Cheshire East · Cheshire West and Chester · Warrington
Cheshire heat pump installers: a guide for off-gas and rural homes
More than one Cheshire home in ten has no gas meter. For those homes, heated by oil, LPG or electricity, a heat pump is a bigger change and a bigger opportunity than in a town on mains gas. This guide sets out the routes, the grants and the local figures.
An independent guide by SEO-DONS LTD. Despite the name, we are not installers and we refer you to no one.
Off the gas grid
More rural, more oil, more detached
The government estimates that in 2024, 11.55% of domestic properties in Cheshire East and 10.76% in Cheshire West and Chester had no gas meter, against 5.32% in Warrington. The 2021 census shows what those homes burn instead. In Cheshire East, 4.3% of households were heated by oil alone and 1.7% by tank or bottled gas; in Cheshire West and Chester the figures were 3.5% and 1.5%. Across England and Wales, oil heated 3.5% of households.
The housing is different too. 36.6% of Cheshire East households lived in a detached house in 2021, against 23.2% nationally. Detached homes with gardens are where ground source heat pumps and larger air source units are easiest to place. The off-gas figures page has the detail for each area.
| Cheshire East | Cheshire West and Chester | Warrington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No gas meter (2024) | 11.55% | 10.76% | 5.32% |
| Oil only | 4.3% | 3.5% | 0.5% |
| Tank or bottled gas only | 1.7% | 1.5% | 0.5% |
| Electric only | 5.6% | 5.6% | 5.3% |
| Detached houses | 36.6% | 30.6% | 24.6% |
Oil and LPG homes
The swap from a tank to a heat pump
For a home on oil or LPG, a heat pump removes the deliveries, the tank and the flue. An air source unit goes outside, a hot water cylinder goes in if there is not one already, and some radiators may be enlarged so the system can run at a low water temperature. The radiator pipework usually stays.
These homes also have the strongest grant position at the moment. Ofgem's higher Boiler Upgrade Scheme band, £9,000 rather than £7,500, applies to oil and LPG homes with no mains gas connection until 31 March 2027; the oil and LPG page sets out its conditions in full.
Land
Where there is land, price ground source too
A ground source heat pump takes its heat from pipes buried in trenches or boreholes. It costs more to install, but the ground stays steadier than the air through a Cheshire winter. Under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales, the median reported cost of a ground source installation was £34,630 in July to September 2026, with the middle half between £22,348 and £53,345, from a small number of installations.
In England, ground source heat pumps within the grounds of a house are permitted development under Part 14 Class C, so a planning application is not normally needed for the loop. The ground source page covers trenches, boreholes and costs.
Grants paid
Cheshire East leads the North West
The government's grant statistics count heat pumps paid for by local authority. Between May 2022 and September 2026: Cheshire East 892, Cheshire West and Chester 751, Warrington 224. Cheshire East's total is the highest of any single council area in the North West; the next is Westmorland and Furness with 873. See grants paid for what the numbers mean.
Warm Homes: Local Grant
Three councils, one scheme
Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester and Warrington councils deliver the Warm Homes: Local Grant together, with Cheshire East managing it and funding available until 31 March 2028. It is aimed at homes rated EPC D, E, F or G, owner-occupiers living in the home and private tenants, in households on an income-related benefit or with income within its limits. Measures can include an air source heat pump, and the target is to raise the home's energy rating by at least 2 bands.
Warrington's page says homeowners are typically not expected to contribute unless repairs are needed first, while landlords are expected to contribute at least 50 per cent after the first property. Details are on the consortium page.
Two kinds of help
Which grant is which
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: a fixed amount off an installer's quote, for most owners replacing fossil fuel or electric heating; the installer applies.
- Warm Homes: Local Grant: a council-run programme for lower-income households in less efficient homes, with the measures chosen after an assessment.
Three areas
The same rules, different homes
Common worries
What rural households ask first
"Old farmhouses are too draughty."
A large British field trial concluded heat pumps could be installed in all the property types it tested. A draughty house needs a bigger system and a careful design; simple insulation first makes it smaller.
"Our oil boiler is cheap to run."
Compare the price of a unit of heat, not the fuel: your oil price per kWh divided by the boiler's efficiency, against your electricity price divided by the heat pump's.
"We are a long way from anywhere."
Distance does not change the rules or the grants. It may change which firms will travel, so ask about servicing as well as installation.
"We have a park home."
1,069 households in Cheshire West and Chester and 780 in Cheshire East lived in a caravan or mobile home in 2021. Grant rules for these homes are specific, so check GOV.UK's conditions first.
Every guide
Find your page
- Rural route finderYour fuel and land, matched to routes
- Oil and LPG homesReplacing a tank-fed boiler
- Ground sourceLoops, land and costs
- Air source for rural homesThe common swap, step by step
- Off-gas homes in figuresWho is not on mains gas
- Warm Homes: Local GrantThe three-council consortium
- Grants paidCheshire East leads the North West
- How homes are heatedCensus 2021 by area
- Homes and plotsDetached houses, park homes, owners
- Planning rulesAir, ground and water source
- Listed buildings5,615 records across the three areas
- Cheshire in numbersEvery figure on one page
Questions about heat pumps in Cheshire
Are you heat pump installers in Cheshire?
No. Despite the name, this is an independent guide published by SEO-DONS LTD. We do not survey, quote or fit, we list no firms and we do not pass your details to any. MCS keeps the official register of certified installers.
Is there a bigger grant for oil and LPG homes in Cheshire?
Yes, nationally, not just in Cheshire. Ofgem's higher Boiler Upgrade Scheme band of £9,000 applies to air and ground source heat pumps in homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas connection, for applications properly made from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027.
How many heat pump grants have been paid in Cheshire?
Between May 2022 and September 2026, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme paid for 892 heat pumps in Cheshire East, 751 in Cheshire West and Chester and 224 in Warrington. Cheshire East's figure is the highest of any single council area in the North West.
Who runs the Warm Homes: Local Grant in Cheshire?
Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester and Warrington councils run it as a consortium, managed by Cheshire East, with funding until 31 March 2028. It is for homes rated EPC D, E, F or G and households within its income limits.
Who publishes this
A guide with an installer's name, not an installer
Published by SEO-DONS LTD (company no. 16766013), 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ. The company's record is on Companies House. The site's name describes what people search for, not what we do: we do not survey, quote for or fit heat pumps, and we do not list, rate or recommend firms. For certified installers, MCS keeps the official register.
If your question is not answered here, use the form below. It reaches the publisher, who replies by email with the source that answers it. Your details go to no installer, and asking commits you to nothing.
Where the figures come from
- ONS Census 2021 (heating, homes, tenure)
- DESNZ off-gas estimates and grant statistics
- Ofgem, Boiler Upgrade Scheme
- Warrington Borough Council for the consortium grant
- Every source, with dates
A question about a heat pump for a Cheshire home?
Tell us about the home and what heats it now: oil, LPG, electric or gas, and whether there is land for a ground loop. SEO-DONS LTD, the publisher of this guide, replies by email. We are not installers and we do not pass your details to any firm.
What happens next
- Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, which publishes this guide for Cheshire homes.
- We reply by email, with the rule, dataset or council page that answers it.
- Your details are not passed to installers, and asking commits you to nothing.