The figures
| Council area | Heat pumps paid for | Households (2021) | One per |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire East | 892 | 174,856 | 196 households |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 751 | 155,156 | 207 households |
| Warrington | 224 | 90,536 | 404 households |
Cheshire East's 892 is the largest total of any single council area in the North West; the next is Westmorland and Furness, at 873. Set against households, Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester are close to each other, at about one grant-funded heat pump for every 196 and 207 households, while Warrington is about one per 404.
What the figures count, and what they miss
The table counts vouchers redeemed: heat pumps installed and paid for under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, by the area of the property. It does not include heat pumps bought without the grant, installed by social landlords, funded through the Warm Homes: Local Grant or fitted in new homes. So it measures where the grant has been used, not every heat pump.
Reading the differences
The statistics give no reasons, but the census suggests why the two Cheshire councils stand out. They have far more oil-heated homes: 4.3% and 3.5% of households against 0.5% in Warrington. Nationally, oil homes have taken up the grant faster than their numbers alone would suggest, and until March 2027 their grant band is larger. They also have more owner-occupiers, 71.9% in Cheshire East against 61.6% nationally, and the scheme needs an owner. And they have more detached houses, which make placing a unit or a ground loop easier.
Who can use the scheme in Cheshire
- Owners, including landlords, replacing fossil fuel or electric heating with an air source or ground source heat pump.
- Oil and LPG homes with no mains gas get the higher £9,000 band for applications properly made by 31 March 2027.
- Not social housing, most new builds, or a property that has already had government funding for a heat pump.
The installer applies; the grant comes off the quote. For lower-income households, the consortium's Warm Homes: Local Grant is the other route.
How the money reaches a home
The homeowner does not receive the grant. A certified installer applies to Ofgem on the owner's behalf, the owner confirms the application, and once the heat pump is installed and commissioned the installer redeems the voucher. The quote should show the grant as a deduction from the price. Each of the 1867 heat pumps in the table went through that process.
After March 2027
The higher £9,000 band for oil and LPG homes is set to end with applications properly made by 31 March 2027. After that, as published at the time of checking, those homes return to the standard band. Because the two Cheshire councils have so many oil-heated homes, the end of the window may show in later releases of these statistics. Check Ofgem's page for any change to the dates.
If you are considering a heat pump now, the useful figure is not the count but the conditions that apply to your home. The route finder shows which grant bands fit your answers.
Per household
Relative to households, Cheshire East has had about 5.1 grant-funded heat pumps per 1,000, Cheshire West and Chester about 4.8 and Warrington about 2.5. The two Cheshire councils also have more detached houses (36.6% and 30.6%, against 24.6% in Warrington) and far more homes on oil or LPG. The statistics give no reasons, but the scheme is for owners, and its higher band is for oil and LPG homes, which are much commoner outside Warrington.