Grid Guru July 2026 Newsletter

Neil Avery
15 hours ago
11 min read

Updates on the Solar and Heat Pump Industry in this months Grid Guru July 2026 Newsletter

The price cap rose 13% on 1 July, the £9,000 oil-and-LPG BUS grant lands on 21 July, and Gate 2 distribution offers start arriving. Your July briefing.

Plenty to cover this month. The Ofgem price cap went up 13% on 1 July, so the tariff conversation just got louder. The £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme uplift for oil and LPG homes is confirmed for 21 July. The final resubmission deadline for the closed EV grant schemes falls on 6 July. And Gate 2 distribution offers are starting to land. Read on for the full picture.

THIS MONTH AT GRID GURU

A busy month on the DNO side: EV charger notifications ahead of the 6 July deadline, commercial ASHP packs at Stage 2, and a steady run of G99 storage applications as battery additions push more jobs over the threshold. If you have DNO applications, EV or heat pump notifications, MCS handover packs or design work in the pipeline, send them over — most G98 and EV notifications turn around same day, G99 in 3–5

working days.

REGULATION & POLICY

BUS · Grants

The £9,000 BUS Grant Is Confirmed for 21 July — But Only for Oil and LPG Homes

The GOV.UK approved-values notice now confirms it: from 21 July 2026, eligible off-gas-grid homes heated by oil or LPG in England and Wales can claim £9,000 towards an air-to-water or ground-source heat pump — the standard £7,500 plus a £1,500 uplift. The window runs to 31 March 2027, and DESNZ is posting leaflets to 200,000 eligible households. Around 1.7 million homes could qualify.

Read the small print before you quote. The uplift does not apply to gas-grid homes (they stay at £7,500), and air-to-air and biomass are excluded. Crucially, only vouchers applied for on or after 21 July get £9,000 — existing live vouchers stay at £7,500 — so there's no advantage to rushing an oil or LPG application in early. Confirm the live figure on gov.uk before committing it in writing.

A £9,000 grant changes the cost conversation on off-grid oil and LPG jobs — build the higher figure into your August pipeline for eligible homes only. Grid Guru handles heat pump design and MCS handover documentation so the compliance side keeps pace with demand — find out more (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/services/professional-air-source-heat-pump-(ashp)-design-service).

VAT · FHS

Two Solar Deadlines Worth Putting in Front of Every Hesitant Customer

The 0% VAT rate on solar PV, batteries and heat pumps is currently legislated to run until 31 March 2027 — worth roughly a four-figure saving on a typical solar-plus-battery system versus a 5% rate. There's talk of an extension, but nothing is confirmed beyond that date, so treat it as a hard deadline and check the current position before quoting.

Behind it, the Future Homes Standard is now law: the Approved Documents were published on 24 March 2026 and the regulations come into force on 24 March 2027. A new Requirement L3 makes on-site solar PV functionally mandatory on new homes (broadly PV equal to 40% of ground-floor area) and effectively ends fossil-fuel heating in new builds. Developer volumes will build sharply ahead of that date — and developer-fitted panels aren't always MCS-certified, which is an opening for installers who can certify and register for SEG.

Two clear deadlines to close hesitant jobs this financial year. If you're starting to work with developers, we handle G98/G99 applications and MCS handover packs at volume — get in touch (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/contact).

MCS · Compliance

MCS Transition: New Consumer-Protection Duties Arrive With Your Move-Over

The MCS Redeveloped Installer Scheme is rolling out through 2026 and into 2027, with your Certification Body opening your transition window (NICEIC, for one, aimed to contact all its installers by June). When you move across, three new duties bite: a mandatory MCS-approved financial protection product on every job, a Customer Commitment you must give the customer at first contact — before any contract — and MCS becoming the single point of contact for complaints.

There's an upside worth knowing: risk-based assessments mean a clean record (no non-conformities, no upheld complaints) can move you to a site assessment every three years rather than annually. Separately, Kiwa Energy UK has stopped taking new MCS product certifications ahead of ceasing later in 2026 — worth a quick check that anything you routinely specify stays certified and any Kiwa-held certificates are migrating to another body.

GRID & DNO

Connections Reform · Gate 2

Gate 2 Distribution Offers Are Landing — Through to November

Under NESO's timeline, Gate 2 Phase 1 distribution offers are issued between early July and mid-November 2026, released area by area as the engineering work completes. If you have larger commercial generation or storage in the queue, offers carry confirmed dates, costs and locations — but also Queue Management Milestones you have to hit to keep your place. Phase 2 distribution offers follow from mid-October.

For standard commercial solar under 1 MW the impact is minimal — the usual ~45-working-day DNO assessment continues. Remember battery storage that can export is treated as generation and needs its own G99, with solar and battery export accounted for in a single application. Check DNO capacity heat maps before you apply.

Green areas connect cleanly; amber and red may need reinforcement or export limitation. We prepare G99 applications, SLDs and G100 export-limitation schemes to get it right first time — see how (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/services/g99-application-process-for-renewable-installations).

EV · OZEV · DNO

EV Grants: 6 July Is the Final Resubmission Date — and Don't Skip the DNO

Three schemes closed to new applications on 31 March — Staff & Fleets, Commercial Landlord and Residential Landlord Infrastructure. Claims had to be in by 26 May, and the final date to resubmit when OZEV requests further information is 6 July 2026 (unless your portal deadline is earlier). The grants that continue pay £500 per socket — up from £350 on 1 April — and run to 31 March 2027, described as the final year.

Two compliance catches that trip installers up: the chargepoint must be notified to the DNO before the grant claim, and claims now need the full photo set — close-up of the unit, model and serial, the unit beside its parking space, and a wide shot of the building. Don't install until OZEV confirms eligibility, which can take up to 10 working days.

On commercial sites the DNO step is the one that quietly eats your voucher window — survey and notify early. Grid Guru handles EV charger DNO notifications and pre-applications, single-phase and three-phase, including load-management where headroom is tight.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE INDUSTRY

Refrigerants · Heat Pumps

R290 Is the New Default — What InstallerSHOW Confirmed for Your Spec List

From 1 January 2027, new split air-source heat pumps and AC units rated 12 kW or below must use a refrigerant with a Global Warming Potential under 150 — pushing the market off R32 (GWP ~675) and onto R290 / propane (GWP ~3). InstallerSHOW 2026 (23–25 June, NEC Birmingham) was effectively the R290 launchpad: Viessmann's new residential monobloc (4–12 kW, from autumn), NIBE's S2060 range, updated Mitsubishi Ecodan, Hitachi's airH2O and Grant's established Aerona 290.

The practical point for installers is spec discipline. Confirm the exact model you quote is on the MCS approved-product list and, from 2027, meets the low-GWP rule — it's the gateway to BUS and the customer's warranty. R290's flammability also changes siting and clearance requirements, so factor that into the design at survey stage, not on the day.

This year's standout picks:

• Solar panels:

Aiko Neostar 2P (low-light, 30-yr); JA Solar DeepBlue 4.0 (value); REC Alpha Pure-RX (shading)

• Inverters:

Fox ESS K-Series (all-rounder); Sunsynk ECCO (control); SolarEdge HD-Wave (shade); Enphase IQ8HC (complex roofs); Sigenergy (all-in-one)

• Heat pumps (R290):

Vaillant aroTHERM Plus (SCOP ~5.0, quiet); Mitsubishi Ecodan R290; Grant Aerona 290 (value); Viessmann Vitocal 200-A (from autumn)

• EV chargers:

Zappi (solar diversion); Ohme Home Pro (smart-tariff auto); Hypervolt Home 3 Pro (all-round); Pod Point Solo 3S (value)

THIS MONTH'S BEST DEALS

The deals that actually move the customer's numbers are policy- and supplier-driven right now — here's what's worth putting in a quote this month. (Live wholesale and flash pricing moves daily; drop your distributor's specials into the trade watch below.)

• Heat Pumps - £9,000 BUS grant from 21 July — oil & LPG homes

Off-gas-grid oil and LPG properties only (gas homes stay at £7,500). Air-to-water and ground-source; runs to 31 March 2027. Stacks with 0% VAT, and the separate £2,500 air-to-air grant remains live for suitable homes. Strongest case on off-grid oil and LPG jobs.

• Solar + Battery - 0% VAT on solar, batteries and heat pumps to 31 March 2027

Roughly a four-figure saving on a typical solar-plus-battery system versus a 5% rate. The clearest deadline to close hesitant jobs this financial year — confirm the current position before committing it in writing.

• EV Chargers - £500 per socket OZEV grant — final year

Renters, flat owners and landlords (up to 200 sockets); £500 per socket for workplace installs. Scheme ends 31 March 2027 with no confirmed successor. The 6 July resubmission deadline applies to the three schemes that closed in March.

• Supplier Bundles - Enhanced export rates, switch credits — and a VPP route to watch

Several suppliers pay enhanced SEG rates (around 20–25p/kWh) to customers who buy solar-plus-battery through an accredited installer, plus switch credits. Tesla Electric — a battery-VPP supplier for Powerwall homes — is lining up a UK launch later this quarter; worth flagging to battery customers. Use these as closers, not the headline.

• Trade Watch - Distributor specials — drop yours in here

Wholesale panel, inverter, heat pump and charger pricing shifts week to week. Add your current best buys from Segen, City Plumbing, BimbleSolar, Midsummer or your own supplier in this slot before sending.

ENERGY TARIFFS THIS MONTH

With the cap now up 13% from 1 July — electricity around 26.11p/kWh plus a 57.19p/day standing charge, gas 7.33p/kWh, gas up ~24% and electricity ~5% — tariff choice is the single biggest lever on a customer's bill, and a strong handover talking point. All rates verified early July 2026; SEG and smart rates aren't price-cap regulated and can change on ~30 days' notice, so confirm live before advising.

Solar export (SEG) — top rates:

• Octopus Intelligent Flux — up to 32.17p/kWh peak — Battery + Octopus import

• Octopus Flux — up to 29.32p/kWh peak — Battery + Octopus import

• Good Energy Solar Savings Excl. — 25p/kWh flat — Best no-battery flat

• EDF Export Exclusive (12m fix) — 24p/kWh fixed — Systems ≤5 kW

• Outgoing Octopus — 12p/kWh flat — Octopus import (cut from 15p in March)

• Standard SEG floor — ~4.1p/kWh — Open to anyone

Caveats this month: Octopus can pause new Flux and Intelligent Flux sign-ups during volatile pricing, so check live availability; British Gas is cutting Export & Earn Plus to 8p for systems over 15 kW. Import and export are decoupled — customers can keep their import supplier and still take a better export deal elsewhere.

EV charging — off-peak windows:

• Intelligent Octopus Go — 8p/kWh — 23:30–05:30 (6-hr smart)

• E.ON Next Drive — ~6.7p/kWh — Overnight (among the cheapest)

• British Gas Electric Driver — ~8–9p/kWh — 00:00–05:00

Heads-up: OVO Charge Anytime roughly doubled to ~14p/kWh in late 2025 and moved to a plan-based model, so it's no longer the value leader it was. Against the ~26p capped day rate, a good off-peak EV rate is often a bigger annual saving than the charger grant itself. Pairs best with native tariff integration (Ohme) or solar diversion (Zappi).

Heat pumps — dedicated tariffs:

• Cosy Octopus — ~13p off-peak — Triple-dip: 04–07, 13–16, 22–00

• E.ON Next Heat Pump v2 — 14p/kWh flat — Single flat rate

• British Gas Heat Pump — 14.5p/kWh — Half-price 13–16 & 00–07

• EDF Heat Pump Tracker — ~10p below standard — 04–07 & 13–16, no peak

Note OVO withdrew Heat Pump Plus to new customers on 1 February 2026. The maths has moved this quarter: an ASHP at SCOP ~3.5 delivers heat near 7p/kWh, and on Cosy off-peak import that drops toward ~3.7p/kWh of heat — against roughly 8p for a condensing gas boiler at Q3 gas rates. Cosy is the simplest 'fit and forget'; flat rates suit steady users who won't load-shift.

The gateway to all of this is MCS — suppliers won't pay SEG without a valid installation certificate. Remind customers to compare export rates before they apply, and that import and export can sit with different suppliers. If your handover pack isn't watertight, your customer can't register for SEG — see how we handle handover packs (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/services/mcs-compliant-solar-pv-handover-packs).

QUESTION FROM AN INSTALLER

Q: A customer wants a heat pump and an EV charger fitted at the same time. Is that one DNO notification or two — and will the supply cope?

Treat them as two separate notifications with one combined load picture. The heat pump goes in via the EREC G98/G99 route depending on output, and the EV charger is notified to the DNO under the ENA's connection process. The DNO assesses the cumulative demand on the supply, not each device in isolation.

On a typical single-phase domestic supply, an ASHP plus a 7 kW charger can push close to — or over — available headroom, particularly on older services. Where it's tight, a load-management device with a valid ENA type-test reference can keep the combined draw within limits and avoid a costly supply upgrade. With BUS and the EV grant both live, we're seeing more of these combined jobs.

Not sure how a combined job will assess? Send us the details (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/contact) and we'll tell you exactly what each notification needs — no charge for the advice.

WHERE WE WATCH (SOURCES)

• Ofgem — Price cap, connections end-to-end review and SEG scheme rules. (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk)

• NESO — Connections reform timeline, Gate 2 windows and queue data. (https://www.neso.energy/industry-information/connections-reform)

• GOV.UK — DESNZ & OZEV — BUS £9,000 uplift, Future Homes Standard, EV chargepoint grant changes. (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-energy-security-and-net-zero)

• MCS Certified — Redeveloped Installer Scheme, standards library and product directory. (https://www.mcscertified.com)

• Energy Networks Association — EREC G98/G99 documentation and the ENA Type Test Register. (https://www.energynetworks.org)

• Solar Power Portal — UK trade coverage of solar PV, storage, policy and market data. (https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk)

• Renewable Energy Installer — MCS changes, product news and installer business guidance. (https://www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk)

• Energy Stats UK — Independent smart-tariff pricing across all 14 DNO regions. (https://energy-stats.uk)

• MoneySavingExpert — Cross-checked import and export tariff comparisons. (https://www.moneysavingexpert.com)

HOW GRID GURU CAN HELP

One point of contact for the compliance and design side. Same-day G98 and EV notifications; G99 in 3–5 working days; domestic and commercial.

• G98 DNO Notifications — Solar PV and storage G98 notifications — all networks (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/services/services)

• G99 DNO Applications — Full G99 applications, SLDs and DNO approvals (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/services/g99-application-process-for-renewable-installations)

• EV & Heat Pump Notifications — DNO notifications and commercial pre-applications, 1- & 3-phase (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/services/heat-pump-notification-%2F-application)

• Solar PV Design — String sizing, shading analysis and technical specifications (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/services/professional-solar-pv-design-service)

• Heat Pump Design — MCS-compliant ASHP design, including MCS 021 documentation (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/services/professional-air-source-heat-pump-(ashp)-design-service)

• MCS Handover Packs — Compliant domestic & commercial solar PV and heat pump packs (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/services/mcs-compliant-solar-pv-handover-packs)

• Consultancy — Regulatory guidance, compliance queries and project support (https://www.gridguru.co.uk/services/expert-renewable-energy-consultation-service)

Have a G98, G99 or EV/heat pump notification you're not sure about? Send us your job details for a free pre-submission check — no obligation. Get in touch at https://www.gridguru.co.uk/contact or call 02920 609009.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

All sources are publicly available UK government, MCS, Energy Networks Association and industry publications. Always verify with the relevant body before acting on regulatory changes.

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