What “off the gas grid” means
In everyday speech, being off the gas grid just means you do not use mains gas. Your heating runs on oil, LPG, electricity or something else.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme uses a stricter meaning. For its purposes, a property is off the gas grid only when all of these are true:
- It is not fuelled by mains gas. A capped or clamped gas supply meter point still counts as being fuelled by mains gas.
- There is no record of an existing gas meter point at the property.
- It is not attached to a heat network.
- It is not a new-build property.
That definition is about the records and connections at the property, not about what you burn. Two homes on the same lane, both heated by oil, can land on different sides of it.
Step-by-step checks
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Step 1: Look for a gas meter
Check outside walls for a meter box, often a white or grey cabinet near the ground, and inside for a meter under the stairs, in a cupboard or in a garage. Include any meter that is capped, clamped or disconnected.
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Step 2: Check your bills and paperwork
Do you, or did a previous owner, pay for mains gas? Look through bills, account letters and your purchase paperwork. A gas supply at the address at any time is worth noting.
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Step 3: Check your EPC
If the property has an Energy Performance Certificate, look it up by postcode. It records the main heating fuel.
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Step 4: Note what actually heats the home
Oil or LPG deliveries, bottle swaps or an electric-only set-up. Keep the most recent receipt or bill.
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Step 5: Check for a heat network
In flats especially, heating supplied from a communal plant room or district scheme means the property is attached to a heat network.
Checking for a gas meter
The meter is the most useful single check. If you find one, even a capped or clamped one, your home almost certainly counts as connected to mains gas for scheme purposes. If you find none, and there are no gas pipes entering the building, that points the other way.
If you are not sure whether an old pipe or box is a gas meter, do not open or tamper with it. A photograph is enough to show your installer.
Checking energy bills and asking a supplier
Your electricity bill does not tell you much here. What matters is any record of gas. If you have ever had a gas account at the address, it will be on old bills. If you have just moved in, check what the seller disclosed. Energy suppliers can check whether a gas meter point is registered at an address, so asking one is a reasonable step if the paperwork is unclear.
Checking your EPC
An Energy Performance Certificate lists the property’s main heating system and fuel. You can find an existing one on the GOV.UK energy certificate register. A valid EPC is no longer a standing eligibility requirement for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. It is still useful evidence, though: where there is a valid EPC, its reference is used in the application.
Signs of oil, LPG or electric heating
These are the everyday signs of a home off the mains gas network:
| What you would see | Evidence to keep | |
|---|---|---|
| Oil | An oil tank in the garden or beside the house, and a boiler indoors or in an outdoor casing | The most recent delivery receipt |
| LPG | A bulk tank, above ground or buried, or gas bottles in a cage, and an LPG boiler | The most recent delivery or bottle receipt, and your supply agreement |
| Electric | Storage heaters, panel heaters or an electric boiler, often with a dual-rate meter | A recent electricity bill |
Heating fuel alone does not settle the off-gas question. A home heated by oil can still have a capped gas meter from years ago.
The capped gas meter issue
This is the check that surprises people most. A gas meter that has been capped or clamped still counts as mains gas under current Boiler Upgrade Scheme rules. It does not matter how long ago it was capped, or that no gas has been used since.
Capped does not mean off-grid
If there is a capped or clamped gas meter at your property, it will not meet the scheme’s off-gas definition. That affects only the enhanced grant for oil and LPG homes. The standard Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant may still apply, and a heat pump can still be installed.
Why? The definition looks at whether the property is connected to the gas network, not at whether gas is being used. A capped meter is still a connection point.
Common misunderstandings
- “There is no gas main in my village, so I must be off-grid.” Usually true, but it is the property’s own supply and records that count. Check for a meter anyway.
- “There is a gas main in the road, so I am on the grid.” Not if the house has never been connected and has no meter point.
- “We had the meter capped, so we are off-grid.” No. A capped meter still counts as mains gas.
- “I use LPG, so I am on gas.” LPG is not mains gas. An LPG home can meet the off-gas definition.
- “I am off-grid, so I get the higher grant.” Only if you are also replacing oil or LPG heating. Electric-heated off-grid homes stay at the standard value.
- “Communal heating is not gas, so I am off-grid.” A property attached to a heat network does not meet the definition.
Why off-gas status matters for the current enhanced grant
For applications properly made by 31 March 2027, homes that meet the off-gas definition and are replacing oil or LPG heating with an air-to-water or ground source heat pump may qualify for £9,000 under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, instead of the standard £7,500.
That makes off-gas status worth checking properly, but it is only one of the conditions. The full list, the exclusions and worked examples are on our off-gas heat pump grant page. For the general scheme criteria that apply to every home, see Boiler Upgrade Scheme eligibility.
If you are off the grid and heat with oil or LPG, the practical guides to replacing an oil boiler and replacing an LPG boiler cover what happens next.
What to do if you are unsure
You do not have to settle the question yourself. The scheme is installer-led: your MCS-certified installer checks the property against the definition and submits the evidence with the application. What helps is having the evidence ready:
- a photograph of your heating system, and of any gas meter, capped or not;
- your EPC reference, if the property has one;
- your most recent oil, LPG or electricity bill or receipt;
- anything you know about a past gas supply at the address.
No valid EPC?
That does not stop an application. Where there is no valid EPC, the installer can provide other evidence instead, such as a utility bill dated within the last three months, or the most recent fuel receipt, or photographs of the existing heating system.
Check your property
Tell us what heats your home and whether you own it. We will take you to our eligibility check with those answers filled in. It is free, and nothing is sent until you choose to send it.
