The Northern Ireland Boiler Replacement Scheme is closed. The Department for Communities stopped accepting applications on 21 September 2023, and it has not reopened. If a page or an installer tells you the scheme is still taking applications in 2026, that information is out of date.
This guide sets out what the scheme actually paid, why it ended, what happens if you were already approved, and which heating grants you can genuinely apply for in Northern Ireland now. We are an introducer service: we connect homeowners with independent Gas Safe and OFTEC registered engineers, and we do not administer any grant scheme.
At a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | Closed to new applications since 21 September 2023 |
| Maximum grant when open | Up to £1,000 |
| Income threshold when open | Gross household income under £40,000 a year |
| Existing boiler age required | 15+ years (gas, LPG or oil-fired) |
| Who ran it | NI Housing Executive (NIHE), funded by the Department for Communities |
| Why it closed | Budgetary constraints |
| Total awarded 2012-13 to 2022-23 | 48,926 grants, £32.9 million |
| Live replacement route | Affordable Warmth Scheme |
Why the scheme closed
The Boiler Replacement Scheme ran from 2012 and helped owner-occupiers replace boilers over 15 years old. Over its lifetime it approved 48,926 grants worth £32.9 million.
The Department for Communities announced its closure on 21 September 2023, citing budgetary constraints. The department was explicit that applications would no longer be accepted from that date.
The £1,000 figure matters, because a lot of pages still quote higher numbers. When the scheme was open in its final form it paid up to £1,000, not the £1,700 that circulates on some installer sites. Anyone quoting £1,700 for this scheme in 2026 is quoting a figure that is both outdated and attached to a scheme that no longer accepts applications.
If you were already approved
The Housing Executive confirmed it would continue to replace boilers for customers who had already received formal approval before the closure date. If your application could not be processed, NIHE said it would contact you directly.
If you are holding an approval letter from before September 2023 and nothing has happened, contact NIHE rather than assuming the offer lapsed. If you applied but never received formal approval, that application did not survive the closure.
What you can actually apply for in 2026
1. Affordable Warmth Scheme (the main live route)
This is the scheme that now carries most heating and boiler work for lower-income households in Northern Ireland. It is run by the Housing Executive with local councils doing the referrals.
- Income threshold: gross household income under £23,000 a year
- Important: disability-related benefits including PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance are not counted as income, which brings more households inside the threshold than people expect
- Covers: insulation, heating measures and boiler replacement for qualifying homes
- Applies to: owner-occupiers and some private tenants
Full detail: Affordable Warmth Scheme NI.
The income threshold is much tighter than the old Boiler Replacement Scheme’s £40,000. That is the honest headline: if your household income sits between £23,000 and £40,000, you were served by the old scheme and you are not served by the current one.
2. Warm Healthy Homes Fund (from 2027)
The Department for Communities is consulting on a new energy efficiency scheme, the Warm Healthy Homes Fund, a key action within the Warm Healthy Homes Strategy 2026-36. The consultation runs for 12 weeks and closes on 19 August 2026.
It takes a whole-house, fabric-first approach: insulation and ventilation first, then heating upgrades or renewable technology. It will cover owner-occupier and private rented homes. Eligibility criteria and grant limits are exactly what is being consulted on, so nobody can quote you a figure yet.
Detail and how to respond to the consultation: Warm Healthy Homes Fund NI.
3. NI Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP)
Funded through a public service obligation on all Northern Ireland electricity customers and delivered through energy suppliers and their scheme managers, rather than through NIHE. Availability rotates by supplier and by year. Apply through your energy supplier, not the Housing Executive.
4. Phoenix Natural Gas connection offers
Not a boiler grant, but relevant if you are switching from oil to gas inside the Phoenix network. These are commercial connection offers that rotate through the year. See Phoenix Natural Gas grants.
What about the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
The UK Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which pays toward heat pumps and biomass boilers, does not apply in Northern Ireland. It covers England and Wales only. GOV.UK’s own page for the scheme directs Northern Ireland residents to look up local energy saving grants instead.
This catches people out regularly, because the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is heavily promoted and the name sounds like a replacement for the NI scheme. It is not.
“Boiler scrappage scheme NI”: same thing
“Scrappage” was an informal name for the Boiler Replacement Scheme. There was never a separate scrappage pot, and there is not one now.
Where to get impartial advice
NI Energy Advice Line: 0800 111 44 55. Free and independent. If your circumstances are borderline on the Affordable Warmth threshold, this is the right first call, ahead of any installer.
We are not the scheme administrator for any grant on this page and we cannot influence an application.
If you need a boiler now and no grant applies
For most households in the £23,000 to £40,000 income band, there is currently no boiler grant. That is an uncomfortable answer, but it is the accurate one, and it is better to know before you spend six weeks chasing a closed scheme.
Practical routes:
- Repair rather than replace, if the boiler has life in it. See Boiler Repair.
- Replace and spread the cost. Real installed costs are set out in New boiler cost Northern Ireland.
- Switching from oil to gas, where a Phoenix connection offer can take a real bite out of the total: Oil to gas conversion cost NI.
Book a quote
We connect you with independent Gas Safe and OFTEC registered engineers covering Belfast, Lisburn, Newtownabbey, Bangor, Ballymena and the surrounding area. The engineer quotes you directly, holds the contract and carries the warranty.
If you are waiting on an Affordable Warmth referral and want to understand costs in the meantime, we can arrange a no-obligation quote so you know the real number.
Related services: Oil to Gas Conversion · Gas Boiler Installation · Oil Boiler Replacement · Boiler Repair
Related guides: Affordable Warmth Scheme NI · Warm Healthy Homes Fund NI · Boiler Grants Northern Ireland · Oil to gas conversion cost NI
Sources
- Department for Communities, Closure of Boiler Replacement Scheme (21 September 2023)
- Department for Communities, Consultation on the Warm Healthy Homes Fund
- NI Housing Executive, Affordable Warmth Scheme
- GOV.UK, Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme