Replacing electric heating with a heat pump means taking out storage heaters, panel heaters or an electric boiler and installing an air-to-water heat pump that heats water for radiators or underfloor heating and a hot water cylinder. If you already have an electric boiler and radiators, the change is similar to a boiler swap. If you have storage or panel heaters, there is no wet system yet, so radiators and pipework need to be installed throughout.
Installers in Hertfordshire work room by room, so you can stay in your home while radiators go in. Bungalows around Hertfordshire with suspended timber floors usually make running new pipework simpler. For Hertfordshire homes with solid floors, the survey plans pipe routes through walls and ceilings to keep disruption predictable.
Who it suits
- Homes with storage heaters or panel heaters throughout
- Bungalows and houses with suspended timber floors that make pipe runs easier
- Properties with an electric boiler and existing radiators
- Owners planning redecoration or other building work at the same time
Grants and rules for heat pumps in England
In England the Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards an air source heat pump (£9,000 if it replaces oil or LPG, from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027), and since 28 April 2026 a valid EPC is no longer needed. The grant is applied for by the MCS-certified installer and shown as a deduction on your quote.
Installing heat pumps is zero-rated for VAT across the UK until 31 March 2027. Since 29 May 2025, permitted development in England allows up to two air source heat pumps on a house, each up to 1.5 m³, with no blanket 1 m boundary rule — the installation must still meet the MCS planning standards, including the noise check. Listed buildings, flats and some conservation-area positions need extra consent, which we check at survey.
Electric heating to heat pump prices in Hertfordshire
Here are typical prices for replacing electric heating with a heat pump in Hertfordshire, installed and including VAT. Use the guide price tool for a figure based on your home, then a survey confirms it in writing.
| Home | Typical size | Installed guide price | After £7,500 grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 bedroom flat or small terrace | 4–5 kW | £10,000–£13,150 | £2,500–£5,650 |
| 2–3 bedroom terrace or semi | 5–7 kW | £11,050–£14,200 | £3,550–£6,700 |
| 3 bedroom semi or small detached | 6–9 kW | £12,600–£16,300 | £5,100–£8,800 |
| 4 bedroom detached | 8–12 kW | £14,700–£18,900 | £7,200–£11,400 |
| 5+ bedroom or larger older house | 11–16 kW | £17,350–£23,650 | £9,850–£16,150 |
Installed, inc VAT: unit, cylinder, controls, minor pipework and commissioning.
Towns we cover in Hertfordshire
We cover 17 towns in Hertfordshire for replacing electric heating with a heat pump. Each links to local guide prices and the grant position for England.
| Town | Postcode district | Nearest town | Midwinter daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemel Hempstead | HP2 | Berkhamsted | 7 h 47 min |
| Stevenage | SG1 | Hitchin | 7 h 45 min |
| St Albans | AL1 | Radlett | 7 h 47 min |
| Welwyn Garden City | AL8 | Hatfield | 7 h 46 min |
| Cheshunt | EN8 | Hoddesdon | 7 h 47 min |
| Hatfield | AL10 | Welwyn Garden City | 7 h 47 min |
| Bishop's Stortford | CM23 | Ware | 7 h 46 min |
| Hitchin | SG6 | Letchworth Garden City | 7 h 45 min |
| Hoddesdon | EN11 | Ware | 7 h 47 min |
| Letchworth Garden City | SG6 | Hitchin | 7 h 45 min |
| Harpenden | AL5 | St Albans | 7 h 46 min |
| Hertford | SG13 | Ware | 7 h 47 min |
| Berkhamsted | HP4 | Tring | 7 h 47 min |
| Ware | SG12 | Hertford | 7 h 46 min |
| Royston | SG7 | Letchworth Garden City | 7 h 44 min |
| Radlett | WD7 | St Albans | 7 h 48 min |
| Tring | HP23 | Berkhamsted | 7 h 47 min |
Replacing electric heating with a heat pump questions
How disruptive is fitting radiators in a home that has none?
More disruptive than a boiler swap, but planned. Floorboards are lifted to run pipes, some holes are drilled through walls and radiators are hung room by room. Rooms are worked on in a set order so you can keep living at home, and holes are made good, while redecoration is usually yours. The programme in your quote shows how long each stage typically takes.
Can I keep my electric immersion cylinder?
Usually not for heating by the heat pump, because a standard immersion cylinder has no coil, or one too small to take heat at low flow temperatures. A heat pump cylinder replaces it, often in the same cupboard, and keeps an immersion element as backup. If you choose an air-to-air system instead, which does not make hot water, the existing cylinder stays in use.
Do I qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme if I have electric heating?
In England and Wales, owners of existing homes replacing electric heating can qualify, provided the heat pump meets the home's full heating and hot water needs and the other scheme conditions are met. The grant is £7,500 for an air-to-water system. The scheme does not cover Scotland or Northern Ireland; Scotland has separate Home Energy Scotland funding.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than storage heaters?
It can be, but it depends on your tariff. Direct electric heat costs the full unit rate, 26.32p per kWh at the October to December 2026 price cap, while a heat pump with a seasonal efficiency of 3.0 delivers heat for about 8.8p per kWh. Storage heaters charged on a cheap overnight rate narrow that gap, so the survey compares on your actual tariff, insulation and expected flow temperature.