Air source heat pump questions

A full air source heat pump system typically costs £9,500–£12,500 for a one- or two-bedroom flat or small terrace, £12,000–£15,500 for a three-bedroom semi and £16,500–£22,500 for a larger or older home with five or more bedrooms. These are guide prices, installed and including VAT. Grants can reduce the cost, depending on which UK nation you live in. Your final price is fixed in a written quote after the free home survey. See all guide prices.

Our full-system guide price covers the outdoor heat pump unit, a hot water cylinder, controls, commissioning and typical minor pipework. Extras are priced separately only when your home needs them: a replacement radiator sized for a heat pump is a guide price of £250–£450 each, and a pipework upgrade is typically £1,500–£3,500. All are guide prices, installed and including VAT. Your written quote lists exactly what is included before you decide.

The grant you can get depends on which UK nation you live in. In England and Wales, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards an air-to-water heat pump, or £9,000 when it replaces oil or LPG heating for installations from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027. In Scotland, Home Energy Scotland offers a grant of up to £7,500, more for eligible rural and island homes, plus an optional interest-free loan. Northern Ireland has no dedicated heat pump grant for homeowners at present. See heat pump grants.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a government grant in England and Wales that takes £7,500 off the cost of an air source heat pump. The MCS-certified installer applies to Ofgem for you and deducts the grant from your quote, and Ofgem then contacts the property owner to confirm. Your quote names the MCS-certified installer for your job. Since 28 April 2026 a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is no longer required. For a typical three-bedroom home the guide price after the grant is £4,500–£8,000, installed and including VAT.

You are usually eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme if you own an existing home in England or Wales, including as a landlord, and are replacing fossil-fuel or electric heating. The new system must meet the home's full heating and hot water needs. Most new builds, social housing, homes already funded for a heat pump and hybrid systems are not eligible. Air-to-air heat pumps in homes can get a separate £2,500 grant from 28 April 2026. We check eligibility at survey.

In Scotland, Home Energy Scotland offers a grant of up to £7,500 towards a heat pump, plus up to £1,500 more for eligible rural and island homes, and an optional interest-free loan of up to £7,500. You must receive a written funding offer before any work starts, and both the installer and the products must be MCS certified. Funding is first come, first served. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is for England and Wales only.

There is no dedicated heat pump grant for homeowners in Northern Ireland at present. Heat pumps have sometimes been funded through the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme, so it is worth checking what is open when you enquire. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers England and Wales only, and Home Energy Scotland funding is for Scotland. Your written quote for a Northern Ireland home shows the price with no grant deducted unless funding has been confirmed.

Across the UK, including Northern Ireland, the installation of heat pumps is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, so no VAT is added to a qualifying installation. Our guide prices are shown including VAT. Your written quote sets out the VAT that applies to your job, including any separate items, so you can see the full amount before you accept.

How and when you pay is set out in your written quote, so you know the full price and any payment stages before you agree to anything. Nothing is ordered until you accept the quote. Where a grant applies, such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales, it is deducted from the price shown. If you have questions about payment, ask at the survey and we will explain how it works for your job.

Most UK homes can use an air source heat pump, as long as there is space outside for the unit, room inside for a hot water cylinder and heating that can work at lower temperatures. Houses, bungalows, cottages and many flats are all possible. What decides the design is your home's heat loss, which we measure room by room at the free home survey. If a heat pump is not a good fit, we tell you and explain why.

Your home does not need to be perfectly insulated, but insulation affects the size of heat pump you need and how much it costs to run. A room-by-room heat loss calculation shows where heat escapes, and the system is sized to match. Simple measures such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and draught-proofing can lower heat loss. We point out worthwhile improvements at survey, so you can decide whether to do them first.

Yes, a heat pump can usually heat an older home well when it is sized from an accurate heat loss calculation and the radiators are matched to a lower flow temperature. Solid walls, high ceilings and draughty windows raise heat loss, so older homes often need a larger unit or some bigger radiators. Where radiators cannot easily change, a high-temperature unit is an option, typically £1,500–£3,000 extra as a guide price, installed and including VAT. Read heat pumps in older homes.

Yes, many flats and small homes can have a heat pump, usually a smaller unit of around 4–5 kW. For a flat, the key questions are where the outdoor unit can go, such as a balcony, wall or yard, and whether the freeholder agrees. Flats may also need planning permission, depending on the rules in your nation, which we check at survey. In small homes the usual limit is cylinder space. Where a wet system will not fit, an air-to-air heat pump can heat individual rooms.

Whether you need new radiators depends on each room's heat loss: some homes need a few larger radiators, while others can keep most of their existing ones. Heat pumps run most efficiently at low flow temperatures, around 35–50°C, so a radiator gives out less heat than it did with a boiler. The room-by-room heat loss calculation shows which rooms need a bigger radiator. A replacement radiator sized for a heat pump is a guide price of £250–£450 each, installed and including VAT.

Yes, an air source heat pump needs a hot water cylinder, because there is no combi-style equivalent that heats water on demand. If you have a combi boiler now, we find a suitable place for a cylinder, such as an airing cupboard, utility room or garage. Slimline and compact cylinders can suit smaller homes. A cylinder is included in our full-system guide price, and we agree its position with you at survey.

Yes, you can keep your boiler and add a heat pump as a hybrid system, where the heat pump usually handles most of the heating and the boiler helps on the coldest days or with hot water. A hybrid system is a guide price of £7,000–£11,000, installed and including VAT. Hybrid systems are not eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales, so we compare both options with you at survey. See hybrid heat pumps.

The home survey is a visit to measure your home room by room and calculate its heat loss, which sets the size of heat pump and radiators you need. We also look at your existing radiators and pipework, where the cylinder and outdoor unit can go, your electricity supply and the position of neighbouring homes for the noise check. Afterwards you receive a written quote with the system design and price. See heat loss surveys.

Yes, the home survey and heat loss calculation are free when you are enquiring about an installation. If you only want a heat loss survey and report, for example to plan a renovation, a stand-alone survey is a guide price of £150–£400, including VAT. Repairs work differently: a fault-finding visit is charged at a rate agreed before we attend, and servicing is a paid visit.

A typical home installation takes 2–4 days on site, longer if radiators or pipework are being changed. The work usually runs in stages: the outdoor unit and pipe runs, then the cylinder and indoor connections, then filling, commissioning and showing you the controls. Your heating and hot water are off for part of the work, and we agree the plan with you beforehand. Timings are typical rather than fixed. See how it works.

A heat pump installation causes some disruption, mostly while pipework is run and the cylinder is fitted. Floorboards may be lifted in places, a hole is drilled through an outside wall for the pipes, and heating and hot water are off for part of the work. Installers use dust sheets and tidy up at the end of each day. If radiators or pipework are changing, we explain which rooms are affected and roughly when before work starts.

The outdoor unit goes where it has free airflow, a solid base or wall brackets, a short pipe run to the house and somewhere for condensate water to drain. A typical unit is roughly 1 m wide. We also keep it away from neighbours' windows where possible, because siting and the MCS noise check both matter. Common positions are a side wall, back garden or yard, and we agree the spot with you at survey. See noise and siting.

Your heat pump is installed by installers that S&K Property Investments and Improvement Ltd, part of the S&K Group, appoints and manages, and your contract is with that company. Your written quote names the MCS-certified installer for your job, which matters for funding such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales and Home Energy Scotland in Scotland. Refrigerant work on split systems must be done by an F-gas certified engineer.

We cover the whole of the UK: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Installations on the Scottish islands and in other remote areas are by arrangement, as travel and access can affect timing and price. Grants, VAT and planning rules differ between nations, so your quote reflects where you live. Enter your postcode on our quote page or browse the areas we cover.

We aim to reply promptly during working hours to every enquiry. For an installation, the first step is usually a short conversation about your home, followed by arranging the free home survey. For a repair, tell us the make and model, any error code and what the system is doing, so we can agree a fault-finding rate before we attend. You can reach us through the contact page.

Air source heat pumps make some noise, mainly a low hum from the fan and compressor, but they are designed to run quietly. How noticeable it is depends on the model, how hard the unit is working and where it is sited. That is why siting matters and why the installation is checked with the MCS noise assessment for neighbouring homes. You may hear a little more for a few minutes during a defrost cycle in cold weather.

Yes, air source heat pumps are designed to keep working well below freezing and can heat your home through a UK winter. The system is sized for a cold design day in your area, so it is designed to cope on the coldest days. Efficiency falls as the outside temperature drops, and the unit periodically defrosts its outdoor coil, when a little vapour is normal. See how air source heat pumps work.

Running costs depend mostly on the system's seasonal efficiency (SCOP) and your tariff. Under the Ofgem price cap for October to December 2026 (Great Britain average), a heat pump with a SCOP of 3.0 delivers heat for about 8.8p per kWh, and at SCOP 3.5 about 7.5p, against about 8.9p from a 90% efficient gas boiler. At SCOP 3.0 that is roughly level with gas; a well-designed system with a higher SCOP, or a heat pump tariff, can bring it lower. If nothing else in the home uses gas, removing the meter also ends the gas standing charge, about £108 a year.

A heat pump tariff or time-of-use tariff can lower running costs by charging less for electricity at certain times or for heat pump use. Some suppliers offer them, and the right one depends on when your heating and hot water run and whether you have a smart meter, battery or solar panels. Smart controls can heat the cylinder during cheaper periods. We explain the options at handover without recommending a particular supplier.

Usually yes: a heat pump works most efficiently running steadily at a low flow temperature, rather than switching on and off like many boilers. Weather compensation controls adjust the flow temperature to the weather outside, so the system keeps rooms comfortable using less energy. You can still lower temperatures overnight or when you are away, but large set-backs make the heat pump work harder to recover. We set up the controls and show you how they work.

Radiators run at a lower temperature with a heat pump, so they feel warm rather than hot, but your rooms still reach the temperature you set. The heat pump delivers heat steadily over longer periods instead of in short, hot bursts. Correctly sized radiators and a flow temperature of around 35–50°C give comfortable, even warmth. If a room feels cold, the controls or a radiator size may need adjusting, which we can check.

An air source heat pump typically lasts 15–20 years, depending on the model, how it is used and how well it is maintained. Annual servicing helps it run efficiently and is often a condition of the manufacturer warranty. Parts such as pumps, sensors and fans can be replaced during its life. When an outdoor unit reaches the end of its life, a like-for-like replacement is a guide price of £6,000–£9,500, installed and including VAT.

Yes, annual servicing is recommended for an air source heat pump and is often a condition of the manufacturer warranty. A service checks the outdoor unit and coil, filters, system pressure, expansion vessel, anti-freeze protection, controls and performance, and cleans what needs it. Servicing is a paid visit, with a guide price of £120–£250, including VAT. Refrigerant work on split systems must be done by an F-gas certified engineer. See heat pump servicing.

A new heat pump comes with a manufacturer warranty, which passes to you, and the length depends on the make and model. Our workmanship guarantee is set out in writing in your quote. Manufacturer warranties usually depend on the system being registered and serviced as the manufacturer requires, so keep your handover pack, MCS certificate and service records together. We explain the warranty conditions for your chosen unit before you accept the quote.

Heat pump repairs start with a fault-finding visit, charged at a rate agreed before we attend; as a guide price, the first hour is £90–£180, including VAT. The engineer diagnoses the fault and gives you a price for the repair before any further work. Typical repairs, from sensors and valves to fans, pumps and control boards, have a guide price range of £90–£1,100, including VAT, depending on the part. See heat pump repairs.

Yes, we can usually service and repair air source heat pumps fitted by other installers. Tell us the make and model, any error code and how the system is behaving. A fault-finding visit is charged at a rate agreed before we attend, and servicing is a paid visit. We check whether a manufacturer warranty still applies before work starts, and if a unit is beyond economic repair we can quote for a replacement.

If your heat pump stops working, a few simple checks can rule out common causes before you call for a repair. Make sure the controls are on and set correctly, the power supply and outdoor isolator switch are on, and the pressure gauge is in its normal range. Note any error code on the controller and check the outdoor unit is clear of snow, leaves or debris. Do not open the casing. If the problem continues, contact us.

In England, an air source heat pump on a house usually does not need planning permission, because it counts as permitted development if it meets set conditions. Since 29 May 2025, permitted development allows up to two air source heat pumps on a house, each outdoor unit up to 1.5 m³, and the old rule requiring permission within 1 m of a boundary has been removed. The installation must still meet the MCS planning standards, including the noise assessment. Flats, listed buildings and some positions may need permission, which we check at survey.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own permitted development rules for air source heat pumps, so whether you need planning permission depends on where you live and where the unit goes. We check which rules apply to your home at survey and tell you if an application is needed. Listed buildings need consent for works that affect their character. Read heat pump planning permission.

If your home is listed, you will usually need listed building consent before fitting a heat pump, because the work can affect the building's character. In a conservation area, some positions, especially those facing a road, may need planning permission, depending on the rules in your nation. We check what applies at survey and suggest positions that keep the outdoor unit and pipework discreet. Older and protected homes can still suit a carefully designed heat pump.

MCS (the Microgeneration Certification Scheme) is the UK certification scheme that sets standards for small-scale renewable heating installers and products. It matters because funding depends on it: the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales requires an MCS-certified installer, who applies for the grant for you, and Home Energy Scotland requires an MCS-certified installer and products. Your quote names the MCS-certified installer for your job, and an MCS certificate is issued when the installation is registered.

Your installer notifies the electricity network operator about your heat pump where this is required, so you do not need to arrange it yourself. The network operator runs the cables and substations that supply your home, and the notification lets it confirm the local supply can handle the added load. We check your incoming supply and main fuse at survey and explain anything that affects the installation before work starts.

If you agree a contract away from our premises, such as at your home, 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. Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 also apply, so work must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. Systems are designed and specified for your home, and nothing is ordered until you accept the written quote.