Applications, vouchers and money paid
Ofgem's monthly update counts the scheme from its opening on 23 May 2022. To 30 September 2026 it had received 160,874 voucher applications and redeemed 96,611 vouchers, paying £687.5 million in grants. Dividing one by the other gives an average of about £7,116 per redeemed voucher, which reflects the mix of grant amounts over time rather than any single rate.
The gap between applications and redemptions is partly timing (vouchers issued but not yet claimed) and partly applications that did not go ahead: refused, withdrawn or expired.
What heating the grants replaced
| Heating replaced | Share of redemptions |
|---|---|
| Mains gas | 55% |
| Oil | 18% |
| No previous heating | 13% |
| Direct electric | 10% |
| LPG | 3% |
| Coal | 1% |
Mains gas is by far the most common starting point, which matches the housing stock. "No previous heating" includes self-builds, which can apply even though there is no old system to replace. DESNZ also reports that 61% of redemptions were on the gas grid, and that redemptions split 51% urban and 49% rural.
The £9,000 rate's effect
The higher rate for homes with no mains gas replacing oil or LPG opened on 21 July 2026. In its first full quarter, July to September 2026, DESNZ counted 25,374 applications, of which 8,107 (32%) were for £9,000. September 2026 alone saw 9,738 applications, the highest monthly figure since the scheme began.
Prices behind the grants
DESNZ also publishes what installers report for grant-funded jobs. The median installed price of an air source heat pump in July to September 2026 was £12,826, including VAT and the grant value, which leaves about £5,326 after the standard grant. These are reported prices, not quotes.
Using the numbers sensibly
The figures describe the scheme as a whole, not any one home. They are useful for sense-checking claims: an advert implying almost everyone gets £9,000 is at odds with a scheme where gas homes are the majority and the higher rate is for oil and LPG homes only. For the money left this year, see budget and deadlines. Ofgem and DESNZ both update monthly, and this page shows the date it was last checked.
What the numbers cannot tell you
The figures describe the scheme, not any one application. They do not show how long decisions take, how many applications are refused or why, or how prices vary by region: DESNZ does not publish a regional price breakdown. They also mix several grant amounts over time. Treat any claim that goes beyond what Ofgem and DESNZ publish with some care.
Reading the monthly update
Ofgem's monthly update counts from the scheme's opening in May 2022. Applications are counted when received; redemptions when an installer claims a voucher after commissioning; the value paid is the total of those claims. Because there is a gap of weeks or months between an application and its redemption, a busy month for applications shows up in redemptions later. DESNZ's statistics, published separately, add detail such as the fuel replaced and the share of homes on and off the gas grid, and are revised as late claims arrive.
The figures as a check on claims
Numbers like these are useful for testing what you are told. An advert suggesting that the grant usually covers the whole cost sits uneasily with an official median price of £12,826 against a standard grant of £7,500. A claim that the money has run out can be checked against Ofgem's latest remaining-budget figure. And a suggestion that most homes get £9,000 can be checked against the 32% share of applications for that rate in July to September 2026.
Where the figures are published
Ofgem's monthly scheme update gives the running totals and the budget remaining. DESNZ publishes official statistics on the scheme every month, with fuller quarterly tables in January, April, July and October covering installed costs, capacity, the fuel replaced and redemptions by local authority. The figures on this page come from the September 2026 release, published on 29 October 2026, and Ofgem's update covering the period to 30 September 2026.
If you spot a newer release than the one quoted here, tell us through the form and we will update the page and its checked date.