

Off-Grid Heating: What Are My Options?

Off-Grid Heating Options

What off-grid heating options are there? Around four million homes in the UK are not connected to the national mains gas grid. These homes are cut off from the infrastructure that gives most of us our gas. Whether you’re buying or selling one of these homes, you’ll need to know your off-grid heating options. We’ve compiled a list of the possible options.


Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) is a versatile fuel that’s suitable for cooking, heating water, and gas fires. According to Which?, LPG is an efficient fuel that provides a cost-effective way of heating the average home.

While there are cheaper fuels available, most aren’t as efficient. LPG boilers are also efficient, and they cost as little as £900. And unlike oil and coal, LPG is impossible to steal.

LPG is a relatively clean fossil fuel. But if you want an even cleaner version, consider Bio LPG, made from waste materials such as vegetable oils, plant matter, and animal fat.

Solid fuel

Off-grid heating options - coal

A lot of older properties in rural areas still rely on solid fuel for heating. In most cases, heat is created in stoves or fires. Most people like an open fire, but it’s usually not an efficient way to heat a space. You can’t control when the heat comes on and goes off with any accuracy. And a lot of the heat generated is lost through a flue or chimney.

While wood and coal are relatively inexpensive, you have to find somewhere to store them. And the task of carrying the fuel into your home is dirty, time-consuming and inconvenient.

Crucially, you may need large immersion tanks to heat water, which are notoriously inefficient.

Oil is one of the most widely used off-grid heating options

Oil is still one of the most commonly used fuels in off-grid properties. It must be stored in a large tank outside the property, which can be unsightly. And it’s easily stolen in rural areas. You also have to continually monitor oil levels in your tank to ensure you don’t run out.

One of the major problems with oil is its fluctuating price which is why a lot of people shop around for good deals and sign up to fixed-price supply agreements.


There are some very capable electric boilers on the market, but they’re costly to run. According to Ovo Energy, heating a home with electricity is two to three times more expensive than with oil, LPG or solid fuels.

off grid heating solutions – Renewable sources

off-grid heating options - solar
Solar panel on a red roof

Renewable heating technologies are improving all the time. But despite their increasing popularity among homeowners, they’re still costly to buy and install. Air and solar heat pumps aren’t always capable of delivering all your heating requirements. After all, they’re reliant on weather conditions. But they can cut energy bills when used in conjunction with other non-grid heating fuels.

Off-grid heating can affect house prices in certain circumstances. If you’re struggling to sell your home because of this issue, Flying Homes may be able to help with a fast, competitive offer.

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