Replace an Oil or LPG Boiler with an Air Source Heat Pump in Armadale, SCO
Off the gas grid around Armadale? A heat pump replaces the tank, the deliveries and the price swings, and most oil-heated homes already have the radiators and cylinder a heat pump needs. Scotland's support is the Home Energy Scotland grant of up to £7,500, with the rural and island uplift taking it to £9,000, plus an optional interest-free loan of up to £7,500 more. Apply before installation.
The heating picture in Scotland
Scotland runs its own support: a Home Energy Scotland grant up to £7,500 (£9,000 with the rural and island uplift) plus an optional £7,500 interest-free loan - the Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not apply here. Colder winters make cold-climate ratings and a proper heat-loss survey essential; rural and island homes off the gas grid often heat with oil or electric storage today.
Read the full Boiler Upgrade Scheme guideCost Comparison
| Cost Factor | Oil or LPG Boiler | Air Source Heat Pump |
|---|---|---|
| Annual heating cost, ~10,000 kWh of heat (est.) | ~£720/yr (oil, editorial est.) | £560 - £660/yr |
| Deliveries, tank and price swings | Yes | None |
| Grant for oil/LPG homes from 21 July 2026 | - | £9,000 (up from £7,500) |
| Out of pocket after grant | - | £850 - £7,500 |
Estimates for a home needing about 10,000 kWh of heat a year at Ofgem price cap averages (electricity ~25p/kWh; gas 5.74p/kWh Apr-Jun 2026 and 7.33p/kWh from 1 July 2026; the cap changes quarterly). A 90%-efficient boiler and a heat pump at SCOP 3.8-4.5 are assumed; heating oil is an editorial estimate. Standing charges excluded unless noted. Installed prices are indicative, June 2026, with 0% VAT already applied. Actual costs depend on your tariff, home and usage.
Scotland: up to £9,000 plus an interest-free loan
The Home Energy Scotland grant runs up to £7,500, and the £1,500 rural and island uplift takes it to £9,000 for qualifying homes, exactly the off-gas households this page is about. An optional interest-free loan of up to £7,500 more is available on top, repayable over up to 12 years. Apply before installation. Practical advantages stack on top:
- No more deliveries to schedule or tank levels to watch
- Most oil-heated homes already have radiators and a cylinder, which keeps the conversion scope down
- Rural installers like Grant's network specialise in exactly this retrofit
How to Switch from a Oil or LPG Boiler to an Air Source Heat Pump in Armadale
Get a heat-loss survey
A local installer visits your Armadale home and calculates heat loss room by room (an MCS requirement). Oil-heated homes usually already have radiators and a cylinder, which the survey checks for compatibility with lower flow temperatures.
Choose your unit and confirm the quote
Grant Aerona3 is the established oil-belt favourite and every other UK-market brand also handles rural retrofits; ask for low-temperature output figures. The quote should cover decommissioning the oil or LPG boiler and dealing with the tank.
Apply to Home Energy Scotland before installation
Scotland uses the Home Energy Scotland grant of up to £7,500 (£9,000 with the rural and island uplift) plus an optional £7,500 interest-free loan, instead of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Apply and get the offer confirmed before booking the install; your installer can help with the technical details.
Installation and tank decommissioning
The heat pump, cylinder (if yours needs upgrading) and controls go in, the system is commissioned, and the oil or LPG boiler is decommissioned. Tank removal or decommissioning is agreed in the quote. Any gas work on an LPG system must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Grants and Support in Armadale, SCO
Scotland runs its own support instead of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Apply through Home Energy Scotland before installation. Accurate as at June 2026.
Home Energy Scotland Grant
Up to £7,500 grant toward a heat pump for Scottish homes, with a £1,500 rural and island uplift (up to £9,000 total). Apply through Home Energy Scotland before installation.
Home Energy Scotland interest-free loan
Up to £7,500 more as an optional interest-free loan on top of the grant, repayable over up to 12 years. Money you repay, but at 0% interest it spreads the remaining cost.
0% VAT on heat pump, solar and battery installations
Residential installations of heat pumps, solar panels and home batteries are zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027 (then 5%). Applied automatically by the installer - typically worth £1,000-3,000 on a heat pump job versus standard 20% VAT.
What happens to my old oil or LPG boiler and tank?
Your installer decommissions the boiler and agrees what happens to the tank: removal, or draining and decommissioning in place. Any work on an LPG gas system must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. From then on there are no deliveries to schedule, no tank to maintain, and no exposure to oil price swings; your heating runs on electricity at a SCOP of roughly 3.8 to 4.5.
Replacing a Different System?
Where are you?
See indicative costs and local installers for your area