Heating Grants Preston: Warm Homes and BUS

Preston doesn't run its own Warm Homes: Local Grant. The city is one of 13 Lancashire councils in a consortium led by Blackpool Council, which shares a £35.3m allocation. The scheme is open to lower-income households in privately owned homes with poor energy ratings, both owners and private tenants.

Alongside it, the national Boiler Upgrade Scheme is open to all homeowners, and it's especially generous for Preston's off-gas homes.

Preston at a glance

Oil and off-gas homes: 688 Preston households (1.2%) heated with oil only in 2021, more than double the share in Warrington and over ten times that in Manchester or Liverpool. Another 338 used tank or bottled gas and 112 used wood only. Source
Private renting: 22.4% of Preston households rent privately and 18.4% rent social housing, mostly from housing associations. 58.3% own their home. Source
Local grant: Preston is part of a Lancashire consortium led by Blackpool Council for the Warm Homes: Local Grant, with a £35.3m allocation shared across 13 councils. Source
Energy ratings: About 42% of homes with an EPC in Preston are rated band D or below (median score 70, band C), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Who the local grant is for

Your home needs an EPC rating between D and G and must be owned privately, either by you or your landlord. Most applicants qualify on income, with a household limit of usually £36,000 a year, but living in certain postcodes or receiving some benefits can also make you eligible.

Start on GOV.UK. If you're eligible and the consortium has funding, a home survey follows to decide what work makes sense. That might be loft, cavity or solid wall insulation, a heat pump or solar panels.

The heat pump grant for oil and LPG homes

Any homeowner swapping a fossil fuel system for a heat pump can claim £7,500 from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, with no income test. Over 1,000 Preston households use oil or LPG, and until March 2027 those homes with no mains gas connection get an extra £1,500, making £9,000.

Your MCS certified installer makes the claim and takes it off the bill.

Spotting a scam

Genuine schemes never charge a fee to assess eligibility. If someone cold calls offering a free boiler for a payment up front, hang up and report it to trading standards.

Preston homes and what they need

Red-brick terraces from the mill era

Solid-walled terraces often rate D or E, so they fall within the local grant if the household qualifies on income.

Suburban semis in Fulwood, Ashton and Penwortham

Many of these homes sit above the income threshold, so the national heat pump grant is more likely to apply.

Modern estates on the north-west edge

Newer homes typically rate EPC B or C and won't qualify for the local grant.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Preston work across areas including Fulwood, Ashton-on-Ribble, Deepdale, Penwortham, Ribbleton, Ingol, Cottam, Broughton, Walton-le-Dale and Lostock Hall.

View Preston on Google Maps

Questions people in Preston ask

Can tenants apply for the local grant?

Yes, if the home is privately rented, though the landlord must agree to the work and may need to contribute.

What if my home has no EPC?

You can still check eligibility. If you go ahead, an assessor can produce one as part of the survey.

Will the Lancashire consortium fund a replacement gas boiler?

It is aimed at insulation and low-carbon heating, so a like-for-like gas boiler swap is unlikely to be funded.

Sources

Also nearby: Heating grants in Bolton, Heating grants in Liverpool, Heating grants in Manchester, Heating grants in Warrington

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