The change comes as the government seeks to encourage households using oil, gas, electricity or liquefied petroleum gas to move away from fossil-fuel heating systems. According to figures released by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Martin McCluskey MP, 8,150 households applied to install a heat pump in July, representing an 81 per cent increase compared with June.
Oil-Heated Households Among Those Targeted by the £9,000 Scheme
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is intended to cover part of the cost of replacing an existing fossil-fuel heating system with a heat pump or biomass boiler. Homes using heating oil are included among those eligible to apply for the £9,000 grant.
The latest figures indicate that increased interest from households using heating oil contributed to the sharp rise in applications. The scheme also covers households currently using gas, electric heating or LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas.
Information about the additional funding was sent directly to households earlier this year. More than 200,000 homes in England and Wales received leaflets in June explaining how to claim the support, with the funding remaining available until March next year for eligible households in both countries.
According to the figures cited by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, rural and off-grid homes have represented a substantial share of the scheme since it began. Rural households have received 49 per cent of Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants, while 38 per cent have gone to homes that are not connected to the gas grid. Those figures place households using alternatives to mains gas, including heating oil, among a significant group already making use of the scheme.
Minister Points to Oil Price Exposure as Applications Rise
Martin McCluskey, the Minister for Local Energy under Burnham’s government, linked the latest push towards heat pumps with the effect that international events can have on households dependent on heating oil.
He said households relying on oil were “among the worst affected when the conflict in the Middle East started”, highlighting the exposure of those homes to changes in fuel prices. “Installing a heat pump is the best way for people on heating oil to get certainty over their bills and avoid costly spikes in prices due to events out of our control,” McCluskey said.
He also described the record number of Boiler Upgrade Scheme applications as “really promising” and called on eligible households using oil to consider the available support. “I would urge eligible billpayers on oil to take advantage of the £9,000 grant to make the switch,” he said.
According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero figures reported alongside McCluskey’s comments, July’s total of 8,150 applications marked the highest level recorded, with uptake rising by 81 per cent from the previous month. The increase followed the distribution of information to households in June and coincided with greater interest from homes that rely on heating oil.
