About Unbounded Cloud

Unbounded Cloud turns open government data into simple, fast, free tools that answer everyday questions for people in Northern Ireland and across the UK.

Why we built this

A lot of genuinely useful public data is published by government bodies but is hard to use — buried in spreadsheets, spread across dozens of council websites, or hidden behind clunky search forms. We take those open datasets and turn them into clean tools that load quickly on a phone and give you a straight answer.

Everything is free to use. The sites are supported by advertising so we can keep them online without charging or asking you to sign up.

Our tools

NI Fuel Prices

Live petrol and diesel prices at forecourts across Northern Ireland, drawn from the UK Government's open fuel-price scheme and refreshed regularly so you can find the cheapest fill-up near you.

NI Rates Calculator

An estimate of your domestic rates bill for the current rating year. Enter your postcode to identify your council area and look up your property's capital value, then see an estimated annual bill broken down by the regional and district rate.

MOT Checker

The MOT test history and expiry date for any UK-registered vehicle, using the DVSA's open MOT data — handy when buying a used car or checking when your test is due.

Take-Home Pay Calculator

What actually lands in your bank account from a UK salary, after income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions and student loan repayments. It covers all five student loan plans and shows the result yearly, monthly, weekly and per working day, with a full breakdown of every deduction and your marginal rate.

NI Energy Grants Checker

Northern Ireland runs its own home energy schemes, separate from Great Britain — which is why so much advice found online simply doesn't apply here. This tool asks a few short questions and tells you which schemes are worth applying for, covering Affordable Warmth, NISEP, Winter Fuel Payment and the rest, along with the widely advertised Great Britain schemes that are not available in NI.

Where the data comes from

Our tools are built on publicly available information, including the UK Government fuel-price scheme, Land & Property Services rating data, the DVSA MOT service, published HMRC tax and National Insurance rates, and guidance from the Housing Executive, the Department for Communities and the Utility Regulator. Much of this is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. We are an independent project and are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the UK Government, HMRC, the Housing Executive or any council.

Keeping it current

Public data goes stale quietly, and a tool that silently serves last year's figures is worse than no tool at all. So we automate the updates wherever the source allows it. Fuel prices refresh hourly. Rates poundages are re-read from the Department of Finance each year, so the calculator follows the new rating year without anyone touching it. The energy grants site re-checks every scheme's official page daily and records when it last verified each one — you'll see that date on the page, and if a source moves or its wording changes, we find out before you do.

Accuracy

We work hard to keep the data current and correct, but the tools are provided for general information only and the underlying sources can change or contain errors. Always confirm anything important — a price at the pump, a rates bill, an MOT certificate, a payslip or a grant application — with the official source. Nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice. See our Terms of Use for details.

Contact

Feedback, corrections or partnership enquiries are welcome at [email protected].