which pays up to £9,000 toward a heat pump in England and Wales. Ensure your MCS certification covers the technology you install before applying for a BUS voucher.
No such thing as an "MCS grant" exists as a standalone payment. MCS - the Microgeneration Certification Scheme - is the UK's quality and standards framework for small-scale renewable energy installations. It does not award grants. It is, however, the mandatory gateway to the grants that do exist. An installer cannot apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), and a solar PV owner cannot register for the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), unless the installation is carried out by an MCS-certified business using MCS-certified equipment. The phrase "MCS grant" is widely used in the industry as shorthand for the funding that only becomes accessible once certification is in place.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme: What It Pays
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is the primary funding scheme that MCS certification unlocks for heat pump and biomass boiler installers. Administered by Ofgem on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), BUS provides grants to property owners in England and Wales who are replacing fossil fuel or electric heating with low-carbon alternatives.
Grant values as of October 2026:
- £7,500 toward an air-source or ground-source heat pump in a property on the gas grid
- £9,000 toward an air-source or ground-source heat pump in properties currently heated by oil or LPG - the uplifted off-gas-grid rate introduced on 21 July 2026
- £5,000 toward a biomass boiler in an eligible rural property not connected to the gas grid
- £2,500 toward an air-to-air heat pump, once this technology is formally brought into MCS scope
The grant is not a cash payment to the property owner. Installers are legally required to deduct the full grant value as an upfront discount on the customer's quote and on the subsequent invoice. The installer redeems the voucher from Ofgem and receives the grant amount directly.
How Certification Connects to Grant Payment
The BUS process is installer-led from first contact to payment. A certified installer applies for the BUS voucher on behalf of the property owner before installation begins. Ofgem confirms the property owner's eligibility and consent, then issues a voucher valid for three months (six months for ground-source heat pump installations).
Once the system is commissioned, the installer registers the job on the MCS Installation Database, generating an MCS installation certificate. This certificate records the installer, the product, the installation address, and the commissioning date. Ofgem reviews these details as part of its final eligibility checks before approving the redemption application. Payment follows on the next scheduled weekly payment day.
The MCS installation certificate is therefore the trigger for grant payment. A job commissioned but not registered on the database cannot be redeemed, and a voucher application submitted more than 120 days after commissioning will be invalid.
Voucher timing
A voucher expires three months from issue date. If installation is not commissioned within that window, the installer must submit a new voucher application before proceeding. Ground-source heat pump installations get a six-month window.
What Certification Must Cover
For a BUS-funded installation to be valid, three things must be in order. The installer's business must hold MCS certification for the relevant technology. The product - heat pump or boiler - must appear on the MCS Product Eligibility List. And the completed job must be registered on the MCS Installation Database to generate the certificate Ofgem requires.
For solar PV, MCS certification is the entry condition for the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), which requires energy suppliers to pay for surplus electricity exported to the grid from certified systems.
Managing Grant-Linked Jobs
Because the BUS grant must appear as a deduction on both the quote and the invoice, the paperwork trail starts before any work begins. Renewables businesses handling BUS jobs need a clear process: survey, quote with the grant deduction shown, voucher application, installation, commissioning, MCS certificate registration, and voucher redemption.
The grant value shown on the quote must match the technology being installed. Tracking commissioning dates in the job record ensures the MCS certificate is generated and the redemption application is submitted within the 120-day window after commissioning.