The government's January 2026 Warm Homes Plan discussed homes off the gas grid under the "Rural communities" header, with the discussion focused on grants under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme1. As of November 2025, around 39% of Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants had been made to homes off the gas grid1.
An estimated 4.8 million households across Great Britain were not connected to the gas grid in 2024, or 16.0% of domestic properties1. The share was highest in inner London at 26.6% and the South West at 24.0%, and lowest in the North East at 7.5% and North West at 10.4%1. The briefing's regional table gives the South West as 24.2%2; the two figures for that region differ between the summary text and the table.
Census data show how off-grid homes heat themselves. In England and Wales in 2021, 73.8% of households used mains gas, 9.1% used two or more types of central heating, 8.5% used electric heating, 3.5% used oil, 2.5% used other central heating including renewable, solid fuel, wood and heat networks, 1.5% had no central heating and 1.0% used tank or bottled gas1. Northern Ireland's 2021 census found around half of households, 49.5%, used oil as their only central heating, with 31.6% on mains gas, 15.0% using two or more types and 1.6% electric only1. Scotland's 2022 census found 73.4% used mains gas as their only central heating, 9.0% electric, 6.1% two or more types and 5.1% oil only1.
| Nation | Oil only | Mains gas only | Electric only | Two or more types |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales (2021) | 3.5% | 73.8% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| Northern Ireland (2021) | 49.5% | 31.6% | 1.6% | 15.0% |
| Scotland (2022) | 5.1% | 73.4% | 9.0% | 6.1% |
Average UK heating oil prices jumped following strikes by Israel and the United States against Iran on 28 February 2026, going from 53 pence per litre in February 2026 to £1.04 per litre in March 2026, a 95% increase in a single month, though they have since decreased slightly1. Prices for alternative fuels are not regulated in the same way as gas and electricity, so they can vary day to day and between local areas to a much greater extent1. The most recent price data pre-dates an increase in the energy price cap in July 2026, which raised the price of electricity by 6% per unit and gas by 28% per unit1.
The briefing also records that in September 2023 the Prime Minister announced changes to net zero policy, including that the phase out date for installing new oil and LPG boilers and new coal heating for off-grid homes would be put back to 20352. It notes a Department for Communities Warm Healthy Homes Strategy 2026 to 2036 intended to help address fuel poverty, £50 million in funding targeted towards low income homes heated with heating oil, and a scheme announced to cut energy bills in Northern Ireland by £30 a year2.
"In January 2026 the Warms Home Plan included discussion of homes off the gas grid, focused on grants under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme"
Why it matters for households
Off-grid homes buy their fuel in an unregulated market, so a household's running costs depend on when it buys and where it lives rather than on a capped tariff1. The March 2026 oil spike shows how quickly that exposure can bite: a 95% rise in a single month for a fuel that many Northern Ireland households, at 49.5% oil only, and 3.5% of households in England and Wales depend on1.
The briefing states that households using alternative fuels are more likely than others to be classified as being in fuel poverty, and more likely to experience deeper or more extreme levels of it, in all three nations of Great Britain even though fuel poverty is measured differently in each1. It attributes this mainly to the generally lower energy efficiency of properties off the gas grid1. At March 2026 prices, mains gas was estimated to be the cheapest way to heat a standard three-bed semi-detached house in the UK, followed by heating oil, then LPG, though the estimates do not account for off-grid properties on average being larger and less energy efficient, and so having higher heating needs2.
For a home's energy independence, the practical picture is that the grant route runs through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, while the fuel itself is bought at unregulated prices. The briefing sets out the census and meter data behind living off the gas grid and the wider home energy grants landscape.
What happens next
The briefing records the 2035 date for phasing out installation of new oil and LPG boilers and new coal heating for off-grid homes, put back in September 20232. It also records the Warm Healthy Homes Strategy 2026 to 2036 and the £50 million funding for low income homes heated with heating oil2. No further dates for the Warm Homes Plan's off-grid measures are given in the briefing.
Sources2 cited
- Households off the gas-grid and prices for alternative fuels - House of Commons Library, commonslibrary.parliament.uk
- [](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9838/CBP-9838.pdf), researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk