The table
| Heating | Cheshire East | Cheshire West and Chester | Warrington | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mains gas only | 76.9% | 78.0% | 83.9% | 73.8% |
| Oil only | 4.3% | 3.5% | 0.5% | 3.5% |
| Tank or bottled gas only | 1.7% | 1.5% | 0.5% | 1.0% |
| Electric only | 5.6% | 5.6% | 5.3% | 8.5% |
| Renewable (alone or with another type) | 0.89% | 0.80% | 0.48% | 0.94% |
| No central heating | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.5% |
Households in 2021: Cheshire East 174,856, Cheshire West and Chester 155,156, Warrington 90,536. The remaining households used two or more types of heating, a heat network or another system.
Two patterns
The two Cheshire councils: gas plus a large oil minority
Mains gas still heated most homes in Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester, but oil was a much bigger minority than nationally: 7,441 and 5,505 households. LPG added 3,006 and 2,256. These homes are where the case for a heat pump is usually strongest, and where the higher grant band applies until March 2027.
Warrington: a gas town
In Warrington 83.9% of households used mains gas alone, above the national figure, and oil heated only 417 households. Most Warrington heat pumps will replace gas boilers, where the running-cost comparison is closer and depends more on the heat pump's real efficiency.
Electric and no heating
Electric-only heating was similar in all three areas, at 5.6%, 5.6% and 5.3%. For these homes a heat pump replaces direct electric heat and usually cuts the electricity needed for the same warmth. 4,296 households across the three areas had no central heating at all; where those homes are rated EPC D to G and the household meets the income test, the consortium's Warm Homes: Local Grant is relevant.
Renewables
Renewable heating, the census heading that covers heat pumps, reached 0.89% of Cheshire East households and 0.80% in Cheshire West and Chester, close to the national 0.94%, and 0.48% in Warrington. Since census day the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has paid for 1867 heat pumps across the three areas, which the grants page sets out.
Homes with more than one system
A notable share of households reported two or more types of central heating without any renewable: 15,052 in Cheshire East, 13,092 in Cheshire West and Chester and 6,675 in Warrington. The census does not say which combinations, but in rural homes they often include an oil or LPG boiler alongside a wood burner or electric heaters. For a heat pump design, every heat source matters, because the heat pump will be sized to do the job the main system does now.
Heat networks
District or communal heat networks were small: 471 households in Cheshire East, 444 in Cheshire West and Chester and 212 in Warrington. Households on a network do not usually change their own heat source; any move to heat pumps would come from whoever runs the network.
What the figures mean for a decision
The census shows the starting point, not the destination. For a household on oil or LPG in the two Cheshire councils, the comparison with a heat pump is usually most favourable and the higher grant band applies until March 2027. For a gas-heated home, which is most homes in all three areas, the comparison is closer and the heat pump's real efficiency decides it. For electrically heated homes, a heat pump usually reduces the electricity needed for heating.
Against England and Wales
All three areas heat more homes with gas alone than England and Wales (73.8%), Warrington most of all (83.9%). Cheshire East stands out instead for oil, at 4.3% of households against 3.5% nationally, with Cheshire West and Chester close to the national figure at 3.5%. Electric heating alone is less common than nationally in all three, from 5.3% to 5.6% against 8.5%.