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.
For Lancashire homes with solid floors, the survey plans pipe routes through walls and ceilings to keep disruption predictable. Installers in Lancashire work room by room, so you can stay in your home while radiators go in. Bungalows around Lancashire with suspended timber floors usually make running new pipework simpler.
Who it suits
- Properties with an electric boiler and existing radiators
- Flats with a suitable wall, balcony or ground-floor space for the unit
- Homes with storage heaters or panel heaters throughout
- Bungalows and houses with suspended timber floors that make pipe runs easier
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.
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 Lancashire
These are guide prices for Lancashire, 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 | £9,300–£12,250 | £1,800–£4,750 |
| 2–3 bedroom terrace or semi | 5–7 kW | £10,300–£13,250 | £2,800–£5,750 |
| 3 bedroom semi or small detached | 6–9 kW | £11,750–£15,200 | £4,250–£7,700 |
| 4 bedroom detached | 8–12 kW | £13,700–£17,650 | £6,200–£10,150 |
| 5+ bedroom or larger older house | 11–16 kW | £16,150–£22,050 | £8,650–£14,550 |
Installed, inc VAT: unit, cylinder, controls, minor pipework and commissioning.
Towns we cover in Lancashire
We cover 21 towns in Lancashire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preston | PR1 | Leyland | 7 h 25 min |
| Burnley | BB10 | Colne | 7 h 24 min |
| Blackburn | BB2 | Darwen | 7 h 25 min |
| Blackpool | FY1 | Poulton-le-Fylde | 7 h 24 min |
| Morecambe | LA4 | Lancaster | 7 h 21 min |
| Lancaster | LA1 | Morecambe | 7 h 22 min |
| Lytham St Annes | FY8 | Blackpool | 7 h 25 min |
| Skelmersdale | WN8 | Ormskirk | 7 h 27 min |
| Leyland | PR25 | Chorley | 7 h 26 min |
| Accrington | BB5 | Rawtenstall | 7 h 25 min |
| Chorley | PR6 | Leyland | 7 h 26 min |
| Darwen | BB3 | Blackburn | 7 h 26 min |
| Thornton-Cleveleys | FY5 | Poulton-le-Fylde | 7 h 24 min |
| Fleetwood | FY7 | Thornton-Cleveleys | 7 h 23 min |
| Ormskirk | L39 | Skelmersdale | 7 h 27 min |
| Rawtenstall | BB4 | Accrington | 7 h 26 min |
| Colne | BB8 | Burnley | 7 h 24 min |
| Poulton-le-Fylde | FY3 | Blackpool | 7 h 24 min |
| Carnforth | LA5 | Lancaster | 7 h 21 min |
| Clitheroe | BB7 | Accrington | 7 h 24 min |
| Garstang | PR3 | Poulton-le-Fylde | 7 h 23 min |
Replacing electric heating with a heat pump questions
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.
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 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.
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.