The short answer for Norfolk: if your home is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £9,000 towards a heat pump for applications from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 — £1,500 more than the standard grant. On today's prices a well-designed heat pump costs less to run than an oil or LPG boiler in the same house; how much less depends on its efficiency.
17.3% of Norfolk households heat with oil alone — 4.9 times the England and Wales average of 3.5% — and only 56.8% heat with mains gas alone. Norfolk had 2,357 Boiler Upgrade Scheme heat pump grants paid by June 2026. Flint and clay-lump cottages, low-lying Broads villages and an exposed coast each change what the installer should check.
How many Norfolk homes are off the gas grid
| Area | Households | Oil only | LPG only | Electric only | Mains gas only |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk | 404,342 | 17.3% | 1.6% | 9.8% | 56.8% |
| England and Wales | 24,783,199 | 3.5% | 1.0% | 8.5% | 73.8% |
Census 2021, table TS046 (central heating), share of households using each fuel as their only type of central heating. Homes with two or more heating types are not in these columns, so the true number using some oil or LPG is higher.
Another 9.8% of Norfolk households (39,427) heat with electricity alone, many with storage heaters. Replacing direct electric heating qualifies for the standard £7,500 grant; the £9,000 rate is only for oil and LPG homes with no mains gas connection.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme heat pump grants paid by district, May 2022 to June 2026: South Norfolk 557, North Norfolk 416, King's Lynn and West Norfolk 410, Breckland 351, Broadland 345, Norwich 144 and Great Yarmouth 134 (DESNZ, table Q1.2). Nearly nine in ten were paid outside Norwich and Great Yarmouth.
Running costs: oil and LPG vs a heat pump in Norfolk
| Heating | Fuel bought a year | Price | Annual running cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil boiler (85% efficient) | 17,650 kWh (about 1,710 litres) | 8.75p/kWh | £1,540 |
| LPG boiler (85% efficient) | 17,650 kWh | 9.50p/kWh | £1,680 |
| Heat pump, efficiency 2.78 (trial median) | 5,400 kWh electricity | 26.61p/kWh | £1,440 |
| Heat pump, efficiency 3.05 (trial upper quartile) | 4,920 kWh electricity | 26.61p/kWh | £1,310 |
| Heat pump, efficiency 3.5 (low-temperature design target) | 4,290 kWh electricity | 26.61p/kWh | £1,140 |
Illustrative 15,000 kWh of heat a year — a larger, older rural house; yours may be more or less, which is what the installer's heat-loss survey finds out. Oil and LPG prices: heating oil 90.01p a litre (DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices, August 2026, including VAT), about 8.75p/kWh at 10.29 kWh per litre (DESNZ conversion factors 2025); LPG 9.5p/kWh (Energy Saving Trust fuel price assumptions, updated 22 September 2026). Electricity: Eastern direct-debit price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026. Standing charges and boiler servicing excluded. Heat pump efficiencies: 2.78 is the median measured seasonal performance across 428 homes in the government's Electrification of Heat trial and 3.05 its upper quartile; 3.5 is the kind of figure a system designed to run at 45°C or below is designed to achieve, not a measured average.
Eastern electricity is 26.61p a kWh this quarter, a little above the GB average of 26.32p, so at the trial's median efficiency a heat pump is only modestly cheaper to run than oil. A low-temperature design running at an efficiency around 3.5 widens the gap considerably, and the saving over LPG is larger. Oil prices also swing more than the capped electricity price, and there are no deliveries or tank to look after.
What it costs after the £9,000 grant
| Air source heat pump | |
|---|---|
| Typical installed price under BUS (median, April–June 2026) | £12,900 |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant | −£9,000 |
| What you would pay | about £3,900 |
Median installed cost of an air-to-water heat pump under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, April–June 2026 (lower quartile £11,128, upper quartile £15,627): DESNZ BUS Statistics: July 2026, published 27 August 2026. This is the middle figure across all installations — a small, well-insulated house can come in well under it; a large, older house needing new radiators and a cylinder can come in well over it.
Off-gas homes are often larger, older and less insulated than average, so expect quotes above the national median: a bigger heat pump, some larger radiators, a new cylinder and removing the oil tank. The extra £1,500 exists precisely because these jobs cost more.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme take-up to June 2026: Norfolk 2,357 grants paid.
Norfolk homes: what to expect from the survey
Older Norfolk cottages are typically flint, soft red brick, timber or clay lump — unfired clay blocks — often under thatch or pantiles. South Norfolk Council's design guide lists those as the area's traditional materials, says sun-dried clay blocks are "almost entirely restricted to East Anglia", that South Norfolk probably has more of them than anywhere else in the region, and that clay-lump houses can be hard to recognise because many "were given a 'skin' of brickwork during the 19th century" (South Norfolk Place-Making Guide). Ask the surveyor to identify the wall construction before sizing the heat pump: solid flint and clay-lump walls lose more heat than cavity walls, and clay-lump homes were traditionally finished in lime plaster, so be wary of anyone proposing cement render or non-breathable insulation on them.
38.7% of Norfolk households live in detached homes (England and Wales: 23.2%), so most have room for the outdoor unit away from neighbours' windows. On a thatched cottage the unit goes on the ground or a low wall, never the roof.
In the Broads and along the coast, much of the ground is low-lying — the Broads Authority describes the Broads as "a low-lying wetland" (Broads Authority). Ask for the outdoor unit to be raised on a stand or wall bracket above likely flood levels, with electrical connections kept high. Near the sea, ask for corrosion protection suited to salt-laden air and a warranty that doesn't exclude coastal sites. Removing the oil tank is usually a separate line on the quote; ask whether it is included and who takes away any remaining oil.
The 31 March 2027 deadline
The higher rate is time-limited: it covers voucher applications up to 31 March 2027, after which oil and LPG homes return to the standard £7,500 unless the government extends it. A survey, design and voucher application take weeks, and installers get busier as a deadline approaches, so if your boiler is nearing the end of its life, getting a quote this autumn leaves room to decide without rushing.
Planning
In England, an air source heat pump on a house is normally permitted development — no planning application — under rules relaxed on 29 May 2025. The old rule that the unit had to be at least 1 metre from the boundary has gone; the outdoor unit can be up to 1.5 cubic metres (0.6 on a block of flats); a detached house can have two units and other homes one; and the installation must meet the MCS 020(a) noise standard, which your installer checks. It can't go on a pitched roof, and at a listed home it is never permitted development: you need planning permission, plus listed building consent if the work (fixing the unit, or running pipes through walls) would affect the building's character. In a conservation area or World Heritage Site the unit can't go on a wall or roof that fronts a road, or be nearer to a road bounding the property than the house itself — so it normally goes at the side or rear.
Inside the Broads, the Broads Authority is the planning authority, not your district council. Its area takes in parts of Broadland, South Norfolk, North Norfolk, Great Yarmouth, Norwich and East Suffolk, and those councils "do not have planning powers in the Broads area" (Broads Authority). The Broads counts as "article 2(3) land" in the planning rules, like a National Park (GPDO Schedule 1), but the heat pump rules don't add restrictions for that: only conservation areas, World Heritage Sites, listed buildings and scheduled monuments are treated differently. The Broads Authority area has 25 conservation areas and more than 270 listed buildings (Broads Authority). None of the Broads Authority's current Article 4 directions names heat pumps; the one at Belaugh removes the right to fit solar panels (Article 4 list). Since 1 April 2026 the Authority charges £100 for householder pre-application advice (Broads Authority).
The Norfolk Coast National Landscape covers 453 km² of the coastline (Norfolk Coast Partnership). Like the Broads, it doesn't change the permitted development rules for a heat pump. Conservation areas do: North Norfolk alone has 84 (North Norfolk District Council), and in any of them the unit can't go on a wall facing the road.
Do you qualify?
- £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump (£2,500 for air-to-air, not claimable until MCS certifies air-to-air installers). From 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, an air source or ground source heat pump replacing oil or LPG heating in a home with no mains gas connection gets £9,000 instead (not air-to-air).
- England and Wales only. Owner-occupiers and private landlords can apply, including for second homes and business premises; most new-build homes and social housing can't.
- The heat pump must replace fossil-fuel heating (gas, oil, LPG, coal) or direct electric heating. Since 28 April 2026 an EPC is no longer mandatory — if the home doesn't have a valid one, the installer provides other evidence.
- The installer applies, not you. An MCS-certified installer requests the voucher and takes it off your price; Ofgem contacts you to confirm. It is a discount on the price, not a free installation — you pay the balance.
- There is no income test and no benefits requirement.
Source: GOV.UK, Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (updated 16 Sep 2026); DESNZ notice of grant values (effective 21 Jul 2026); Ofgem BUS guidance for property owners v5.1 (2 Jul 2026). Full detail: Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.
Getting a quote in Norfolk
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If an accredited (MCS-certified) installer covers your area, we'll pass your enquiry to them, and only them. They can arrange a home survey, including a room-by-room heat-loss calculation.
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Get your heat pump quote in Norfolk
One MCS-certified heat pump installer who covers your postcode. They apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme on your behalf if you're eligible. Nothing is shared until you submit.
What the quote must contain is set out on the heat pump quotes page. For the national rules on the uplift, see the oil and LPG boiler replacement grant guide.
Questions from Norfolk homeowners
Do I get £9,000 or £7,500 in Norfolk?
£9,000 if the heat pump replaces oil or LPG heating in a home with no mains gas connection, for applications up to 31 March 2027. Homes replacing electric storage heaters, other direct electric heating or solid fuel get £7,500.
I live in the Broads. Who handles planning?
The Broads Authority, not the district council. The national permitted development rules for air source heat pumps apply there as elsewhere; the extra limits come from conservation areas and listed buildings, and none of the Broads Authority's current Article 4 directions names heat pumps.
Will a heat pump work in a flint or clay-lump cottage?
It can, if it is sized from a room-by-room heat-loss survey. Expect a larger unit and possibly bigger radiators than in a modern house. Loft insulation and draught-proofing first reduce the size needed, and any wall treatment should keep the walls breathable.
Can I get a heat pump free in Norfolk?
Only through income-based schemes. Norfolk Warm Homes, a partnership of local councils led by Broadland District Council, can fully fund an air source heat pump for eligible households in Broadland, Breckland, North Norfolk, South Norfolk and King's Lynn and West Norfolk: the home needs an EPC of D to G and, for example, a household income of £36,000 or less or a means-tested benefit. Its website says it is taking expressions of interest for funding (checked 30 October 2026). Norwich City Council runs its own Warm Homes: Local Grant. Great British Energy is an independent guide and is not part of either scheme. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a discount on the price, not a free installation.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than oil?
At October–December 2026 Eastern prices, modestly at the trial's median efficiency and clearly with a well-designed low-temperature system. The saving against LPG is larger. See the table above.
Other areas
- Heat pumps in Birmingham
- Heat pumps in Sheffield
- Heat pumps in Bristol
- Heat pumps in Newcastle
- Heat pumps in Doncaster
- Heat pumps in Nottingham
- Oil to heat pump: Cornwall
- Oil to heat pump: Somerset
- Oil to heat pump: Fens & Peterborough
- Oil to heat pump: Northumberland
- Oil to heat pump: Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire
- Oil to heat pump: Suffolk
Thinking about panels too? Solar panels in Norfolk.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (updated 16 September 2026); DESNZ notice of grant categories and values (effective 21 July 2026); Ofgem, BUS guidance for property owners v5.1 (2 July 2026).
- DESNZ, Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics: July 2026 (27 August 2026) — median installed cost 2026 Q2; redemptions paid by local authority, May 2022 to June 2026.
- Office for National Statistics, Census 2021 tables TS044 (accommodation type), TS046 (central heating), TS050 (bedrooms) and TS054 (tenure), local authority level, via Nomis.
- Ofgem, Changes to energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026 (26 August 2026) and regional unit rates and standing charges; electricity at 0% VAT from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 (HMRC).
- DESNZ, Quarterly Energy Prices table 4.1.1 (heating oil, August 2026); DESNZ conversion factors 2025 (burning oil energy content); Energy Saving Trust, Our data (LPG, updated 22 September 2026).
- Energy Systems Catapult for DESNZ, Electrification of Heat demonstration project, summary report (December 2024): median measured air source heat pump seasonal performance (SPFH4) 2.78, interquartile range 2.55–3.05, 428 homes.
- General Permitted Development (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 14 Class G, as amended by SI 2025/560 from 29 May 2025.
- Broads Authority, About the Broads (Local Plan review), Article 4 Directions and Getting advice before you apply; GPDO 2015 Schedule 1 (article 2(3) land) (checked 30 October 2026).
- Norfolk Coast Partnership, Norfolk Coast National Landscape; North Norfolk District Council, conservation areas; South Norfolk Council, South Norfolk Place-Making Guide SPD (September 2012) (checked 30 October 2026).
- Norfolk Warm Homes, home, homeowners and contact; Norwich City Council, Warm Homes: Local Grant (checked 30 October 2026).
- DESNZ, Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics: July 2026, table Q1.2 — redemptions paid by local authority, Norfolk and its districts, May 2022 to June 2026.