- Area
- Cornwall
- Postcode district
- TR13
- Nation
- England
- Guide price
- From £9,800 inc VAT
- Survey
- Free for installation enquiries
Before you book: replacing an oil or LPG boiler with a heat pump in Helston
A heat pump suits most Helston homes, but the details decide how efficiently it runs. Our survey looks at insulation, radiators and hot water use room by room.
Rural properties near Helston usually have garden space for the outdoor unit, sited away from windows and sheltered where possible. For homes outside Helston reached by a long drive or narrow lane, delivery of the unit and cylinder is planned in advance.
Off-gas homes have a lot to plan when switching to a heat pump: the fuel tank, older walls, rural power supplies and higher heat loss.
- Detached houses and bungalows with garden space for the unit
- Eligible homes in England and Wales within the higher grant window
- Older oil boilers nearing the end of their life
What's included
- Free survey with a detailed heat loss calculation for older construction
- Network operator notification and electrical connection
- Removal of the oil or LPG boiler and flue
- Outdoor unit, heat pump cylinder, controls and radiator changes
- Oil tank draining and removal or making safe, as set out in your quote
Cottages and farmhouses in and around Helston often have solid walls, so the survey looks closely at construction and draughts.
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 Helston 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.
Guide prices for replacing an oil or LPG boiler with a heat pump in Helston
These are guide prices for Cornwall, 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 £9,000 grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 bedroom flat or small terrace | 4–5 kW | £9,800–£12,900 | £800–£3,900 |
| 2–3 bedroom terrace or semi | 5–7 kW | £10,800–£13,900 | £1,800–£4,900 |
| 3 bedroom semi or small detached | 6–9 kW | £12,350–£15,950 | £3,350–£6,950 |
| 4 bedroom detached | 8–12 kW | £14,400–£18,550 | £5,400–£9,550 |
| 5+ bedroom or larger older house | 11–16 kW | £17,000–£23,200 | £8,000–£14,200 |
Installed, inc VAT: unit, cylinder, controls, minor pipework and commissioning. The £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme figure applies to oil and LPG replacements in England and Wales installed from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Short winter days in Helston and what they mean
On the shortest day Helston gets about 8 hours 03 minutes of daylight, and the winter sun reaches only around 16° above the horizon at noon. Winters this far south are milder than in most of the UK, which helps a heat pump run at low flow temperatures for much of the season.
How installation works in Helston
- Start online with a guide price or call us.
- A home survey in Helston gives us the room-by-room heat loss.
- Your written quote sets out the design, the price and the grant position where you live.
- Installation is booked for dates that suit you; most homes take 2–4 days on site.
- After commissioning you get a handover of the controls and settings, plus the certificates.
Replacing an oil or LPG boiler with a heat pump in Helston: questions
How long does installation take in Helston?
Most installations take 2–4 days on site. Jobs with several radiator changes or new pipework take longer, and your quote for a Helston home states the expected time.
Where would the outdoor unit go on a Helston house?
Usually at the side or rear, on a level base with space around it for airflow and servicing, away from bedroom windows where possible. The surveyor checks positions at your Helston home.
Do you cover Camborne as well as Helston?
Yes. We arrange surveys and installation in Camborne, which is about 8 miles north of Helston, and across Cornwall.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than oil?
It depends on oil prices, your home's insulation, the flow temperature and your electricity tariff, so there is no single answer. At the October to December 2026 price cap, a heat pump with a seasonal efficiency of 3.0 delivers heat for about 8.8p per kWh, and at 3.5 about 7.5p. Compare that with your oil cost per kWh of heat, allowing for your boiler's efficiency; the survey estimate gives a figure for your home.
Will I need bigger radiators in an older cottage or farmhouse?
Often in some rooms, because thick solid walls and older windows lose more heat, and heat pumps work at lower water temperatures than oil boilers. The survey checks each room. Rooms with high ceilings or large windows are common candidates for a larger radiator. Where swapping radiators is impractical, a high-temperature unit can be considered, with lower efficiency as the trade-off.