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 Kent work room by room, so you can stay in your home while radiators go in. For Kent homes with solid floors, the survey plans pipe routes through walls and ceilings to keep disruption predictable. Owners across Kent moving off storage heaters can arrange a survey in Kent that compares running costs on their real tariff.
Who it suits
- Flats with a suitable wall, balcony or ground-floor space for the unit
- 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
Homes in Kent can use the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which takes £7,500 off the cost of an air source heat pump when it replaces fossil-fuel or electric heating. Replacing oil or LPG heating qualifies for £9,000 for installations from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, and air-to-air systems for £2,500. The MCS-certified installer named in your quote applies for the grant and deducts it from the price.
There is no VAT on installing a heat pump anywhere in the UK until 31 March 2027. In England most houses can have an air source heat pump under permitted development, provided the unit meets the MCS noise and siting standards; the old 1 m boundary limit was removed on 29 May 2025. We flag listed buildings, flats and sensitive conservation-area positions at survey.
Electric heating to heat pump prices in Kent
These are guide prices for Kent, installed and including VAT. Your final price is fixed in a written quote after the survey and depends on the heat loss of the house, the radiators that need changing and where the unit goes.
| Home | Typical size | Installed guide price | After £7,500 grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 bedroom flat or small terrace | 4–5 kW | £9,800–£12,900 | £2,300–£5,400 |
| 2–3 bedroom terrace or semi | 5–7 kW | £10,800–£13,900 | £3,300–£6,400 |
| 3 bedroom semi or small detached | 6–9 kW | £12,350–£15,950 | £4,850–£8,450 |
| 4 bedroom detached | 8–12 kW | £14,400–£18,550 | £6,900–£11,050 |
| 5+ bedroom or larger older house | 11–16 kW | £17,000–£23,200 | £9,500–£15,700 |
Installed, inc VAT: unit, cylinder, controls, minor pipework and commissioning.
Towns we cover in Kent
We cover 24 towns in Kent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadstairs | CT10 | Margate | 7 h 51 min |
| Maidstone | ME16 | Rochester | 7 h 52 min |
| Gillingham | ME7 | Rochester | 7 h 51 min |
| Royal Tunbridge Wells | TN1 | Tonbridge | 7 h 53 min |
| Folkestone | CT20 | Hythe | 7 h 54 min |
| Margate | CT9 | Broadstairs | 7 h 51 min |
| Ashford | TN24 | Tenterden | 7 h 53 min |
| Canterbury | CT1 | Whitstable | 7 h 52 min |
| Sittingbourne | ME10 | Faversham | 7 h 51 min |
| Gravesend | DA11 | Strood | 7 h 50 min |
| Ramsgate | CT11 | Broadstairs | 7 h 51 min |
| Dover | CT17 | Folkestone | 7 h 53 min |
| Tonbridge | TN9 | Royal Tunbridge Wells | 7 h 53 min |
| Strood | ME2 | Rochester | 7 h 51 min |
| Whitstable | CT5 | Herne Bay | 7 h 51 min |
| Deal | CT14 | Sandwich | 7 h 52 min |
| Sevenoaks | TN13 | Westerham | 7 h 52 min |
| Rochester | ME1 | Strood | 7 h 51 min |
| Herne Bay | CT6 | Whitstable | 7 h 51 min |
| Faversham | ME13 | Whitstable | 7 h 51 min |
| Hythe | CT21 | Folkestone | 7 h 54 min |
| Sandwich | CT13 | Deal | 7 h 52 min |
| Tenterden | TN30 | Ashford | 7 h 54 min |
| Westerham | TN14 | Sevenoaks | 7 h 52 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.
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.
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.
Can I replace storage heaters with a heat pump?
Yes. Storage heaters are removed and replaced with an air-to-water heat pump connected to new radiators or underfloor heating and a hot water cylinder. Because there is no existing wet system, pipework has to be run to each room, so the job is larger than a boiler swap. The survey plans pipe routes and radiator sizes before you receive a written quote.