The six council areas
Solar and heating funding by North Wales council area
The schemes are the same across Wales, but the homes aren't. How a council area's homes are heated, how much sun its roofs get, and what Nest has achieved there all shape which questions matter most. Here are the six North Wales council areas, from official figures.
In brief
West and east differ sharply. On Anglesey and in Gwynedd, 30.3% and 23.3% of households heat with oil or LPG only; in Conwy and Wrexham it's under 9%, and in Flintshire 11.1%. PVGIS estimates 883 to 995 kWh a year per south-facing kWp across the six. The funding routes are the same everywhere: Nest, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for heat pumps, the loan scheme and the reliefs.
Checked at source on 3 November 2026 · An independent guide from SEO-DONS LTD, not the Welsh Government, Nest or a council
At a glance
The figures side by side
| Area | Gas only | Oil only | LPG only | Electric only | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isle of Anglesey | 43.8% | 21.6% | 8.7% | 8% | 995 |
| Gwynedd | 46.3% | 16.9% | 6.4% | 8.7% | 883 |
| Conwy | 72% | 5.5% | 2.9% | 5.9% | 921 |
| Denbighshire | 67.1% | 9.8% | 2.5% | 5.5% | 912 |
| Flintshire | 73.5% | 8.8% | 2.3% | 3.3% | 969 |
| Wrexham | 74.5% | 6.9% | 1.4% | 5.1% | 967 |
| Wales | 71.6% | 7.8% | 2% | – | – |
Heating: Census 2021 (TS046), share of households. Yield: PVGIS, 1 kWp south-facing at 35°, 14% losses, near each administrative town.
01 · Llangefni
Isle of Anglesey
The island stands out on almost every measure. Only 43.8% of its 30,822 households heat with mains gas alone, the lowest share in North Wales, while 21.6% rely on oil and 8.7% on tank or bottled gas: together 30.3%, more than three times the Welsh figure. Another 8.0% heat with electricity only, and 2.3% had no central heating at all in 2021.
Anglesey also has the strongest solar resource of the six by PVGIS’s estimate: about 995 kWh a year for each south-facing kWp near Llangefni, helped by its open, low-lying landscape. And it had the highest Nest modelled savings in North Wales in the scheme’s first months, an average of £687 a year on the standard route and £819 through the crisis route.
For an Anglesey household, that combination makes two questions worth asking: whether Nest could apply, especially for an oil-heated home with a low rating, and, for owners, whether the Boiler Upgrade Scheme’s higher £9,000 amount for homes replacing oil or LPG, available until March 2027, fits a heat pump plan.
| Households (2021) | 30,822 |
|---|---|
| Mains gas only | 43.8% |
| Oil or LPG only | 30.3% |
| Electric only | 8% |
| No central heating | 2.3% |
| Solar, kWh per kWp a year | 995 near Llangefni |
| Nest modelled saving, standard | £687 a year |
| Nest modelled saving, crisis | £819 a year |
02 · Caernarfon
Gwynedd
Gwynedd’s 51,105 households are split between the gas towns of the coast and a large rural interior. Mains gas alone heats 46.3% of homes; oil 16.9%, tank or bottled gas 6.4%, and electricity alone 8.7%, the highest electric share in North Wales. At 3.2%, Gwynedd also had the largest share of households with no central heating.
Its PVGIS figure near Caernarfon, about 883 kWh per kWp a year, is the lowest of the six. That reflects the model’s allowance for surrounding high ground as much as the weather; a well-placed roof in Gwynedd can do better, and a shaded valley home worse, which is why an on-site survey matters more here than anywhere.
Nest’s figures for Gwynedd are distinctive too. The annual report gives it the lowest average spend per home in Wales, £6,100, and modelled savings of £473 a year on the standard route and £404 on the crisis route, both below the Welsh averages. The report attributes differences in spend to the type of homes, rurality and gas connections in each area.
| Households (2021) | 51,105 |
|---|---|
| Mains gas only | 46.3% |
| Oil or LPG only | 23.3% |
| Electric only | 8.7% |
| No central heating | 3.2% |
| Solar, kWh per kWp a year | 883 near Caernarfon |
| Nest modelled saving, standard | £473 a year |
| Nest modelled saving, crisis | £404 a year |
03 · Conwy
Conwy
Conwy is mostly on the gas grid: 72.0% of its 52,234 households heat with mains gas only, close to the Welsh average of 71.6%. Oil accounts for just 5.5%, the lowest share in North Wales, and tank or bottled gas 2.9%. Electric-only heating, at 5.9%, is slightly above the regional middle.
A south-facing kWp near Conwy makes about 921 kWh a year in PVGIS’s estimate. Nest’s modelled savings in the area averaged £513 a year on the standard route and £643 through the crisis route, the second-highest crisis figure in the region.
For most Conwy households the funding picture is the Wales-wide one: Nest for those who meet its routes, and the loan scheme, VAT relief and export payments for everyone else. Owners of the smaller number of oil-heated homes have the same Boiler Upgrade Scheme option as elsewhere.
| Households (2021) | 52,234 |
|---|---|
| Mains gas only | 72% |
| Oil or LPG only | 8.4% |
| Electric only | 5.9% |
| No central heating | 1.6% |
| Solar, kWh per kWp a year | 921 near Conwy |
| Nest modelled saving, standard | £513 a year |
| Nest modelled saving, crisis | £643 a year |
04 · Ruthin
Denbighshire
Denbighshire’s 42,387 households sit between the coast and the Vale of Clwyd. Mains gas alone heats 67.1% of homes, a little below the Welsh figure, while oil heats 9.8%, the highest share in the eastern half of the region, and tank or bottled gas 2.5%. Some 0.9% use renewable heating only, second only to Anglesey’s 1.0%.
PVGIS estimates about 912 kWh a year for a south-facing kWp near Ruthin. Nest’s modelled savings in Denbighshire averaged £549 a year on the standard route and £623 through the crisis route.
With nearly one home in ten on oil, the off-gas questions apply in parts of the county: whether a heat pump suits the home, and how the Boiler Upgrade Scheme’s oil-and-LPG amount compares with the standard £7,500 while it lasts.
| Households (2021) | 42,387 |
|---|---|
| Mains gas only | 67.1% |
| Oil or LPG only | 12.3% |
| Electric only | 5.5% |
| No central heating | 1.3% |
| Solar, kWh per kWp a year | 912 near Ruthin |
| Nest modelled saving, standard | £549 a year |
| Nest modelled saving, crisis | £623 a year |
05 · Mold
Flintshire
Flintshire is the largest of the six by households, 66,911, and among the most gas-connected: 73.5% heat with mains gas only. Oil accounts for 8.8%, tank or bottled gas 2.3%, and electric-only heating 3.3%, the lowest electric share in North Wales. Just 0.8% had no central heating.
Its solar resource is among the better ones in the region, about 969 kWh per south-facing kWp a year near Mold in PVGIS’s estimate. Nest’s modelled savings averaged £509 a year on the standard route and £622 through the crisis route.
For most Flintshire homes, the useful routes are the ones open to everyone, with Nest for households that meet its conditions. Being next to England, Flintshire residents are especially likely to see adverts for English council schemes; Warm Homes: Local Grant doesn’t apply on the Welsh side of the border.
| Households (2021) | 66,911 |
|---|---|
| Mains gas only | 73.5% |
| Oil or LPG only | 11.1% |
| Electric only | 3.3% |
| No central heating | 0.8% |
| Solar, kWh per kWp a year | 969 near Mold |
| Nest modelled saving, standard | £509 a year |
| Nest modelled saving, crisis | £622 a year |
06 · Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham has the highest share of mains-gas-only homes in North Wales: 74.5% of its 57,914 households. Oil heats 6.9%, tank or bottled gas just 1.4%, the lowest in the region, and electricity alone 5.1%.
A south-facing kWp near Wrexham makes about 967 kWh a year in PVGIS’s estimate, close to Flintshire’s. Nest’s modelled savings in Wrexham were the lowest in the region in the scheme’s first months, £442 a year on the standard route and £395 through the crisis route, though they are averages and shouldn’t be read as a guide to any one house.
Like Flintshire, Wrexham borders England, and the same caution applies to English scheme adverts. The Welsh routes are Nest, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for heat pumps, and the reliefs and loan scheme everyone can use.
| Households (2021) | 57,914 |
|---|---|
| Mains gas only | 74.5% |
| Oil or LPG only | 8.3% |
| Electric only | 5.1% |
| No central heating | 1% |
| Solar, kWh per kWp a year | 967 near Wrexham |
| Nest modelled saving, standard | £442 a year |
| Nest modelled saving, crisis | £395 a year |
Same schemes everywhere
What doesn't change between areas
None of the schemes on this site, set out on solar panel grants in Wales, varies by North Wales council area. Nest's rules are national; the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the loan scheme, the VAT relief and export payments apply the same way across Wales. What the local figures change is which questions are most likely to matter: off-gas homes in the west, a typical gas-heated home in the east.
The electricity network is the same across the region too: North Wales is served by SP Energy Networks, which an installer notifies or applies to when a system is connected. The Energy Networks Association's postcode tool confirms the operator for any address.
See oil and LPG homes, solar yield in North Wales and Warm Homes Nest.
Checked against
- Census 2021 TS046, central heating, by local authority (Nomis), read 3 November 2026
- PVGIS solar estimates (SARAH3, 2005 to 2023) (EU Joint Research Centre), read 3 November 2026
- Warm Homes Nest scheme annual report 2024 to 2025 (Welsh Government), read 3 November 2026
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get (GOV.UK), read 3 November 2026
- find your network operator (Energy Networks Association), read 3 November 2026
Not sure which scheme, if any, fits your home?
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