If you live in Skipton or the surrounding Yorkshire Dales and currently heat your home using oil or LPG, 2026 could be an excellent time to consider switching to a heat pump.

Changes to the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) mean that eligible off-gas-grid properties can now receive up to £9,000 towards the cost of installing an air-to-water or ground source heat pump.

The increased grant is particularly relevant to homeowners in and around Skipton, Gargrave, Embsay, Carleton, Cononley, Grassington, Burnsall, Bolton Abbey, Hellifield, Settle and the wider Yorkshire Dales, where many rural properties rely on oil or LPG rather than mains gas.

At Clear Skies Energy, we install renewable heating systems throughout Skipton and the surrounding area. In this guide, we explain how the £9,000 heat pump grant works, who may qualify and what homeowners should consider before making the switch.

What Is the £9,000 Heat Pump Grant?

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a government scheme designed to reduce the upfront cost of replacing fossil-fuel heating with lower-carbon heating technology.

From 21 July 2026 until 31 March 2027, eligible off-gas-grid properties replacing an oil or LPG heating system can receive £9,000 towards an air-to-water or ground source heat pump installation.

This is an increase of £1,500 compared with the standard £7,500 grant available for qualifying air-to-water and ground source heat pump installations.

The additional support is particularly significant for rural communities, where oil and LPG heating remain common and properties can be more expensive to convert to alternative heating systems.

Who Can Get the £9,000 Heat Pump Grant?

The £9,000 grant is not automatically available to every property. To receive the increased amount, your property needs to meet the relevant Boiler Upgrade Scheme eligibility requirements.

For the £9,000 uplift, your property must be considered off the gas grid and you must be replacing an eligible oil or LPG heating system with an air-to-water or ground source heat pump.

If your home is connected to mains gas, you may still qualify for heat pump funding, but you would normally fall under the standard grant rather than the £9,000 off-grid uplift.

Why Is This Particularly Relevant to Skipton?

Skipton sits at the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales and is surrounded by villages, farms, converted barns, cottages and detached rural properties. As you travel further from Skipton itself into Craven and the Yorkshire Dales, properties without a mains gas connection become increasingly common.

Homes around areas such as Gargrave, Grassington, Burnsall, Bolton Abbey, Hellifield and Settle may therefore be particularly relevant to the increased grant where they currently use oil or LPG heating.

However, location alone does not determine eligibility. Each property needs to be assessed individually, including its existing heating system and whether it meets the Boiler Upgrade Scheme’s definition of an off-gas-grid property.

Can I Get a Heat Pump Grant If I Live in Skipton Itself?

Potentially, yes.

You do not have to live in a remote rural property to benefit from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. If you own an eligible property in Skipton and are replacing a qualifying fossil-fuel heating system, you may be able to receive financial support towards a heat pump installation.

If your property does not qualify for the increased £9,000 off-grid rate, the standard Boiler Upgrade Scheme currently provides £7,500 towards qualifying air-to-water heat pumps and ground source heat pumps.

The important point is that homeowners should check their individual circumstances rather than assuming they are either eligible or ineligible based purely on their postcode.

What Type of Heat Pump Can Receive the £9,000 Grant?

The £9,000 off-grid uplift applies to qualifying air-to-water heat pumps and ground source heat pumps where the relevant eligibility requirements are met.

For many homes around Skipton, an air source heat pump is likely to be the first option considered. These systems extract heat from the outside air and use it to provide heating and hot water for the property.

Ground source heat pumps work differently, extracting heat from the ground through buried pipework. They can offer excellent performance but require sufficient outside space or suitable ground conditions for the collector system.

The right solution depends on the property, its heat loss, existing heating system, available space and how the building is used.

Can I Replace an Oil Boiler With a Heat Pump?

Yes. In fact, encouraging households to move away from heating oil is one of the reasons the increased £9,000 grant has been introduced.

According to the UK Government announcement, the additional funding is intended to help households currently reliant on heating oil and other qualifying off-grid fuels make the transition to heat pumps.

This could be particularly relevant for older rural properties around Skipton and the Yorkshire Dales that have traditionally relied on an external oil tank and oil-fired boiler.

Can I Replace an LPG Boiler?

Eligible off-gas-grid properties replacing an LPG heating system can also qualify for the increased £9,000 support when installing a qualifying air-to-water or ground source heat pump.

If you currently rely on bottled or bulk LPG for heating, it is therefore worth investigating whether your property meets the scheme requirements.

Do Heat Pumps Work in Older Yorkshire Properties?

One of the most common questions we hear is whether heat pumps are suitable for older houses.

There is no simple rule that says an older property cannot have a heat pump. The important factor is understanding the property’s heat loss and heating requirements.

Skipton and the Yorkshire Dales have a huge variety of properties, from relatively modern housing developments to traditional stone cottages, farmhouses, barn conversions and substantial detached homes.

An assessment can establish the amount of heat the building requires and whether changes to radiators, insulation or other elements of the heating system would be beneficial.

Do I Need Underfloor Heating?

No. A heat pump does not automatically require underfloor heating.

Many heat pump installations operate successfully using appropriately sized radiators. Because heat pumps generally operate with lower water temperatures than traditional boilers, the heating system needs to be designed correctly to deliver the required amount of heat.

Depending on your property, this could mean retaining some existing radiators, replacing others with larger radiators, or combining radiators with underfloor heating.

This is why proper system design is so important.

How Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme Application Work?

One of the advantages of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is that homeowners do not normally have to manage the grant application themselves.

The scheme is installer-led. You choose a suitable MCS-certified installer, agree the proposed installation and your installer applies for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme voucher on your behalf.

Ofgem administers the scheme and will contact the property owner to confirm that the installer is acting on their behalf.

The grant is then deducted from the amount you pay for the installation rather than you having to pay the full cost and reclaim the grant afterwards.

How Much Does an Air Source Heat Pump Cost in Skipton?

The cost of installing an air source heat pump varies considerably from property to property.

Factors affecting the final price can include:

  • The size and heat loss of your home
  • The heat pump capacity required
  • Your existing heating system
  • Hot water cylinder requirements
  • Whether radiators need upgrading
  • Pipework modifications
  • The location of the outdoor heat pump unit
  • Electrical requirements
  • Access to the property
  • Any additional heating-system improvements required

For this reason, it is much more useful to obtain a properly designed quotation for your property than rely on a generic national installation price.

Where a property qualifies for the £9,000 grant, however, that funding can make a significant contribution towards the upfront installation cost.

What About the £7,500 Heat Pump Grant?

The £9,000 figure has understandably attracted attention, but it is important to remember that it is an enhanced grant for particular off-gas-grid installations.

The standard Boiler Upgrade Scheme support remains available for other eligible installations, including £7,500 towards qualifying air-to-water and ground source heat pumps.

So, even if your Skipton property does not meet the requirements for the additional £1,500 uplift, you may still be able to access substantial financial support.

Is There VAT on a Heat Pump Installation?

There is another financial incentive currently available to homeowners considering renewable heating.

According to Ofgem’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance, qualifying installations of energy-saving materials including heat pumps currently benefit from 0% VAT until 31 March 2027.

Combined with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, this can substantially reduce the upfront cost of moving from a traditional fossil-fuel heating system to a heat pump.

Heat Pump Installers in Skipton and the Yorkshire Dales

Choosing the right installer is particularly important with heat pumps. The performance of a system depends not simply on the heat pump itself but on the quality of the survey, heat-loss calculations, system design and installation.

Clear Skies Energy provides professional renewable heating solutions throughout Skipton and the surrounding areas, including:

  • Skipton
  • Embsay
  • Carleton
  • Cononley
  • Gargrave
  • Bolton Abbey
  • Grassington
  • Burnsall
  • Hellifield
  • Settle
  • Craven
  • The wider Yorkshire Dales

Every property is different, which is why we believe a heat pump system should be designed around the building and the people who live in it.

Could Your Skipton Home Qualify for £9,000?

If your home is off the mains gas grid and currently heated using oil or LPG, it is worth checking whether you could qualify for the increased £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.

With the enhanced grant currently available until 31 March 2027, homeowners considering replacing an ageing oil or LPG boiler have a particularly strong incentive to explore their options.

Even if you do not qualify for the full £9,000, you may still be eligible for the standard £7,500 support towards a qualifying heat pump installation.

Clear Skies Energy is now installing air source heat pumps throughout Skipton, Craven and the Yorkshire Dales. If you would like to find out whether a heat pump could work for your property, get in touch with our team to discuss your home, your current heating system and the funding that may be available to you.

Grant values and eligibility criteria are subject to government scheme rules and can change. Information above reflects Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance available in September 2026. Eligibility should always be confirmed for your individual property before proceeding.