First air-to-air heat pumps land on the MCS product directory: what it means for the £2,500 grant

Air-to-air heat pumps now exist on the MCS Product Directory. On 1 September 2026 Daikin UK announced that 65 of its residential multi-split combinations had been listed, via Eurovent Certification, making them the first air-to-air products to appear there since the Boiler Upgrade Scheme opened to the technology on 28 April 2026.

That matters because the £2,500 grant needs an MCS-listed product. But it also needs an MCS-certified installer, and as of early September there are none for air-to-air. So the honest summary is: one of the two locks has opened, for one brand, for multi-splits only. Nobody has had a grant-funded air-to-air heat pump fitted yet.

What Daikin listed, and what it did not

The listing covers 65 combinations in two families:

The Perfera wall-mounted indoor unit is among those included, and the multi-split family is the one we cover in our Daikin 3MXM multi-split review.

Two things are not on the list. First, single splits: one indoor unit and one outdoor unit, the format most UK homes buy for a single room. Cooling Post's report is clear that the listing is multi-splits with two to five indoor units. Second, any other brand. Eurovent says it transferred Daikin's existing certified test data into the MCS system without re-testing, and that "further products are expected to follow" as the framework matures, but as of 2 September Daikin stands alone.

The multi-split focus is not a coincidence. MCS says a certified air-to-air installation must be "primarily designed to provide your entire property's heating requirements". A single wall unit in the lounge is unlikely to meet that, whereas a system with an indoor unit in every main room can.

Why a product listing matters

Ofgem's rules for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme are simple to state. The system has to be installed and commissioned by an MCS-certified installer, using a product that meets the scheme's technical standards, and it must replace an existing fossil fuel or electric heating system. The installer applies for the voucher on your behalf and then has three months from approval to finish the job.

Until this week, no air-to-air product met the first test. Daikin's listing removes that obstacle for its multi-splits. The installer side is the part still missing.

What is still missing

MCS's own consumer page says it plainly: "At the moment, no installers are yet certified to install air-to-air heat pumps."

MCS's April 2026 update explained why. The installer certification bodies (the organisations that actually audit and certify installers) each have to gain UKAS accreditation for the new air-to-air scope, on timescales that "vary depending on CB preparation, readiness, and UKAS resources". Every certified firm also needs a technical supervisor holding RACHP (refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pumps) competence at Level 3 or above, because split systems run at higher pressures and use flammable refrigerants such as R32.

The delay has become political. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit reported in July that only a few dozen air-to-air voucher applications had been made under the scheme and that no installations had been completed. In August more than 50 MPs wrote to the heads of MCS and UKAS asking them to speed things up.

Update, 11 September 2026. Installer Online reports that UKAS has now approved the updated MCS Installer Scheme with air-to-air in scope for the first time, and that NAPIT and Certsure (NICEIC) intend to apply for accreditation to certify installers. That is the next lock starting to turn, but no completion date has been given and, at the time of writing, still no installer is certified.

The grant is real and legal. The scheme to deliver it is still being built.

What a homeowner should do now

Check the two MCS directories yourself. The MCS Product Directory now has an "Air to Air Heat Pump" filter. The MCS installer search will show air-to-air firms once any exist. If a company tells you it is "grant approved" for air-to-air today, it is not.

Ask installers directly. Any firm you are talking to should be able to say whether it is pursuing MCS air-to-air certification, which certification body it is using, and whether its technical supervisor holds RACHP Level 3. Good firms will give you a straight answer. Our installer directory is the place to start.

Do not delay a needed install for the grant. If your storage heaters are failing this autumn, a wall split fitted by an F-Gas registered installer will heat the room for roughly a quarter of the running cost of a panel heater, grant or no grant, and 0% VAT on fixed air-to-air units runs to 31 March 2027 regardless. Waiting for a voucher that may not be claimable until 2027 could cost you a winter of high bills.

Treat "free air con" pitches as a warning sign. The grant is £2,500 towards a whole-home heating system, not a discount on a bedroom cooling unit, and nobody can process it yet. Anyone advertising otherwise is either confused or hoping you are.

What to watch for next

• The first installer certification body to gain UKAS accreditation for air-to-air, and the first certified firms appearing on the MCS installer search.

• Other manufacturers following Daikin onto the Product Directory, and whether single splits appear.

• Ofgem's monthly Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics showing the first air-to-air installation completed.

• Whether the government responds to the MPs' letter with a timetable.

We will update our air-to-air heat pump grant guide as each of these lands. For the technology itself, start with our air-to-air heat pumps guide, browse the wider heating guides, or read our overview of Daikin as a brand.

Correct as of September 2026. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme and MCS certification position is changing month by month, so check the MCS directories before committing.