There’s been ongoing confusion in the renewable heating market about whether an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) needs to show no recommendations when installing an air source heat pump (ASHP) under the UK’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) — especially when quoted by providers like Octopus Energy.
First, it’s essential to understand that a valid EPC is required to access the £7,500 BUS grant for installing an ASHP. The EPC must be issued within the past 10 years but there is no blanket requirement that the certificate must be free of recommendations to qualify for BUS funding.
Historical guidance did require that an EPC not list outstanding loft or cavity wall insulation recommendations if an application was submitted before 8 May 2024. For properties with these recommendations, any outstanding loft or cavity wall insulation improvements had to be completed to meet that earlier version of the rules.
However, current BUS eligibility criteria focus on having a valid EPC, not on the absence of specific recommendations. There are no minimum insulation conditions written into the post-May 2024 rules, and you don’t need an EPC with no recommendations to receive the BUS grant for an ASHP.
That said, improved insulation — which often reduces recommendations on an EPC — does help heat pumps operate more efficiently and is still recommended, both by energy advisors and installers like Octopus Energy. Call 0208 522 0001 for further advice.