Government Grants for
Solar Panels and EV
Chargers in Bedford

A walk-through of the 2026 grants Bedford homeowners can claim

The UK grant landscape in 2026 is significantly streamlined compared to a few years ago. Several schemes (the Green Homes Grant, the Renewable Heat Incentive, multiple OZEV sub-grants) have closed. The remaining schemes are bigger, simpler plus easier to claim. They have hard deadlines. Bedford homeowners considering electrical upgrade work should look hard at whether their plans qualify for either of the two main grant routes that remain.

1. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) for heat pumps

The flagship UK heat pump grant. £7,500 toward an air source or ground source heat pump. £2,500 toward an air-to-air heat pump. £5,000 toward a biomass boiler in rural off-gas-grid properties. From July 2026 the grant rises to £9,000 for homes currently heated by oil or LPG. The scheme covers England plus Wales (Bedford qualifies). The scheme is administered by Ofgem, applied as an upfront discount by an MCS-certified installer plus runs until 31 December 2027 with funding committed until at least March 2028. Since launch in May 2022 the scheme has had over 100,000 applications including over 4,000 in October 2025 alone. Eligibility expanded significantly in March 2024 when the EPC requirement was relaxed: any rating now qualifies including D, E, F plus G properties.

2. The OZEV EV Chargepoint Grant

The current OZEV grant covers renters, flat owners plus residential landlords. From 1 April 2026 the grant value rose from £350 to £500 per socket, covering up to 75 percent of the install cost (whichever is lower). Renters plus flat owners can claim one socket. Residential landlords can claim up to 200 sockets per year across their portfolio. The application now goes through the gov.uk Find a Grant service after the platform changed on 1 April 2026. Owner-occupiers in standard houses with driveways do not qualify for this grant: it is specifically targeted at households without easy access to driveway charging. The scheme closes for new applications on 31 March 2027 plus all OZEV chargepoint schemes will end at that date.

3. The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)

For Bedford businesses, the WCS provides £500 per chargepoint socket up to 40 sockets per applicant. Eligibility includes registered companies, charities plus public sector bodies with off-street parking. The grant covers staff plus fleet charging at workplaces but not customer-facing public charging. The installer must be OZEV-authorised plus the grant is applied to the final invoice. Closes 31 March 2027 for new applications. For Bedford businesses with EV charging plans, this is the cheapest window to install. After March 2027 only commercial-rate funding will be available.

4. Solar PV grants plus incentives

Solar PV does not have a direct UK install grant in 2026. The closed Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is the main ongoing incentive: it pays Bedford homeowners for excess solar electricity exported back to the grid. Rates vary by supplier from around 4p to 15p per kWh exported. Zero VAT on residential solar PV install remains in place until 31 March 2027 (saves typically £600 to £1,500 on a domestic install). Some Bedford homeowners may be eligible for ECO4 or the Great British Insulation Scheme if they meet income or property criteria, which can fund solar in limited cases. Solar Together schemes run by various local councils periodically offer group-buying discount on solar PV plus battery installs.

Stacking grants

The BUS plus OZEV grants can be claimed independently for the same Bedford property. A homeowner installing both a heat pump plus an EV charger can claim each grant on its own merits. A renter or flat owner can install an EV charger plus claim OZEV (the BUS grant requires property ownership). Solar PV plus battery systems can sit alongside either install, with their own zero-VAT plus SEG benefits. What you cannot do is double-claim from multiple public funding sources for the same install: BUS plus a closed Green Homes Grant for the same heat pump would be ineligible.

• BUS heat pump grant. £7,500 ASHP/GSHP, £2,500 air-to-air. £9,000 for oil/LPG homes from July 2026. Closes Dec 2027.
• OZEV EV chargepoint grant. £500 per socket for renters, flat owners plus landlords. Closes March 2027.
• Workplace Charging Scheme. £500 per socket up to 40 sockets for Bedford businesses. Closes March 2027.
• Solar PV. No direct grant but zero VAT until March 2027 plus Smart Export Guarantee feed-in tariff.

For grant-funded heat pump or EV charger install work in Bedford, our electrician Bedford service handles BUS plus OZEV-eligible installs across the borough.

This article is one chapter of a wider local resource. To see how grants connect with other upgrades, regulations plus the bigger picture, head to our full Energy, Safety and Electrical Rules for Bedford Homes hub. The hub indexes every related article we have written for local property owners.

For grant-funded heat pump or EV charger install work in Bedford, our electrician Bedford service handles BUS plus OZEV-eligible installs. NICEIC plus MCS accredited workmanship across Bedford plus surrounding postcodes.