Off mains gas
Rural homes heated without the gas grid — heat pumps, wood burners, biomass, oil and LPG.
Around four million UK homes have no mains gas connection, and the great majority of them are rural. Far from a drawback, it is the normal condition of countryside property — and increasingly an advantage as heat pumps and modern wood-burning systems outperform old gas boilers on running cost.
Our off-mains-gas homes for sale include cottages with air-source heat pumps, barn conversions with underfloor heating and biomass boilers, farmhouses with oil-fired systems and Agas, and properties with LPG tanks or ground-source loops in the paddock.
Browse the homes below, and see our solar and off-grid collections for properties that generate their own power too.
The main options are air-source heat pumps (best paired with good insulation and larger radiators or underfloor heating), ground-source heat pumps where there is land for a loop, biomass or log-gasification boilers, oil-fired boilers, LPG, and direct electric with solar and battery. Wood burners and range cookers usually supplement rather than replace the main system.
Before buying, look at the EPC, the age and service history of the boiler or heat pump, tank condition and ownership for oil and LPG, insulation levels, and whether the property qualifies for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant towards a heat pump. Running costs vary enormously with insulation, so read the fuel bills, not just the EPC band.
Not in rural areas, where it is the norm. Buyers care more about the heating system's efficiency and running costs than about the gas grid itself.
In a well-insulated home, an air-source heat pump usually has the lowest running cost, especially with solar. In draughty period properties, a mix of wood burner plus oil or LPG is often still the practical answer.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers a substantial grant towards air and ground-source heat pumps in England and Wales, with equivalent schemes in Scotland. Properties off the gas grid are a priority category.
There is long-running policy pressure to move off fossil-fuel heating in off-grid homes, but existing systems can be repaired and replaced today. Factoring in an eventual heat pump upgrade is sensible when budgeting.
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