The heat pump is the only item still supported everywhere in 2026 — and the big change comes from the federal level: since 1 January 2026, VAT on installing a heat pump is 6% regardless of the age of the home, new builds included, until 31 December 2030. In Wallonia the grant runs from €1,200 to €3,600 depending on your income, but the scheme closes on 30 September 2026. In Flanders, the heat pump is the only grant higher earners have kept since 1 March 2026. In Brussels, there is no regional grant at all any more.
Why the heat pump became the best-treated item
In 2026 all three regions cut or scrapped much of their renovation support. The heat pump is the exception: wherever a budget survives, it has been concentrated on it. The logic is explicit — it is the measure that directly replaces a fossil-fuel boiler, and therefore weighs most on regional climate targets.
Three things to understand before comparing amounts:
- The type of heat pump changes everything. Air-to-water (the most common), hybrid (heat pump plus back-up boiler), ground source (the most efficient and most expensive), air-to-air (reversible air conditioning) and the heat pump water heater are treated differently — and not always at the same level.
- The installer determines the grant. In Flanders, a RESCert certificate is required for every type of heat pump. In Wallonia, the contractor must be registered and the prior home energy audit is mandatory.
- The building envelope comes before the machine. A heat pump in a poorly insulated house runs at high temperature, consumes a lot and disappoints. The order of works — insulate first, then heat — is not a slogan, it is the condition for the investment to pay off.
The big 2026 change: 6% VAT everywhere
This is the federal measure that shifts the equation most this year. Since 1 January 2026, the reduced 6% VAT rate applies to the supply and installation of a heat pump with no condition on the age of the dwelling — including in a new build or a home under ten years old. The measure runs until 31 December 2030.
On a €15,000 installation, going from 21% to 6% VAT saves roughly €2,250. For a home older than ten years the reduced rate already applied under the renovation regime; the real novelty concerns new builds and recent homes, which were previously at 21%.
Wallonia: up to €3,600, but the clock is running
Wallonia remains the most generous region on heat pumps, through the Primes Habitation scheme. The mechanism is a base amount multiplied by a coefficient tied to your income:
| Category | Reference income | Coefficient | Heat pump grant (€600 base) |
|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | ≤ €28,900 | × 6 | €3,600 |
| R2 | €28,900 – €41,100 | × 4 | €2,400 |
| R3 | €41,100 – €54,300 | × 3 | €1,800 |
| R4 | €54,300 – €122,800 | × 2 | €1,200 |
| R5 | > €122,800 | — | No grant |
Two caps apply on top: the grant cannot exceed 70% of the invoice including VAT in R1 and R2, nor 50% in R3 and R4. And the home energy audit by an accredited auditor is mandatory before the works — the heat pump is not among the rare exempt items.
⚠️ The 30 September 2026 deadline. The current Primes Habitation scheme is a transitional regime running from 14 February 2025 to 30 September 2026. Every application — audit as well as works, final invoice included — must be submitted before that date. A reform then takes over, whose announced outlines (audit before and after the works, support concentrated on EPC label jumps) still have to be confirmed. If your project is ready, the window is now measured in weeks.
Flanders: the heat pump as the last resort for higher earners
Flanders tightened Mijn VerbouwPremie on 1 March 2026. The system rests on four income categories, category 4 covering the lowest incomes. Since that date:
- categories 3 and 4 (modest and middle incomes) keep access to all grants;
- categories 1 and 2 (highest incomes) are left with two grants only: the heat pump and the heat pump water heater. All insulation grants have gone for them.
For those categories 1 and 2, the amounts were also cut on 1 March 2026:
| Type of installation | Before | Since 1 March 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Air-to-water heat pump | €2,250 | €1,500 |
| Hybrid heat pump | €1,500 | €800 |
| Heat pump water heater | €900 | €450 |
Ground-source systems remain the best-supported technology in the Flemish scheme — they are also the heaviest to install (borehole or horizontal collectors). In every case the installer must hold the RESCert certificate, including for an air-to-air unit.
Brussels: no regional grant left, other levers instead
This is the point many articles have not caught up with: the Renolution grants have been suspended since 1 January 2025, heat pumps included. The official Renolution portal states explicitly that there is no government decision regarding any new forms of financial support for renovation.
The Brussels government has announced its intention to replace grants with zero-interest loans, with a budget mentioned from 2027 — but the terms are not fixed. In the meantime, what you can still activate:
- the ECORENO credit from the Housing Fund, relaunched on 1 January 2026 at a reduced rate set by household income bracket (in the order of 2.5% to 3.5% — check the rate in force before committing);
- the federal 6% VAT, which now applies whatever the age of the dwelling;
- municipal grants, which vary widely between municipalities — in Brussels that is now the first thing to check;
- free guidance from Homegrade to frame the project and the order of works.
Real payback: what actually matters
A grant does not make a project viable. What drives a heat pump's running cost is its seasonal performance factor: the ratio between the heat produced and the electricity consumed across a heating season. The lower the flow temperature of your circuit, the better that ratio.
Hence three practical rules:
- Underfloor heating or oversized radiators: low-temperature regime, heat pump at its best.
- Standard radiators in a poorly insulated house: high-temperature regime, degraded efficiency, electricity bill climbing. This is the scenario that produces disappointed owners.
- Hybrid heat pump: the existing boiler takes over in deep cold. A reasonable compromise while insulation is still pending — but the grant is lower and you remain dependent on gas.
The right order therefore stays: insulate the roof, then the walls, then replace the heating system. A heat pump fitted first in an energy sieve is an investment working against you.
The steps, in order
Verdict
In Wallonia: if the project is ready, now is the moment. The grant (up to €3,600) plus 6% VAT combination may not be available in this form after 30 September 2026.
In Flanders: modest and middle incomes (categories 3 and 4) keep a complete scheme. Categories 1 and 2 have only the heat pump left — which is all the more reason to use it, since it is literally their last remaining grant.
In Brussels: do not count on a regional grant. The calculation rests on 6% VAT, municipal grants and the cost of credit. Given the uncertainty around the announced zero-interest loans, an urgent project should not wait for a scheme with no date attached.