Can an LPG boiler be replaced by a heat pump?
Yes. An LPG boiler works much like a mains gas boiler. It heats water for radiators and hot taps, and it usually sits on the same kind of wet central heating system. An air-to-water or ground source heat pump connects into that system and takes over both jobs.
The heat pump works differently, though. It heats water to a lower temperature and runs for longer. Whether the radiators and hot water set-up suit that is settled by a survey, not by the type of fuel you are leaving. Our guide to whether a home is suitable for a heat pump covers those checks.
Bulk tank or bottles: why it matters
How the LPG reaches your home decides most of the practical steps when it stops.
| Bulk tank | Bottled LPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical set-up | A large tank on the property, above ground or buried, filled by tanker | Cylinders in a cage or against a wall, swapped when empty |
| Who usually owns it | Often the supplier, under a supply agreement | Usually the supplier, on a cylinder rental or deposit |
| What to check | Contract term, notice period, any removal or termination charge | How to return cylinders and end any rental |
| What happens to it | Emptied and collected, or made safe where removal is impractical | Returned to the supplier or its agent |
If the tank belongs to your supplier
This is the common arrangement for bulk LPG. The tank is the supplier’s property, and the supply agreement sets out how it is removed. Before you commit to a heat pump, find the agreement and check:
- whether there is a minimum term, and when it ends;
- how much notice you have to give;
- whether there is a charge for removing the tank or ending early;
- what happens to any gas left in it.
Doing this early avoids paying for a tank you no longer use, or having the installation date set before the supplier can collect.
If you own the tank
Removal is then yours to arrange, using a specialist. Underground tanks are a bigger job than above-ground ones. Ask your installer whether they coordinate it or whether you need to.
Running the supply down
As with any delivered fuel, avoid a full top-up shortly before installation. Leftover LPG in a supplier-owned tank is dealt with under your agreement, but a nearly empty tank is simpler for everyone.
What happens to the LPG boiler
The LPG boiler is disconnected, capped off safely and removed, along with its flue. Work on LPG appliances and pipework has to be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer qualified for LPG. Your heat pump installer will either hold that qualification or bring in someone who does.
If the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is paying towards the heat pump, the LPG boiler has to go. The scheme requires the existing fossil-fuel heating to be fully replaced, so the boiler cannot be kept for backup.
Cooking, gas fires and other LPG appliances
In many LPG homes the same supply also runs a hob, a cooker or a gas fire. Those need a decision before the tank goes:
- Hob or cooker. Some people keep a small bottled supply just for cooking. Others switch to an electric or induction hob at the same time. Either is a practical choice. Just make it before the tank is removed.
- Gas fire. A gas fire is heating. Tell your installer about it at the survey, and ask how it affects the plan and the application.
- Anything else. Tumble dryers, outdoor heaters and similar appliances need the same thought.
Tell the installer everything that uses LPG
A complete list of appliances at the survey avoids surprises later, both in the design and in how the application describes the heating being replaced.
Radiators, pipework and hot water
Distribution. Most LPG homes already have radiators and copper pipework. The heat-loss survey calculates what each room needs at the heat pump’s lower water temperature. Some radiators are likely to be upsized, and others can stay.
Hot water. LPG combi boilers are common, so many LPG homes have no hot water cylinder. A heat pump almost always needs one, so space is often the first practical question. Where there already is a cylinder, it may still be replaced with one designed for a heat pump.
Property assessment
The survey for an LPG home follows the same core steps as any heat pump design: room-by-room heat loss, radiators, the cylinder, the outdoor unit’s position and the electricity supply. A few points come up more often in LPG properties:
- Space outside. The area where the tank stood may or may not suit the outdoor unit. Airflow, noise and pipe runs decide that, not convenience.
- Rural construction. Older solid-walled and extended houses are common off the gas network. They need careful heat-loss figures, not rules of thumb.
- Electricity supply. The installer checks the incoming supply and, where needed, notifies the network operator.
- Ground source. Larger plots make it worth asking about, where there is room for trenches or a borehole.
The grant for LPG-heated homes
LPG counts in the same way as oil under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, whether it comes from a bulk tank or bottles. For a limited period, homes off the mains gas grid replacing LPG may qualify for a higher value:
Enhanced off-gas grant
£9,000
For homes off the mains gas grid, as the scheme defines it, replacing oil or LPG heating with an air-to-water or ground source heat pump.
For applications properly made by
Most LPG homes are off the gas grid, but not all meet the scheme’s definition. For example, a capped mains gas meter at the address still counts as mains gas. Our guide to checking whether your home is off the gas grid walks through it. Where the enhanced conditions are not met, the standard £7,500 may still apply. The full rules are on our off-gas heat pump grant page.
How the application fits around your LPG contract
The scheme is installer-led. Your MCS-certified installer surveys the property, gives you an itemised quote, and makes the application. Ofgem then contacts you, as the owner, to confirm the details within 14 days. Once a voucher is issued, the installation has to be completed within its validity period: 3 months for an air-to-water heat pump.
That timetable is why the LPG agreement matters. Work out your notice period while the quote is being prepared, so the tank collection lines up with the installation date rather than lagging months behind it.
Oil rather than LPG?
The steps for oil are similar, but an oil tank usually belongs to the homeowner, so its removal is yours to arrange. Our guide to replacing an oil boiler with a heat pump covers that route.
Check your property
Tell us your home is heated by LPG 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.
