Costs, Payback & Incentives FAQ

£7,500 for an air-source or ground-source heat pump, rising to £9,000 for off-gas-grid properties currently heated by oil or LPG between 21 July 2026 and 31 March 2027, and £2,500 for air-to-air heat pumps in residential properties. The scheme is funded to 2029/30 under the Warm Homes Plan and covers domestic and small non-domestic properties up to 45 kW. Those are the amounts as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at Ofgem, which administers the scheme.

Your MCS-certified installer applies for the voucher and the grant is deducted from your quote, so you never handle the claim yourself. The EPC requirement was removed on 28 April 2026, and installers must now deduct the grant from the quoted price upfront. That is the position as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at Ofgem before signing anything.

No. The scheme funds heat pumps, plus biomass only in rural off-gas properties; solar thermal is excluded. UK support for solar thermal comes through tax relief instead — energy-saving materials including solar thermal carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, after which the rate returns to 5%. That is the position as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at GOV.UK.

Zero per cent on energy-saving materials — heat pumps, solar thermal, solar PV and their controls — installed in residential property, until 31 March 2027, after which the rate reverts to 5%. The relief covers materials and installation when a single contractor supplies both. Those are the rates as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at GOV.UK (VAT Notice 708/6).

Up to €12,500 for a house since 3 February 2026: €6,500 for the heat pump itself, up to €2,000 towards heating system upgrades such as radiators and pipework, and a €4,000 Renewable Heat Bonus for switching away from oil, gas, solid fuel or electric storage heating. Apartments are supported up to €9,500. The home must have been built and occupied before 2021, and an SEAI-registered installer is required, plus a technical assessment for homes built before 2007 without a qualifying BER — amounts as of September 2026, confirm current rules at SEAI.

Yes — a flat €1,200 solar water heating grant, subject to the same pre-2021 build-and-occupancy condition and to the use of an SEAI-registered installer fitting registered products. It sits within the individual home energy grants scheme, so it can be planned alongside other measures. That is the amount as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at SEAI.

The BEG Heizungsförderung (KfW programme 458) pays a 30% base grant, plus a 16% Klimageschwindigkeitsbonus for owner-occupiers replacing a functioning oil, coal, gas-floor or night-storage heater or a gas or biomass heater at least 20 years old, plus an income bonus of 10–40% for taxable household incomes up to €50,000 — capped at 70% of eligible costs, or 80% for incomes up to €30,000, with the ceiling on eligible costs at €28,000 for the first dwelling unit. Those are the rates as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at KfW.

The reform cut the speed bonus from 20% to 16%, removed the 5% heat pump efficiency bonus, restructured the income bonus into three tiers (raising the overall cap to 80% for incomes up to €30,000) and reduced maximum eligible costs from €30,000 to €28,000. From that date the scheme is openly degressive: the speed bonus steps down every six months to zero in August 2028, and the cost ceiling falls by €750 every six months. Waiting therefore costs money — position as of September 2026, confirm current rules at KfW.

Both. Solar thermal receives the same 30% base rate provided the collector holds Solar Keymark certification from an ISO 17025-accredited body and appears on the BAFA Anlagenliste; uncovered pool absorbers are excluded. PVT is fundable by two distinct routes — as a solar thermal system, or as the heat source of a heat pump combination independent of the heat pump brand — which makes Germany one of the few schemes naming hybrid collectors explicitly. Position as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at BAFA.

It depends on the country, and getting the sequence wrong forfeits the money. Germany requires the KfW application before the supply and installation contract is signed, with the contract carrying a suspensive condition and a specialist's confirmation attached; Italy's Conto Termico is claimed from GSE within 90 days of completion (businesses must file a preliminary request before works start); the Dutch ISDE is claimed after installation; and in the UK the MCS installer claims the voucher. Confirm the order of operations with the administering agency before you sign — position as of September 2026.

For an air-to-water heat pump, €5,000 for très modestes households, €4,000 for modestes and €3,000 for intermédiaires; geothermal and solar-assisted heat pumps attract €11,000, €9,000 and €6,000 by the same bands; thermodynamic water heaters left the MaPrimeRénov' per-measure track for applications filed from 1 September 2026 — check current CEE offers for them. An RGE-certified installer (QualiPAC for heat pumps) is mandatory. Those are the amounts as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at France Rénov'.

In mainland France solar water heaters are now supported through CEE energy-saving certificates — with boosted coefficients from 1 September to 31 December 2026 — and carry the reduced 5.5% VAT rate; the installer must hold RGE Qualisol certification. Since 1 September 2026 (décret n° 2026-822) the CESI solar water heater and the système solaire combiné are no longer part of MaPrimeRénov's per-measure track in mainland France, though they remain eligible in the overseas departments. Confirm current offers at France Rénov'.

Not as a stand-alone MaPrimeRénov' measure in mainland France since 1 September 2026, when décret n° 2026-822 moved hybrid collectors ('capteurs hybrides') out of the per-measure track. PVT can still be part of a funded project as the heat source of a solar-assisted heat pump, which MaPrimeRénov' supports at €11,000, €9,000 or €6,000 by income band (faq[10]); check CEE offers and the equipment conditions with your RGE installer or at France Rénov'.

The scheme reopened on 23 February 2026 with tighter rules: the dwelling must be more than 15 years old, a DPE or energy audit must accompany every application, per-gesture aid is capped at €20,000 per dwelling over five years, and the highest income band is excluded from decarbonisation works. Since 1 September 2026 the per-gesture track in mainland France funds mainly heat pumps, district-heating connections and energy audits. An RGE-certified installer is required throughout. Those are the conditions as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at France Rénov'.

Yes — CEE energy-saving certificates stack on top of MaPrimeRénov' within official cumulation ceilings, and the sixth CEE period that began on 1 January 2026 raised the national obligation by about 35%, pushing more private co-funding into renovation. The Coup de pouce Chauffage bonus remains available for air-to-water heat pumps but no longer covers air-to-air or hybrid gas units. Confirm the current caps at France Rénov' and the Ministère de la Transition écologique — position as of September 2026.

It is a direct grant from GSE rather than a tax credit, covering up to 65% of eligible costs for heat pumps, hybrid systems, solar thermal, heat pump water heaters and biomass, with a permanent budget of €900 million a year. Grants below €15,000 are paid in a single instalment, which is what makes it workable for residential solar thermal. The scheme has been in force since 25 December 2025 — terms as of September 2026, confirm current rules at GSE.

Yes — access for businesses is new in Conto Termico 3.0, alongside private individuals and public administrations, and standalone solar thermal is eligible up to 2,500 m² of gross collector area. Public schools and hospitals, and public buildings in municipalities under 15,000 inhabitants, can reach 100% coverage. Collectors must be certified to UNI EN 12975/12976 with Solar Keymark. Position as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at GSE.

They cannot both be claimed for the same expense, so it is a real choice. Conto Termico 3.0 pays cash from GSE, in one instalment when the grant is below €15,000; the Ecobonus route deducts 50% for first homes and 36% for other properties in 2026, recovered over ten years of tax returns. Cash now generally beats a decade of deductions unless your tax position says otherwise. Position as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at GSE and the Agenzia delle Entrate.

As of September 2026 there is no open nationwide residential grant for heat pumps or solar thermal: the NextGenerationEU programmes have closed and the market runs on regional calls plus tax relief. The dependable national lever is the IRPF deduction, extended to 31 December 2026 — 20% for a reduction of at least 7% in heating and cooling demand, 40% for a reduction of at least 30% in non-renewable primary energy or a jump to class A or B, and 60% for whole-building rehabilitation, each with its own base limit and requiring before-and-after energy certificates. Confirm current rules at IDAE and the Agencia Tributaria, and check your región separately.

Poland is one of Europe's few large solar-thermal grant markets alongside heat pumps: heat-source-only projects reach roughly 45,000 PLN and comprehensive thermomodernisation up to about 170,000 PLN for the lowest income band, with domestic hot water solar collectors eligible and gas boilers no longer funded. The rules were eased on 20 July 2026: new exceptions to the three-year ownership requirement, 10% higher unit caps for insulation and windows, and 180 instead of 120 days to complete pre-financed works, with funding levels and income criteria unchanged. Those are the amounts as of September 2026 — confirm current rules at czystepowietrze.gov.pl.

ISDE funds heat pumps and solar water heaters (zonneboilers) for both homeowners and businesses, with the 2026 budget raised to roughly €500 million and heat pump amounts up about 8% on average; solar water heater support scales with certified annual thermal yield. The product must appear on the RVO device list and the claim is filed after installation. Those are the terms as of September 2026 — confirm the current amount for your specific model at RVO.

Nothing new at federal level for the rest of 2026: the "Raus aus Öl und Gas" boiler-replacement grant (Kesseltausch) — up to €7,500 for a heat pump, biomass system or district-heating connection, with extra bonuses for leaving gas and for adding solar thermal — closed to new registrations on 10 July 2026 after its 2026 budget of €360 million was exhausted, and the renovation (envelope) bonus had already stopped on 2 February 2026. Existing registrations are still processed; check sanierungsoffensive.gv.at and your Land for any 2027 call.

Support is fully regionalised. Flanders reformed Mijn VerbouwPremie on 1 March 2026, cutting heat pump premiums for middle and higher income categories, and abolished its solar water heater premium on 1 July 2025; Wallonia pays income-banded premiums that require a prior energy audit and can cover a large share of the invoice for the lowest incomes; Brussels continues its Renolution premiums. The federal constant is 6% VAT on renovation of dwellings over ten years old. Positions as of September 2026 — confirm current rules with your regional agency.

There are no direct purchase subsidies for residential solar thermal or heat pumps; Turkey's lever is regulation. Since 1 January 2026, new buildings with a total construction area of 2,000 m² or more must be built as near-zero-energy buildings, requiring at least a class B energy certificate and at least 10% of energy demand from renewables — solar collectors, PVT panels and heat pumps all count towards it. Separate SME and industry programmes such as KOSGEB support rooftop generation. Position as of September 2026 — confirm current rules with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change.

Because the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive bars member states from granting public financial incentives to stand-alone fossil-fuel boilers from 1 January 2025, and national schemes have followed — France, Italy, Poland and Spain all removed gas boiler support. Hybrid systems that combine a boiler with solar thermal or a heat pump can still be incentivised, which is a nuance worth checking locally. Member states had to transpose the recast directive by 29 May 2026, so national implementing rules are still landing.

The EU's ETS2 extends emissions trading to fuels used in buildings and road transport from 2028 (postponed from 2027 in March 2026), so suppliers of heating gas and oil will pass a carbon price on to customers; a soft price containment mechanism around €45 per tonne applies in the early years, and independent estimates point higher. Social Climate Fund money is intended to cushion vulnerable households. Position as of September 2026 — confirm the current state of play at the European Commission's ETS2 pages.

Almost everywhere, and it is the most common reason applications are rejected. Installer accreditation is national — MCS in the UK, RGE in France, SEAI registration in Ireland — and the equipment usually has to appear on an official list such as the BAFA Anlagenliste in Germany or the RVO apparatenlijst in the Netherlands, with proof of seasonal efficiency: Germany requires a [JAZ](knowledge/glossary/jaz-seasonal-performance-factor) of at least 3.0, and collectors generally need [Solar Keymark](knowledge/glossary/solar-keymark). Choose a certified product first and design the application around it.

Break-even is arithmetic, not opinion: divide your electricity price by your gas price and multiply by the boiler's seasonal efficiency. If electricity costs three times as much as gas and the boiler runs at 90%, a seasonal [COP](knowledge/glossary/cop-coefficient-of-performance) of about 2.7 is break-even and anything above it saves money. Because it is a ratio, the tariff you choose moves the threshold as much as the equipment does — the detail is in [heat pump vs gas boiler running costs](knowledge/questions/heat-pump-vs-gas-boiler-running-costs).

Very little, because the only running cost is the circulating pump. A modern high-efficiency solar pump station draws roughly 30–50 W and runs perhaps 1,500–2,000 hours a year, which is about 45–100 kWh of electricity annually — a small fraction of the heat delivered. Budget separately for a service every few years to test the glycol; a thermosiphon system has no pump at all and therefore no electrical running cost.