Boiler Replacement Scheme NI: is it still open?

The short answer

The Northern Ireland Boiler Replacement Scheme is closed. The Department for Communities announced on 21 September 2023 that the scheme had ended because of budget constraints and that applications would no longer be accepted. The Housing Executive had delivered it on the department’s behalf.

Source: Department for Communities, “Closure of Boiler Replacement Scheme”, https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/news/closure-boiler-replacement-scheme

If you have seen adverts or websites still describing the scheme as open, they are out of date. Be wary of anyone cold-calling to offer a “government boiler grant” in Northern Ireland and asking for money or personal details up front.

What the scheme was

For years, the Boiler Replacement Scheme helped owner-occupiers on lower incomes replace old, inefficient boilers, including many oil boilers, with more efficient ones. Eligibility depended on household income and the age of the existing boiler, and the grant was paid towards the cost of the new boiler and installation.

That is why “boiler replacement scheme ni” is still searched hundreds of times a month here. Many people remember it, or know someone who used it.

What help is available now

Affordable Warmth Scheme

The Department for Communities kept the Affordable Warmth Scheme running when it closed the Boiler Replacement Scheme. Affordable Warmth helps lower-income households with energy efficiency improvements, and heating measures, including boiler replacement in some circumstances, can be part of that.

How it has worked in recent years, which you should check against the official pages before relying on it:

• It is aimed at lower-income households.
• Eligibility is income-based, and certain benefits, such as Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment, are disregarded from the income calculation.
• The Department for Communities has consulted on replacing it with a new Warm Healthy Homes Fund, which it expects to start in 2027.

To confirm: verify current Affordable Warmth income threshold, how to apply and the official nidirect or NIHE URL before publishing

Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP)

Each year, the Utility Regulator approves a list of energy efficiency schemes funded through electricity bills, known as NISEP. Some are fully funded for owner-occupiers who meet income criteria; others are part-funded and open more widely. They can include heating measures. The list changes every year, so check the current one on the Utility Regulator’s website.

To confirm: verify which 2026/27 NISEP schemes include heating or boiler measures and link the official list

Gas network incentives

If you are on oil but near the gas network, the gas companies sometimes run time-limited offers to help homes switch, such as free connections or cashback towards a new gas boiler. Phoenix Energy ran a £600 Boiler Replacement Allowance for households switching from oil, open to connection requests between 1 June and 30 October 2026. Offers change, so check the current position directly. Our oil to gas conversion guide covers this in more detail.

Heat pumps

There is no Northern Ireland equivalent of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme at present. The Department for the Economy is designing a low carbon heating support scheme, but it has not launched. See heat pumps in Northern Ireland.

If you are not eligible for help

Most homeowners will not qualify for a grant, so the decision comes down to the boiler itself. Before replacing an old oil or gas boiler, it is worth knowing:

• How it is actually performing. A combustion test on a service tells you its efficiency on the day. Some older boilers still burn well; some do not.
• What is wrong with it, if anything. A boiler that needs a small repair may have years left. One with a failing heat exchanger probably does not.
• Whether parts are still available. For some older models, they are not, and the next breakdown could be the last.

Our guide on whether to replace a 20-year-old boiler goes through this in more detail.

How a service helps you decide

A full service with a combustion analysis is the cheapest way to get an honest picture of an old boiler. Our engineer will record the efficiency readings, check the condition of the heat exchanger and the main parts, and tell you plainly whether they think it is worth keeping going.

Gas service £79, oil service £89, fixed and including VAT. Book online or email [email protected].

A word on timing

If your boiler is old but working, there is no rush to replace it the day you read this. Get it serviced, find out how it is really doing, and keep an eye on the official pages below. New schemes, including the planned Warm Healthy Homes Fund, may change what help is available over the next year or two.

Where to check the official position

Grant schemes change with budgets. Before making any decision based on grant help, check:

• the Department for Communities news on the scheme’s closure, linked above;
• nidirect and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive for Affordable Warmth;
• the Utility Regulator for the current NISEP list;
• your gas network operator for any current conversion offers.

We will update this guide when the position changes.