- Guide price
- From £9,500 inc VAT
- Survey
- Free home survey for installation enquiries
- Coverage
- England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Air source heat pump installation is the full job of replacing your heating with an air-to-water system: a survey and room-by-room heat loss calculation, the outdoor unit, a hot water cylinder, controls, any radiator or pipework changes, commissioning and registration. A heat pump takes heat from the outside air using a refrigerant cycle and delivers it to your radiators or underfloor heating and to a cylinder of stored hot water. In a well-designed system it typically produces about 3–4 units of heat for every unit of electricity it uses.
Design is what separates a comfortable, economical system from a disappointing one. Heat pumps run most efficiently at low flow temperatures, around 35–50°C, so the survey checks every room's heat loss against the radiator in it and sizes the unit to the whole house rather than to the old boiler's output. Weather compensation controls then adjust the water temperature to the weather outside, so the system runs gently for long periods instead of in short bursts.
Your contract is with S&K Property Investments and Improvement Ltd, part of the S&K Group, and the installation is carried out by installers we appoint and manage under that contract. Where you are eligible, the MCS-certified installer named in your quote applies for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant in England and Wales and deducts it from your price. In Scotland we work alongside your Home Energy Scotland application, and in Northern Ireland we explain what funding, if any, is currently available.
Who it suits
- Homes replacing a gas, oil, LPG or electric heating system
- Owners who want one contract covering design, fitting and paperwork
- Houses with reasonable insulation, or a plan to improve it
- Households with room for a hot water cylinder
- Owners and landlords in England and Wales eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Things to consider
- You need outdoor space for a unit roughly 1 m wide, with clear airflow around it.
- Some radiators may need to be larger to keep rooms warm at low flow temperatures.
- A hot water cylinder is needed, so a combi boiler's cupboard is not enough on its own.
- Poorly insulated homes may need loft insulation or draught-proofing first to keep the unit size and running costs sensible.
- Heating feels different: rooms are kept steadily warm rather than heated quickly in bursts.
What happens at the survey and design stage?
The survey is a free home visit for installation enquiries that gathers everything needed for a room-by-room heat loss calculation using the MCS method. The surveyor records wall, floor and roof construction, window types, room sizes and each existing radiator, then looks at where the outdoor unit and cylinder could go.
From that we produce a design and a written quote. Nothing is ordered until you accept it. The design sets out:
- Heat loss for each room and the whole house, in kW
- The proposed outdoor unit position and its noise check
- Cylinder size and location
- Radiators to keep, upsize or add
- Electrical supply, controls and the expected flow temperature
What happens on installation day?
A typical home installation takes 2–4 days on site, longer if radiators or pipework are being changed. The first day usually involves draining the old system, removing the boiler and setting the outdoor unit on its base or wall brackets.
Next come the water connections between the unit and the house, the cylinder, any new radiators and the controls, plus a dedicated electrical supply from your consumer unit. The installer fills, flushes and commissions the system, sets the weather compensation curve and walks you through the controls. You will be without heating and hot water for part of the job, so the order of work is agreed with you in advance.
How much does a full installation cost?
A full air-to-water system for a three-bedroom semi has a guide price of £12,000–£15,500, installed and including VAT; for a two-to-three-bedroom terrace or semi the typical range is £10,500–£13,500. These cover the unit, cylinder, controls, commissioning and minor pipework.
In England and Wales the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant of £7,500 brings the three-bedroom guide price to about £4,500–£8,000 for eligible homes. Replacing several radiators, upgrading microbore pipework or moving the cylinder adds to the price. Your final price is fixed in a written quote after the survey; see our guide prices for every home size.
What paperwork do I get when the job is finished?
Once the system is commissioned, the installation is registered and you receive an MCS certificate, which you need for the grant, for some heat pump tariffs and when you sell the house. The installer also notifies the electricity network operator where required.
You also get the commissioning record, the heat loss and design documents, and a handover pack with operating guidance. Manufacturer warranties pass to you — the length depends on the make and model — and our workmanship guarantee is set out in writing in your quote.
What's included
- Free home survey and room-by-room heat loss calculation
- System design, unit sizing and a written quote
- Outdoor unit, hot water cylinder and weather compensation controls
- Radiator and pipework changes where the design needs them
- Removal of the old boiler or heaters
- Commissioning, handover and a walk-through of the controls
- MCS registration and certificate, plus network operator notification
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme application in England and Wales where eligible
Air source heat pump installation guide prices
| Home | Typical size | Installed guide price | After £7,500 grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 bedroom flat or small terrace | 4–5 kW | £9,500–£12,500 | £2,000–£5,000 |
| 2–3 bedroom terrace or semi | 5–7 kW | £10,500–£13,500 | £3,000–£6,000 |
| 3 bedroom semi or small detached | 6–9 kW | £12,000–£15,500 | £4,500–£8,000 |
| 4 bedroom detached | 8–12 kW | £14,000–£18,000 | £6,500–£10,500 |
| 5+ bedroom or larger older house | 11–16 kW | £16,500–£22,500 | £9,000–£15,000 |
Installed, inc VAT: unit, cylinder, controls, minor pipework and commissioning.
Air source heat pump installation questions
How long does an air source heat pump installation take?
A typical home installation takes 2–4 days on site. It takes longer if several radiators are being replaced, pipework is being upgraded or the cylinder is going in a new location. Your quote sets out the expected programme, including when you will be without heating and hot water. Timings are typical rather than fixed, because older homes sometimes reveal surprises once floorboards are lifted.
Do I need new radiators for a heat pump?
Not always; many homes keep most of their radiators and change only a few. Because a heat pump runs at a lower water temperature than a boiler, each radiator gives out less heat, so the survey checks every room against its heat loss. Rooms where the existing radiator falls short get a larger one, with a guide price of £250–£450 each, installed and including VAT.
Who carries out the installation?
Your contract is with S&K Property Investments and Improvement Ltd, part of the S&K Group. The installation is carried out by installers we appoint and manage under that contract, and your quote names the MCS-certified installer for your job. That matters for funding, because the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales and Home Energy Scotland funding both require an MCS-certified installer.
What grants can I get for a heat pump?
It depends on where you live. In England and Wales the Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards an air-to-water heat pump, which the installer claims and deducts from your quote. In Scotland, Home Energy Scotland offers a grant of up to £7,500, with up to £1,500 more for eligible rural and island homes, but you need a written funding offer before work starts. Northern Ireland has no dedicated homeowner heat pump grant at present.
Will an air source heat pump be noisy?
Heat pumps are designed to run quietly, but where the unit sits makes a real difference. The survey looks for a position away from bedroom windows and neighbours, with clear airflow, and the installation must pass the MCS noise assessment. The fan is most noticeable on very cold days when the unit works hardest, and a little vapour during the periodic defrost is normal.
Can I cancel after accepting the quote?
Nothing is ordered until you accept the written quote. Where the contract is agreed away from our premises, for example at your kitchen table, you can cancel within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. If you ask us to start sooner and then cancel, you pay only for work done up to that point.