HeatPumpSwitch › Grants 2026 › £9,000 oil and LPG uplift
The £9,000 oil and LPG uplift, explained
From 21 July 2026 an off-gas-grid home on heating oil or LPG can get a total of £9,000 towards a heat pump under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, instead of £7,500. The window closes on 31 March 2027. Roughly 1.7 million households in England and Wales heat with oil or LPG, and most of them do not know this yet.
The number people get wrong: The uplift itself is £1,500. It takes the total grant to £9,000. Some coverage reports '£9,000 uplift' — that is wrong.
What you need to qualify
- Property must be off the gas grid.
- Current heating must be oil or LPG.
- Air-to-water or ground source heat pump, MCS-certified installer.
- Window: 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 — the uplift is time-limited, the £7,500 base is not.
Checked 2026-08-11 · GOV.UK — Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Why oil and LPG homes are the best case for a heat pump
The reason has nothing to do with the grant. It is that oil and LPG are expensive per kWh compared with mains gas, so the break-even SCOP is far lower. On mains gas you need a SCOP above about 3.6 to save money at the July 2026 cap. Against heating oil you need roughly 2.0 — which almost any competently commissioned system reaches, even on existing radiators.
Worked example: a 1919–1944 detached house on oil
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Delivered heat needed (space + hot water) | 29,920 kWh |
| Oil energy at 85 % boiler efficiency | 35,200 kWh |
| Oil volume at 10.35 kWh/litre | 3,401 litres |
| Annual oil cost at £0.62/litre | £2,109 |
| Heat pump electricity at SCOP 2.8 | 10,686 kWh |
| Annual heat pump cost at £0.2611/kWh + standing charge | £2,999 |
| Annual running-cost difference | -£890 |
| Installed cost, typical air source | £13,000 |
| Less grant with the uplift | −£9,000 |
| Net cost, and simple payback | £4,000 · no payback |
Assumptions behind these figures
- House: 1919–1944 detached, 140 m², 165 kWh/m²/yr space heat as found
- Existing oil boiler seasonal efficiency 85 %
- Heating oil £0.62/litre at 10.35 kWh/litre — editorial estimate, not a regulated price
- Electricity £0.2611/kWh, Ofgem cap 1 July – 30 September 2026
- SCOP 2.8, corresponding to a 55 °C design flow temperature on existing radiators
- Installed cost £13,000 before grant; simple payback, no discount rate, no fuel-price inflation
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Compare at least three installers. Ask each one for the heat-loss calculation and the design flow temperature in writing — that number decides your running cost more than the brand on the box.
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Three things that catch people out
- The installer applies, not you. An MCS-certified installer applies for the voucher on your behalf. If a company asks you to apply yourself, something is wrong.
- Insulation recommendations on your EPC. Outstanding loft or cavity wall recommendations must be dealt with first, unless an exemption applies. Check your EPC before you get quotes, not after.
- The 31 March 2027 date is the uplift, not the scheme. The £7,500 base grant runs to 31 December 2027. Only the extra £1,500 is tied to the shorter window.