The counts
| Borough | Heat pumps paid | Households | Per 1,000 households | Owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wirral | 257 | 143,253 | 1.8 | 65.0% |
| Sefton | 185 | 123,075 | 1.5 | 66.6% |
| Halton | 84 | 55,951 | 1.5 | 60.5% |
| St Helens | 118 | 81,011 | 1.5 | 64.2% |
| Knowsley | 75 | 66,073 | 1.1 | 59.5% |
| Liverpool (comparison) | 184 | 207,491 | 0.9 | 46.8% |
| England and Wales | 96,185 | 24,783,199 | 3.9 | 61.6% |
- Wirral 1.8
- Sefton 1.5
- Halton 1.5
- St Helens 1.5
- Knowsley 1.1
- Liverpool (comparison) 0.9
England and Wales: 3.9
DESNZ Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics to September 2026; ONS Census 2021.
A low region, and lower boroughs
The North West as a whole has had 7,976 heat pumps paid for under the scheme, out of 96,185 across England and Wales. The government's application figures show the gap at the start of the process too: 40.3 applications per 10,000 households in the North West against 56.1 nationally. The five boroughs sit below even the regional pattern. Their combined rate of about 1.5 grant-funded heat pumps per 1,000 households is well under half the England and Wales figure.
Within the five
Wirral has had both the most heat pumps paid for (257) and the highest rate. Sefton and Halton come next at about 1.5 each, then St Helens. Knowsley is clearly lowest at about 1.1. Liverpool, shown for reference, is lower again at about 0.9.
The order broadly follows owner-occupation. Wirral and Sefton, with about two-thirds of households owning their home, have the highest rates; Knowsley, with the lowest share of owners and the most social renting, the lowest. That fits how the scheme works, since only owners and private landlords can use it, but the published statistics do not give reasons for any borough's figure.
Why gas makes a difference
Nationally, homes heated by oil, LPG or electricity have more to gain from a heat pump than homes on gas, and until 31 March 2027 oil and LPG homes with no mains gas get a higher £9,000 band. In the five boroughs almost every home is on mains gas, so that extra push barely applies. A heat pump here competes with a modern gas boiler, which is a closer contest on running costs and depends heavily on the design.
What the figures count
The statistics count Boiler Upgrade Scheme vouchers paid, by the local authority where the property is, from the scheme's start in May 2022 to September 2026. They do not count heat pumps paid for privately, through the Warm Homes: Local Grant, through earlier schemes or through social landlords' programmes. So the number of heat pumps actually working in each borough is higher than the table shows.
The grant itself
- Amount: £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump; £9,000 for oil or LPG homes with no mains gas, for applications properly made by 31 March 2027.
- How: an MCS certified installer applies and takes the grant off the price.
- Who: owners, including private landlords; not social housing or most new builds, and not a home that has already had government funding for a heat pump.
- Where: the same in every borough; a low count does not mean less is available.
Using the figures
A low count tells you heat pumps are still unusual locally, not that they are harder to get. In a borough where few have been fitted, it is worth asking an installer how many similar houses they have done, checking their MCS certification and consumer code, and asking for the heat-loss survey and running-cost estimate in writing. The statistics are published monthly; the sources page links to them.