Schemes change often and several of the 2026 payments have closing dates. Links go to official government pages. Check eligibility with the scheme itself before you apply. This guide was last reviewed on 16 September 2026.
Winter 2026/27 at a glance
The quick version. Each row is explained further down the page.
| Where | Scheme and who it is for | How much | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Crisis and Resilience Fund heating oil help from your council. For households in hardship, not only people on benefits. | Set by each council, typically £200 to £300 | Oil money runs to March 2027. Apply before your tank is empty. |
| Scotland | Emergency Heating Oil Scheme. Lower income households and others in hardship using oil or LPG. | £300, paid to your supplier where possible | Closes 30 September 2026, or when the money runs out |
| Wales | Off Grid Heating Fuel Support Scheme. Oil or LPG households on Council Tax Reduction between 1 April and 31 July 2026. | £200 one off payment | Closes 30 September 2026 |
| Northern Ireland | Home Heating Oil Support Scheme. Oil as your main heating, on certain benefits or net household income under £30,000. | £100 prepaid card for oil suppliers | Closes 31 March 2027 |
| England and Wales | Boiler Upgrade Scheme top up for any property owner with oil or LPG heating and no mains gas. | £9,000 towards a heat pump (£7,500 plus £1,500) | Top up ends 31 March 2027 |
| Great Britain | Warm Home Discount. Anyone on a qualifying means tested benefit who is named on the electricity bill. | £150 off your electricity bill | Paid October 2026 to March 2027, usually automatic |
Find your local council
Most heating oil support is administered locally rather than nationally, so the right place to start is usually your own council. Enter your postcode below and we'll tell you which council covers you and point you to the right scheme for your nation.
Why heating oil households are particularly vulnerable
Around 1.5 million UK homes rely on heating oil (kerosene), the vast majority in rural areas without access to mains gas. These households face a double disadvantage: they cannot switch to cheaper mains gas, and because oil is an unregulated commodity, prices can move sharply with world events. In March 2026 prices roughly doubled in a fortnight when fighting in the Gulf disrupted supply, peaking above 130p per litre. They eased over the summer and have climbed again in September. See the PriceTank Benchmark for today's figure. At these levels a typical household using 1,700 litres a year is paying around £2,000.
Unlike gas and electricity customers, heating oil buyers have no supplier of last resort, no Ofgem price cap, and no automatic rebate. The Competition and Markets Authority reviewed the market in 2026 and the government has said it intends to regulate heating oil, but nothing is in force yet. For now, getting help means finding the right scheme and applying for it. That is what the rest of this guide is for.
England: help from your council, and two national schemes
The Crisis and Resilience Fund replaced the Household Support Fund on 1 April 2026 and runs to March 2029. It is run by county and unitary councils, and the government's guidance to councils names heating oil specifically, including help for people hit by "a large increase in heating oil prices". Help is not limited to people on benefits, and every council must offer at least two ways to apply (online, by phone, or in person).
In 2026/27 councils in oil heavy areas were given an extra £27 million for heating oil. What you can get depends on where you live. Herefordshire, for example, gives a one off £300 prepaid oil card to households on means tested benefits or with income under £36,000 (£28,000 for a single person). Lincolnshire gives a £300 voucher that can only be spent on oil. Westmorland and Furness pays £200 to £250. Shropshire has set aside more than £750,000 and takes applications online, by phone or at its Shrewsbury and Ludlow hubs. Some councils are reporting delays because of demand, so apply before your tank runs dry, and have a recent quote or invoice, proof of address and proof of income ready.
To apply: use the postcode tool above, or search "[your council] Crisis and Resilience Fund".
The Warm Home Discount is £150 off your electricity bill each winter. It used to be aimed at a narrow group of households with high heating costs, but since winter 2025/26 it goes to anyone on a qualifying means tested benefit (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, income related Employment and Support Allowance, income based Jobseeker's Allowance or Income Support) whose name, or whose partner's name, is on the electricity bill. There is no test of how you heat your home, so oil heated households qualify in exactly the same way. Most people get it automatically. It reopens in October 2026 and is confirmed at £150 every year to 2031. It is a bill credit rather than cash for oil, but it frees up money. Warm Home Discount on GOV.UK.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant funds insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels and heating controls for privately owned or privately rented homes in England with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D to G. Household income must usually be £36,000 or less, though you may still qualify in some postcodes or if someone in the household gets certain benefits. Oil heated homes are in scope, but it will not pay for a new oil boiler. Your council organises and pays for the work. Start at gov.uk/apply-warm-homes-local-grant or call 0800 098 7950. It runs to March 2028.
Wales: a £200 payment and the Discretionary Assistance Fund
The Off Grid Heating Fuel Support Scheme pays a one off £200 to households that heat with oil or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas, the bottled or tank gas used off the mains) and were getting Council Tax Reduction between 1 April and 31 July 2026. Councils have written to households they believe qualify, but if you think you are eligible and have not heard, contact your council now. Applications close on 30 September 2026.
The Discretionary Assistance Fund is the Welsh Government's emergency fund. Its Emergency Assistance Payment covers heating oil, and because of the price rises the maximum award for oil has been raised from £500 to £750, which you can claim up to twice in twelve months (at least three months apart). Heating oil applications go through an approved partner such as your council, housing association or Citizens Advice rather than directly. Details at gov.wales/discretionary-assistance-fund-daf or call 0800 859 5924 (10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday).
Warm Homes Nest gives free energy advice to everyone in Wales and free home improvements (boiler repair or replacement, heat pumps, insulation, solar) to lower income households in poorly rated homes. Call 0808 808 2244. Citizens Advice in Wales is Advicelink Cymru on 0800 702 2020.
Scotland: £300 towards oil, plus separate winter payments
The Emergency Heating Oil Scheme pays £300 towards heating oil or LPG, run by Advice Direct Scotland and paid straight to your supplier where possible. It is for households on means tested benefits and others in hardship, with one award per address every three months. It closes on 30 September 2026, or earlier if the money runs out. Apply at homeheatingadvice.scot or call 0800 048 7413.
The Scottish Welfare Fund, run by your council, gives Crisis Grants for emergencies including heating, up to three times in twelve months, with most decisions within two working days.
Scotland does not use the Cold Weather Payment or the Winter Fuel Payment. Instead it pays a flat Winter Heating Payment of £62 in December to people on qualifying benefits, whatever the weather, and a Pension Age Winter Heating Payment of £211.15 (£316.70 if you are 80 or over) to everyone over State Pension age, with the same £35,000 income rule as the rest of the UK. Both are automatic.
For longer term savings, Home Energy Scotland offers a grant of up to £7,500 towards a heat pump and up to £7,500 towards insulation, each with an extra £1,500 for rural and island homes, plus interest free loans. Warmer Homes Scotland does the work free for households on qualifying benefits. Both start with a call to 0808 808 2282. Citizens Advice Scotland is on 0800 028 1456.
Northern Ireland: the £100 Home Heating Oil Support Scheme
Northern Ireland has the highest dependence on heating oil of any UK nation: around 61% of households use it as their main heating. In September 2026 the Department for Communities opened the Home Heating Oil Support Scheme, a £100 digital prepaid card that works with oil suppliers in Northern Ireland. To qualify, oil must be your main heating and you must either get one of the listed benefits (Pension Credit, Universal Credit, income related Employment and Support Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance or Armed Forces Independence Payment) or have a net household income under £30,000. You have to apply; it is not paid automatically. Applications close on 31 March 2027. Apply at nidirect.gov.uk or call 0800 072 0266 (9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday).
The Affordable Warmth Scheme, run by the Housing Executive, gives grants of up to £7,500 for insulation and heating to owner occupiers and private tenants with a gross household income under £23,000. Apply through NI Energy Advice on 0800 111 44 55. The same number runs the NI Oil Buying Network. If you are in crisis, Discretionary Support (0800 587 2750) can make an emergency grant or interest free loan. The Warm Home Discount does not operate in Northern Ireland, but the Winter Fuel Payment and Cold Weather Payment do. The Advice NI helpline (0800 915 4604) can talk you through all of this.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme: switching away from oil
If you are thinking of replacing your oil boiler, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme now pays £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump, and until 31 March 2027 oil and LPG homes with no mains gas connection get an extra £1,500, making £9,000. There is also £5,000 towards a biomass boiler in rural off gas homes and £2,500 towards an air to air heat pump. The scheme covers England and Wales and runs to 2030. Your installer applies and the grant comes off your bill. Not every home suits a heat pump: see our oil boiler vs heat pump guide before you decide. In Scotland the Home Energy Scotland grant above is the equivalent; Northern Ireland has no heat pump grant at present. Boiler Upgrade Scheme on GOV.UK.
You must own the property, and that includes landlords, second homes and businesses · The system you are replacing must run on oil, gas, LPG or electricity · Since April 2026 you no longer need a valid Energy Performance Certificate · Property must be in England or Wales · Social housing and most new builds are excluded
ECO4 and insulation: closing at the end of 2026
The Energy Company Obligation, known as ECO4, funds insulation and heating upgrades for lower income households through the big energy suppliers. It was due to end in March 2026 but was extended to 31 December 2026, and the government has confirmed there will be no successor. Work has to be installed by that date, so if you are eligible (on benefits, with an Energy Performance Certificate of D to G as an owner or E to G as a tenant) ask your council or an energy supplier now. The Great British Insulation Scheme closed in March 2026. In England the Warm Homes: Local Grant above is the longer running route; in Wales it is Warm Homes Nest, in Scotland Warmer Homes Scotland, in Northern Ireland Affordable Warmth. Whatever the route, better insulation directly reduces how much oil you need to buy. ECO4 on GOV.UK.
Winter Fuel Payment, Cold Weather Payment and Pension Credit
The Winter Fuel Payment is back for everyone born on or before 27 June 1960 who lives in England, Wales or Northern Ireland: £200 per household, or £300 where someone is 80 or over (people sharing a home may get less each). It is paid automatically in November or December. If your own income is over £35,000, HM Revenue and Customs takes it back through your tax code, and you can opt out. It is cash, so you can spend it on oil. Scotland pays the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment instead. Winter Fuel Payment on GOV.UK.
The Cold Weather Payment is £25 for each seven day spell at or below 0°C between 1 November and 31 March, paid automatically to people on Pension Credit and some people on Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance who meet extra conditions. It does not exist in Scotland, which pays the flat £62 Winter Heating Payment instead.
Pension Credit is the key that unlocks most of the above. It tops up weekly income to £238.00 for a single person or £363.25 for a couple (2026/27), can be backdated three months, and brings the Warm Home Discount, the Cold Weather Payment and often council help with it. If you are over State Pension age on a low income and have not claimed, do it first. Pension Credit on GOV.UK.
If you are struggling now: practical steps
- Compare prices before ordering. Even in a crisis, ten minutes comparing suppliers can save £50 to £100 on a delivery. Use PriceTank's free quote tool.
- Apply for the payment for your nation before its deadline: your council's Crisis and Resilience Fund (England), the £200 scheme through your council (Wales, by 30 September), the £300 Emergency Heating Oil Scheme (Scotland, by 30 September), or the £100 card (Northern Ireland, by 31 March 2027).
- Contact Citizens Advice: England 0800 144 8848, Wales 0800 702 2020, Scotland 0800 028 1456, Northern Ireland (Advice NI) 0800 915 4604. They can find every scheme you qualify for and help with the forms.
- If you have no heat and no way to buy oil, ask Citizens Advice, your council or a food bank about the Fuel Bank Foundation's Heat Fund. It arranges an emergency delivery of oil or LPG for households in Great Britain that are without heat or about to be. You cannot apply directly; a referral partner has to put you forward.
- Ask your supplier about a payment plan. Around half of distributors offer short term interest free plans, and some offer monthly budget schemes. Ask before you order, not after. Oil buying clubs (search "[your county] oil club") also cut the price.
- If you or someone in the house is 75 or over, ask your supplier for Cold Weather Priority, a scheme run by the UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association (UKIFDA) that puts your delivery to the front of the queue in a cold snap. It is free.
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