The estimates
- Salford 25.27%
- Manchester 25.01%
- Trafford 10.02%
- Stockport 7.88%
- Bolton 6.03%
- Bury 4.86%
- Rochdale 4.70%
- Tameside 4.65%
- Oldham 4.52%
- Wigan 3.82%
DESNZ sub-national estimates of properties not connected to the gas network, 2024.
Two boroughs stand far apart from the rest. Salford and Manchester each have about one property in four without a gas meter; Trafford has about one in ten; the remaining seven have between 3.82% and 7.88%. The pattern follows flats and renting, not fields and farms.
What heats them
| Borough | No gas meter | Electric only | Heat network only | Oil or LPG only | All flats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salford | 25.27% | 18.1% | 0.73% | 0.52% | 30.4% |
| Manchester | 25.01% | 18.3% | 1.09% | 0.57% | 34.6% |
| Trafford | 10.02% | 7.9% | 0.58% | 0.35% | 20.2% |
| Stockport | 7.88% | 6.8% | 0.91% | 0.47% | 16.2% |
| Bolton | 6.03% | 6.8% | 0.54% | 0.55% | 13.3% |
| Bury | 4.86% | 6.1% | 0.25% | 0.50% | 14.3% |
| Rochdale | 4.70% | 5.6% | 0.35% | 0.76% | 12.8% |
| Tameside | 4.65% | 5.7% | 0.36% | 0.50% | 15.2% |
| Oldham | 4.52% | 5.2% | 1.28% | 0.75% | 12.3% |
| Wigan | 3.82% | 5.2% | 0.20% | 0.61% | 9.1% |
Electric heating is the main alternative everywhere, and by far the largest in Manchester (18.3%) and Salford (18.1%). Heat networks and oil or LPG are small by comparison. The two measures are not identical, because one counts properties without a meter and the other households by fuel, but they point the same way.
Electric-heated homes and heat pumps
A home heated by storage heaters or electric panel heaters pays the full electricity price for every unit of heat. A heat pump takes heat from the outside air and delivers several units for each unit of electricity, so the running-cost case is usually strongest for exactly these homes. What makes it harder is the plumbing: a home with no radiators needs a wet system fitted, and a flat needs the freeholder's agreement and, under Class G, shares a single 0.6 cubic metre unit with the rest of the block.
- A house with storage heaters: an air-to-water heat pump with new radiators and a cylinder; the standard £7,500 grant applies.
- A flat in a block: a shared system for the building, or one small unit with the freeholder's consent; see flats.
- A small flat with nowhere for pipes: an air-to-air system, which heats rooms but not water and is outside the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
The higher grant band
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £9,000 instead of £7,500 for homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas, for applications properly made by 31 March 2027. Very few Greater Manchester homes qualify: oil and LPG were the only heating for a small fraction of households in every borough. Ofgem's definition is strict: no mains gas, no record of a gas meter point, not on a heat network and not a new build, with a capped meter counting as mains gas.
Heat networks
Some off-gas homes, mostly flats, are on a district or communal heat network. The building owner or network operator decides any change, and Ofgem's off-gas definition for the higher band excludes homes attached to one.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant
Greater Manchester's area-based scheme covers electric-heated homes as well as gas-heated ones. In selected areas, officers contact residents; owner-occupied homes rated D to G and privately rented homes rated D or E can qualify, and heat pumps are on the list. In Salford the combined authority delivers it; for Manchester the delivery partner was listed as to be appointed when we checked.
Checking your own home
- Look for a gas meter, or a capped one, anywhere on the property or in the building.
- Note what heats each room now, and whether there are radiators.
- If it is a flat, find out who the freeholder is and whether the block has a heating plan.
- Use the checker to see which Class G limits apply.