Gas Engineer to Heat Pump Installer
You already have the hard part — wet heating and plumbing. This is the qualifications and grants route to add heat pumps, from your first course to offering customers the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
The route, step by step
- 1
You're a gas or heating engineer
Your starting pointYou already have the base that matters most — wet central heating, plumbing and system knowledge. Moving to heat pumps is an add-on, not a restart.
- 2
Get the heat pump qualification
~5 daysThe Level 3 Award in the Installation and Maintenance of Heat Pump Systems (offered by LCL, BPEC and City & Guilds), plus Water Regulations (WRAS). For an experienced wet-heating engineer this is about five days of training — mostly the kit itself and low-temperature system design.
- 3
Get MCS certified — or join an umbrella
MCSCertification under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) — either directly or under an MCS umbrella scheme — is the gateway to the government grants. Umbrella schemes let you start without taking on the full MCS system-design and registration burden yourself.
- 4
Now you can offer the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
£7,500 grantOnce MCS-certified you can offer your customers the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant off a new heat pump — the discount that makes the quote competitive with a boiler swap.
The grants that make it pay
All figures from GOV.UK; MCS certification is the gateway to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Off an air-source, ground-source or water-source heat pump for your customer, and £9,000 for eligible off-gas-grid homes (from 21 July 2026). The installer must be MCS-certified.
Off the cost of an eligible heat pump training course, through participating training providers.
Two more, depending on the job
Most heat pump systems run an unvented cylinder, so a Building Regulations G3 (unvented hot water storage) competency is usually needed.
Only for split systems, where you make and break the refrigerant circuit on site. Monobloc heat pumps arrive pre-charged and sealed, so no F-Gas handling is required.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take a gas engineer to qualify for heat pumps?
About five days. An experienced wet-heating engineer already has the base; the Level 3 Award in the Installation and Maintenance of Heat Pump Systems mainly adds the kit itself and low-temperature system design, plus Water Regulations.
Do I need MCS certification?
To offer the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, yes — either MCS-certified directly or working under an MCS umbrella scheme. The umbrella route lets you start without taking on the full MCS registration yourself.
How much is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?
£7,500 off a heat pump for your customer, and £9,000 for eligible off-gas-grid homes (from 21 July 2026). The installer must be MCS-certified.
Do I need F-Gas certification for heat pumps?
Only for split systems, where you make and break the refrigerant circuit on site. Monobloc heat pumps arrive pre-charged and sealed, so no F-Gas handling is required.