Usually not. Almost every European heating grant funds replacement of an existing fossil system, so new builds are excluded by design: Ireland requires the home to be built and occupied before 2021 and France requires a dwelling over 15 years old. The main exception is England and Wales, where a custom self-build can qualify for the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Why do heating grants exclude new buildings?
Because the money is buying a carbon saving that a new build does not offer. A grant that replaces an oil boiler with a heat pump removes tonnes of CO₂ a year; the same grant on a new house pays for something building regulations were about to require anyway. Under the recast EPBD, all new buildings in the EU must be zero-emission from 2030 and new public buildings from 2028, so subsidy budgets are deliberately steered at the existing stock instead.
The age tests written into national schemes make that logic explicit rather than incidental.
| Scheme | Property condition | Effect on a new build |
|---|---|---|
| UK Boiler Upgrade Scheme | Existing property; custom self-builds admitted | Speculative new builds excluded; self-build eligible with proof |
| Ireland, SEAI grants | Built and occupied before 2021 | Excluded |
| France, MaPrimeRénov' | Dwelling more than 15 years old | Excluded |
| Germany, BEG heating grant | Existing building, replacing an existing heat generator | Excluded |
| Italy, Conto Termico 3.0 | Replacement of an existing system | Excluded for new construction |
| Poland, Czyste Powietrze | Existing single-family building | Excluded |
How does a UK self-build qualify?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is the significant exception in Europe. A custom self-build can be eligible where you or the original owner built the property — personally or by paying a builder — the property has never been owned by a business, and you can evidence the self-build status to the installer, for which a copy of the title deeds is normally enough. Biomass boilers are excluded from self-builds even where a heat pump would qualify.
Two further points changed the picture in 2026. The EPC and insulation pre-conditions were removed on 28 April 2026, which makes the scheme materially easier to satisfy, and from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 off-gas-grid properties replacing oil or LPG can claim £9,000 rather than £7,500. A new-build property is also sometimes eligible where a fossil-fuel boiler was already installed when the owner moved in. Confirm your specific case against the current Ofgem guidance before relying on it — the rules are administered strictly and the installer carries the evidence burden.
What support is left if the grant is closed to you?
Tax treatment and regulation, and in a new build these are often worth more than the grant would have been:
- Reduced or zero VAT. Great Britain zero-rates energy-saving materials until 31 March 2027, Ireland zero-rates solar panels including on new builds, and France applies 5.5% to renewable heating. Detail in what VAT rate applies to a heat pump or solar installation?
- Building-code credit. In Turkey, new buildings of 2,000 m² or more must be built to near-zero-energy standard from 1 January 2026, with an EKB class B minimum and at least 10% of energy demand from renewables — solar collectors, PVT and heat pumps all count. The compliance value replaces the missing subsidy.
- No retrofit penalty. A new build takes low flow temperatures from day one, so it avoids the emitter upgrades and cylinder replacements that dominate what adds cost to a heat pump installation.
That last point is quantitatively large. Retrofit projects routinely spend €2,000–5,000 on radiators and another €1,000–2,500 on a cylinder with sufficient coil area. A new build designed around underfloor heating spends neither, which typically outweighs a mid-sized grant.
What should a self-builder do differently?
Plan the evidence and the sequence, not just the system.
Keep proof of self-build status from the beginning — title deeds, build contracts, and confirmation that no company has owned the property. Appoint a certified installer early, because in every scheme the installer, not the homeowner, submits the application. And check the application timing: Germany requires the KfW application to be filed before work starts, and the supply and installation contract must carry a condition making it dependent on the grant, so a self-builder who orders equipment unconditionally first has forfeited the grant permanently. Payment mechanics differ too, as set out in when does a heat pump grant actually get paid?
Solimpeks sees the same pattern across export markets: on new construction the commercial argument shifts from subsidy to compliance and running cost. A PVT array or a collector field that satisfies a renewables mandate carries its own value even where no cheque is attached.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a heat pump grant on a house I am building myself?
In the UK, often yes — custom self-builds can qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme if you can prove the property was built for your own use and has never been owned by a business. In Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Poland the age or replacement conditions exclude new construction.
Does a barn conversion or renovation count as a new build?
Usually not, and that works in your favour. Conversions of existing structures generally keep the original property's age, so they can satisfy tests such as Ireland's pre-2021 condition or France's 15-year rule. Check how the scheme treats change of use.
Can a developer claim a grant on houses built for sale?
No. Schemes exclude properties owned by a business and target owner-occupiers or landlords of existing homes. Speculative new-build housing is expected to meet the required standard through building regulations instead.
Is solar thermal on a new build ever funded?
Rarely as a grant, but frequently rewarded through building codes. Renewable-share obligations in national implementations of the EPBD, and Turkey's 10% renewables requirement for buildings above 2,000 m², make a collector or PVT array a compliance route rather than a subsidised extra.