Off the gas grid
Oil and LPG homes in North Wales: funding options
A large share of North Wales homes aren't on the gas grid. For them, the most valuable funding isn't for solar at all: it's the higher Boiler Upgrade Scheme amount for replacing oil or LPG with a heat pump, which has an end date. Here's how it fits with Nest and with solar.
In brief
On Anglesey 30.3% of households heat with oil or LPG only, and in Gwynedd 23.3%, against 9.8% across Wales (Census 2021). Owners replacing oil or LPG can get £9,000 towards an air-to-water or ground source heat pump until March 2027 under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Nest can help eligible low-income off-grid homes. Solar has no extra off-grid grant.
Checked at source on 3 November 2026 · An independent guide from SEO-DONS LTD, not the Welsh Government, Nest or a council
The numbers
Where off-gas homes are
| Area | Oil only | LPG only | Together |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isle of Anglesey | 21.6% | 8.7% | 30.3% |
| Gwynedd | 16.9% | 6.4% | 23.3% |
| Denbighshire | 9.8% | 2.5% | 12.3% |
| Flintshire | 8.8% | 2.3% | 11.1% |
| Conwy | 5.5% | 2.9% | 8.4% |
| Wrexham | 6.9% | 1.4% | 8.3% |
| Wales | 7.8% | 2% | 9.8% |
Share of households by central heating type, Census 2021 (TS046). "LPG" is tank or bottled gas. Homes with more than one type are counted separately and not included here.
Heat pumps
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme's higher amount
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme applies in England and Wales and pays a fixed amount off the cost of a heat pump for eligible property owners, through an MCS certified installer. For most homes the amount for an air-to-water or ground source heat pump is £7,500. From 21 July 2026 until March 2027, off-gas-grid homes replacing oil or LPG can get £9,000 instead. Off-gas homes replacing other heating, such as coal, electric heating or a hybrid, still get £7,500.
That makes the next few months the most generous period for oil and LPG homes thinking about a heat pump. It doesn't make every heat pump a good idea: the home's insulation, radiators and space matter, and a survey by an MCS certified installer is the place to start. The scheme no longer requires a valid EPC, following regulations in force from 28 April 2026.
See the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in Wales and heat pump planning rules.
Lower incomes
Nest and off-grid homes
Eligibility for Warm Homes Nest doesn't depend on how a home is heated, but its annual report notes that the scheme offered support for off-grid households, whose traditional electric, oil or solid fuel heating is typically more expensive to run. In its first months, 8% of the households it supported relied on those systems.
The report also links lower average spend in some areas to their connections to the gas grid, among other things, which is a reminder that each package is shaped by the home. The six North Wales areas are compared on our council areas page. For an eligible oil-heated household, a Nest package might include heating, insulation, solar or a heat pump, as the Nest team decides. See who Nest is for.
Solar in an off-gas home
Where solar fits
There's no extra solar funding in Wales for off-gas homes. But solar can matter more to a home that moves from oil or LPG to a heat pump, because the home's heating then runs on electricity. Panels generate most in summer and least in winter, when heating demand peaks, so they won't cover a heat pump's winter use; they do reduce the electricity you buy across the year.
If you're planning both, the costs work differently. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme amount comes off the heat pump only. Installing solar, batteries and heat pumps in a home is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5%. Owner-occupiers can finance the rest through the Warm Homes Loan Scheme.
Be careful
Offers aimed at oil-heated homes
Homes on oil and LPG are a target for "boiler grant" advertising and for heat pumps promised at no cost. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme doesn't pay for boilers at all, and an installer applying for it on your behalf will deduct the amount from a price you still pay. If you're told a heat pump will be free, ask in writing what you'll pay, now and later. Since April 2025, calling something free when you pay anything has been banned outright under consumer law.
See spotting fake offers.
Checks
Before agreeing a heat pump for an oil or LPG home
- Is the installer MCS certified for heat pumps? Check on the MCS register.
- Does the quote show the full price, the scheme amount and what you pay?
- Has the installer explained that Ofgem will ask you to confirm consent?
- Has a heat loss assessment been done, room by room?
- Will the unit's position meet the Welsh planning rules from June 2026?
Off-gas questions
Is there extra help for oil-heated homes?
For heat pumps, yes: the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £9,000 towards an air-to-water or ground source heat pump for off-gas homes replacing oil or LPG, until March 2027, against £7,500 for most other eligible homes. It applies in Wales.
Does the £9,000 apply to solar?
No. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme never pays for solar panels or batteries.
Can Nest help an oil-heated home?
Yes, if the household meets one of Nest’s routes. The Welsh Government says the scheme offered support for off-grid households, whose traditional heating is typically more expensive to run.
Do I need an EPC for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
Not any more. The requirement for a valid EPC was removed from 28 April 2026.
The arithmetic
Comparing the £7,500 and £9,000 amounts
For an owner replacing oil or LPG with an air-to-water or ground source heat pump, the difference between the standard and higher amounts is £1,500, as long as the voucher falls within the window from 21 July 2026 to March 2027. Owners replacing other off-gas heating, such as electric storage heaters, don’t qualify for the higher amount and get the standard £7,500.
The amount comes off the installer’s price, so the quote should show the full price, the scheme deduction and what you pay. If a quote shows only a net figure, ask for the gross price too, so you can compare installers properly.
Fuel and running costs
What changes when the oil tank goes
Moving from oil or LPG to a heat pump changes how a home buys energy: no more tank deliveries, and all heating from electricity. That’s why solar and heat pumps are often discussed together in off-gas areas, though panels produce least in winter, when heating demand is highest.
Ask any installer how the heat pump has been sized for your home, what radiators or pipework need changing, and what the expected electricity use is. A heat loss assessment, room by room, is the basis for a good design. Running costs depend on your tariff and how the home is used, so treat any single savings figure with care and ask how it was worked out.
Tenants and landlords
Off-gas homes that are rented
Many rural homes in the west of the region are let. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is open to landlords as property owners, so a landlord can use the higher oil-and-LPG amount for a let home in the same way as an owner-occupier. A private tenant in an oil-heated home can't apply for the scheme, but may be eligible for Nest if the household meets one of its routes, with the landlord's agreement. See renters and landlords.
In short
The off-gas checklist
Check Nest if your household might be eligible; get an MCS installer's survey and heat loss assessment if you're considering a heat pump; confirm whether the higher scheme amount applies to your home; check the outdoor unit's position against the Welsh planning rules; and ask for every figure in writing.
Checked against
- Census 2021 TS046, central heating, by local authority (Nomis), read 3 November 2026
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get (GOV.UK), read 3 November 2026
- SI 2026/390, Boiler Upgrade Scheme amendments (legislation.gov.uk), read 2 November 2026
- Warm Homes Nest scheme annual report 2024 to 2025 (Welsh Government), read 3 November 2026
- planning permission for heat pumps (Welsh Government), read 3 November 2026
- find a certified installer (MCS), read 3 November 2026
- VAT Notice 708/6, energy-saving materials (HMRC), read 3 November 2026
Not sure which scheme, if any, fits your home?
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- We reply by email with the scheme page that fits, if there is one.
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