Sian

[Sian]

Hi Im after practical, common-sense advice about working with my very tight budget

I live in a Victorian house  and am about to get a heat pump installed via the BUS grant to replace my old LPG boiler. My issue isn't the heating itself—it's the large outdoor steel casing that currently holds 4 LPG cylinders.

I have a traditional range cooker inside that uses the gas hobs. I  cannot afford to replace it like for like. I am considering downsizing to just 1 cylinder inside that  box to run the cooker.

Is it a stupid idea to just leave the casing exactly where it is, use it for 1 bottle, and het the heat pump installers to work round it? Will surveyors want me to remove the box, or can they easily just use a longer pipe run to stay clear of it? Do i just bit the bullet, get rid of cylinder and get a standard cooker? Just interested in your views.

 

 

 

[ProDave]

Go down to 2 bottles, retaining the automatic changeover.  Just for the hob, it will be a year or more before one needs refilling.

[marshian]

On 10/10/2026 at 21:46, Sian said:

Hi Im after practical, common-sense advice about working with my very tight budget

I live in a Victorian house  and am about to get a heat pump installed via the BUS grant to replace my old LPG boiler. My issue isn't the heating itself—it's the large outdoor steel casing that currently holds 4 LPG cylinders.

I have a traditional range cooker inside that uses the gas hobs. I  cannot afford to replace it like for like. I am considering downsizing to just 1 cylinder inside that  box to run the cooker.

 

Is it a stupid idea to just leave the casing exactly where it is, use it for 1 bottle, and het the heat pump installers to work round it? Will surveyors want me to remove the box, or can they easily just use a longer pipe run to stay clear of it? Do i just bit the bullet, get rid of cylinder and get a standard cooker? Just interested in your views.

My understanding is the BUS Grant doesn't mean you have to give up gas cooking - when I looked into ASHP rather than replace the gas boiler (Mains Gas) we would be able to keep the gas hob (albeit with the standing charge cost issue for a very small amount of annual gas usage)

 

So unless things have changed you should be able to keep your LPG gas cylinders but I think 4 would probably be over kill for the usage so drop down to two as @ProDave suggests 

[Sian]

Thanks both

[Indy]

Only chiming in to add what has been stated before but if the hob is on a mains line, then it has to be disconnected as they expect you to give up the gas line for the property is my understanding. The primary source of heating has to change from a boiler to the heat pump, and the gas line goes away. 

 

You can choose to retain the propane tanks externally only for the gas hob and controlled through the automatic cutover switch.

[marshian]

32 minutes ago, Indy said:

Only chiming in to add what has been stated before but if the hob is on a mains line, then it has to be disconnected as they expect you to give up the gas line for the property is my understanding. The primary source of heating has to change from a boiler to the heat pump, and the gas line goes away. 

Not sure you are correct there. Whilst it would be expensive from a usage and standing charge perspective to retain mains gas connection to a house for just cooking in a house that had converted to ASHP it is permitted under the rules

[-rick-]

30 minutes ago, marshian said:

Not sure you are correct there. Whilst it would be expensive from a usage and standing charge perspective to retain mains gas connection to a house for just cooking in a house that had converted to ASHP it is permitted under the rules

 

Agree, nothing to stop you keeping gas for cooking.

[Indy]

Happy to be corrected - wasn't aware of the intricacies. I assumed that the entire point was to get people off Gas and therefore remove the mainline gas connection coming to the property. 

[marshian]

3 minutes ago, Indy said:

Happy to be corrected - wasn't aware of the intricacies. I assumed that the entire point was to get people off Gas and therefore remove the mainline gas connection coming to the property. 

 

Space heating is the biggest driver for gas usage - in my case 80% of my annual 10,000 kWh of gas, HW generation comes second at 19% and "Cooking" is just 1%

 

When I was researching ASHP v Replacing the existing boiler it was important to me to retain the gas for cooking as "we" like cooking with gas my understanding at the time was that this was acceptable (unlike a gas heater in a room which would have to be removed)

[SimonD]

Almost all my customers either already have, or choose to move over to induction cookers when the heat pump goes in. Nothing forcing them to get rid of the gas hob when receiving the BUS grant, but it makes very little sense on its own.