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.
Bungalows around Wiltshire with suspended timber floors usually make running new pipework simpler. Owners across Wiltshire moving off storage heaters can arrange a survey in Wiltshire that compares running costs on their real tariff. Where a home in Wiltshire has an airing cupboard, the immersion cylinder can often be swapped for a heat pump cylinder in the same space.
Who it suits
- Bungalows and houses with suspended timber floors that make pipe runs easier
- Flats with a suitable wall, balcony or ground-floor space for the unit
- Homes with storage heaters or panel heaters throughout
- Properties with an electric boiler and existing radiators
Grants and rules for heat pumps in England
Homes in Wiltshire 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.
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 Wiltshire
Here are typical prices for replacing electric heating with a heat pump in Wiltshire, 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 | £9,600–£12,650 | £2,100–£5,150 |
| 2–3 bedroom terrace or semi | 5–7 kW | £10,600–£13,650 | £3,100–£6,150 |
| 3 bedroom semi or small detached | 6–9 kW | £12,100–£15,650 | £4,600–£8,150 |
| 4 bedroom detached | 8–12 kW | £14,150–£18,200 | £6,650–£10,700 |
| 5+ bedroom or larger older house | 11–16 kW | £16,650–£22,750 | £9,150–£15,250 |
Installed, inc VAT: unit, cylinder, controls, minor pipework and commissioning.
Towns we cover in Wiltshire
We cover 12 towns in Wiltshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swindon | SN1 | Marlborough | 7 h 49 min |
| Salisbury | SP1 | Amesbury | 7 h 54 min |
| Trowbridge | BA14 | Bradford-on-Avon | 7 h 51 min |
| Chippenham | SN15 | Corsham | 7 h 50 min |
| Melksham | SN12 | Corsham | 7 h 51 min |
| Warminster | BA12 | Trowbridge | 7 h 53 min |
| Calne | SN11 | Chippenham | 7 h 50 min |
| Devizes | SN10 | Calne | 7 h 51 min |
| Amesbury | SP4 | Salisbury | 7 h 53 min |
| Bradford-on-Avon | BA15 | Trowbridge | 7 h 51 min |
| Corsham | SN13 | Chippenham | 7 h 50 min |
| Marlborough | SN8 | Swindon | 7 h 50 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.
What if I live in a flat?
Many flats can have a heat pump, but you need a suitable outdoor position, such as a balcony, yard or wall bracket, and leaseholders need consent from the freeholder or management company. Planning permission may be needed depending on the nation and the building, which we check at survey. Where a wet system is impractical, an air-to-air heat pump with separate hot water is an alternative.
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.
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.