Buying a new house can feel like an adventure, until you realise there’s no gas supply. Suddenly, you’re looking at maps of the local grid and wondering how on earth people keep warm out here. It’s not a crisis, but it does mean choices. And those choices aren’t always straightforward. Oil? LPG? Electric systems? Or maybe you take the plunge into renewables?
If you’ve landed in a property that isn’t connected to the gas network, the question becomes less about why and more about what now. Let’s walk through the main heating options, their quirks, and the sort of households they actually suit.
Here are the main alternatives people usually consider. Some old, some newer, some a bit futuristic. Each comes with quirks that could make or break your patience.
Oil central heating
What is it?
Think of it as the cousin of gas boilers. An oil-fired boiler heats water, pushes it around pipes, feeds radiators, and yes, even your taps if you’ve got the right setup. The ritual is similar to gas: you get hot water and radiators, except the fuel is oil instead of gas.
How to get it?
Oil doesn’t magically appear in your pipes. It’s delivered by road and stored in a chunky tank outside your house. That tank can be rented or purchased from your supplier, and trust me, you’ll never stop being slightly paranoid about it running dry during a cold snap.
Pros and cons
The good part: oil burns efficiently, so you squeeze more heat out of each unit compared to some fuels. The not-so-good part: you need to plan ahead. Hot water has to be stored (and storage means energy loss if you’re not careful). Also, no sugar-coating this, burning oil releases carbon dioxide. If you’re trying to be eco-conscious, this won’t feel right. And prices? Volatile. They swing with global oil markets. One winter you’ll pat yourself on the back for choosing oil, the next you’ll wince at every delivery invoice.
LPG (liquid petroleum gas) heating
What is it?
LPG has its own little niche in the UK, around 4 million households depend on it. Functionally, it works like oil: a boiler heats water, circulates it, warms your space. The main difference is the fuel itself. It’s a gas, but not the gas grid kind.
How to get it?
Delivery truck again. Tank again. Some people swear by the smell of LPG deliveries (don’t ask me why). You can also install clever sensors that ping your supplier when your tank dips low, so you don’t get caught shivering halfway through February.
Pros and cons
LPG burns cleaner than oil, technically speaking, but it’s still fossil-based. You’re not winning eco awards here. And like oil, prices fluctuate. The delivery risk is real: bad weather, driver shortages, or simply forgetting to book in time. But people do like the consistency of heat it provides. It feels familiar, like a gas boiler should feel.
Electric heating
What is it?
This is the kettle analogy. Immersion heaters and electric boilers use electricity to heat water directly. No trucks, no tanks, just wires and switches. They can heat tanks of water or run through wet systems depending on setup.
How to get it?
Simple in principle: just let your supplier know. But the simplicity ends when the bill comes. A household on Economy 7 tariffs might pay around £900 a year for electric heating compared with £550 for gas. And that’s not accounting for the shock of prices during the energy crisis of 2022, when electricity costs soared like wild birds you couldn’t catch.
Pros and cons
Convenience is the win here. You flick it on and off, use timers, thermostats, whatever. If your immersion tank is insulated well, the hot water lasts longer. But running costs? Painful. Unless your home is small or super well-insulated, electric heating becomes a luxury you may not want to afford. Though with renewable electricity growing, it could feel cleaner ethically than oil or LPG.
Solar-powered systems (and friends)
What is it?
Now we’re talking about playing energy producer in your own back garden. Solar panels on your roof feed into your heating system, sometimes coupled with heat pumps, biomass boilers, or even wind turbines. It’s not a single product; it’s more like a category of self-generation.
How to get it?
You’ll need investment. Sometimes a hefty one. Panels, pumps, maybe a stove if you go for wood. They connect into a boiler and run through a wet system. It’s technical, yes, but not science fiction anymore. Installers exist in nearly every county now.
Pros and cons
The elephant in the room: cost. Solar and heat pumps require upfront spending that makes your wallet scream. Government schemes like the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) softened the blow, but deadlines and rules shift. The new Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers grants of up to £7,500 for heat pumps (as of 2024), so it’s worth checking. Long term? They can pay you back, cut bills, and reduce carbon guilt. Short term? You may feel like you’re mortgaging your patience as well as your roof tiles.
So, which one?
There isn’t a perfect winner. Every household has its own story. A farmhouse in Wales with acres for a tank might prefer oil. A city flat without a gas line might default to electric, grumbling at the bill. A suburban family with decent savings might jump into solar, imagining future payback.
And let’s not forget, heating is emotional. Cold seeps into your bones, shapes your moods, alters how you cook dinner (standing near the oven just to thaw your hands). The best system isn’t just numbers on paper; it’s whether you can wake up in January, hear the boiler hum, and feel okay about how much that comfort costs you.
Final thoughts over a cup of tea
If you’re considering any of these, talk to a qualified heating engineer. Not the bloke down the pub who insists “oil’s cheapest, mate”, but someone who can look at your house, your budget, and your tolerance for hassle. Also, keep an eye on government incentives, they come and go faster than Netflix series cancellations.
The truth? Heat is survival. Heat is sanity. And though alternatives to gas might feel like a compromise, they can also be an opportunity. To rethink how we live, how we spend, and sometimes, how we huddle under blankets waiting for the radiators to finally clunk awake.
Tags: gas central heating alternatives, off grid heating options, oil central heating uk, lpg heating costs, electric heating pros and cons, solar heating for homes uk, heat pump grants, best heating system without gas, renewable heating systems uk, home heating choices without gas, DL012
