Each entry links to the page where the term does most work.
- Area-based scheme
- A grant scheme that targets selected neighbourhoods and contacts residents there, rather than taking applications from anyone. Greater Manchester's Warm Homes: Local Grant works this way. See the page
- Air-to-air heat pump
- A heat pump that blows warm air into rooms and does not heat water. Sometimes the only option for a small flat; not covered by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. See the page
- Block of flats
- For Class G, a building made up entirely of flats. It gets one outdoor unit, up to 0.6 cubic metres. See the page
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme
- £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump for owners in England and Wales, or £9,000 for oil- and LPG-heated homes with no mains gas until 31 March 2027, claimed by an MCS certified installer. See the page
- Class C
- Permitted development for a ground source heat pump within the grounds of a house or block of flats. See the page
- Class G
- Permitted development for an air source heat pump on a house or block of flats, with limits on number, size, position and sound. See the page
- Conservation area
- An area protected for its character. Class G applies, but no unit may front a road. See the page
- Converted building
- A building such as a former mill, warehouse, school or church divided into flats. The census counts these separately from purpose-built blocks. See the page
- Curtilage
- The land and outbuildings that go with a building. Class G does not apply anywhere within a listed building's curtilage. See the page
- EPC
- Energy Performance Certificate, rating a home A to G. Greater Manchester's scheme covers owner-occupied homes rated D to G and rented homes rated D or E. See the page
- Freeholder
- The owner of a building's structure, outside walls and roof. In a block of flats their consent is needed for an outdoor unit. See the page
- Good Landlord Charter
- Greater Manchester's charter for private landlords. Landlords must support it for a rented home to be included in the area's Warm Homes scheme. See the page
- Heat network
- A system heating several homes, often a whole block, from one shared source. See the page
- Heat-loss survey
- A room-by-room calculation of how much heat a home needs on a cold day; it sets the size of the heat pump and radiators. See the page
- Lawful development certificate
- A council certificate confirming a plan is permitted development. See the page
- Leaseholder
- The owner of a flat on a long lease. Changes to the outside of the building need the freeholder's consent. See the page
- Listed building consent
- Permission for works affecting a listed building's special interest, needed alongside planning permission. See the page
- MCS
- The certification scheme for heat pump installers and products; the Boiler Upgrade Scheme only pays for MCS certified work. See the page
- MCS 020 a)
- The sound calculation each air source unit must pass to be permitted development, worked out at the nearest neighbouring habitable-room window. See the page
- SI 2025/560
- The 2025 order that changed Class G from 29 May 2025: bigger units on houses, two on detached houses, no boundary-distance rule. See the page
- Storage heaters
- Electric heaters that charge overnight. Common in electric-heated flats; a heat pump usually needs much less electricity for the same heat. See the page
- Warm Homes: Local Grant
- Funding for energy improvements in lower-income households. In Greater Manchester it is area-based and can pay up to £30,000 for an owner-occupier. See the page
Place names
"Greater Manchester" here means the ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan. "The core" means Manchester and Salford, whose housing and heating differ sharply from the other eight.