- Area
- Dorset
- Postcode district
- DT1
- Nation
- England
- Guide price
- From £9,600 inc VAT
- Survey
- Free for installation enquiries
Oil and LPG boiler replacement for Dorchester homes
Homes around Dorchester range from older terraces to newer estates, and each needs a different design. That is why we survey before we quote.
For homes outside Dorchester reached by a long drive or narrow lane, delivery of the unit and cylinder is planned in advance. If your home near Dorchester is off the mains gas grid, a heat pump removes the need for oil or LPG deliveries.
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.
- Rural and village homes off the mains gas grid
- Detached houses and bungalows with garden space for the unit
- Eligible homes in England and Wales within the higher grant window
What's included
- Network operator notification and electrical connection
- Free survey with a detailed heat loss calculation for older construction
- Removal of the oil or LPG boiler and flue
- Help arranging LPG tank collection with your supplier
- MCS certificate and grant application in England and Wales where eligible
Bungalows and detached houses near Dorchester running on LPG can move to a heat pump, with the tank collected by the supplier.
Grants and rules for heat pumps in England
Homes in Dorchester 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.
Oil and LPG boiler replacement costs around Dorchester
These are guide prices for Dorset, 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 | £9,600–£12,650 | £600–£3,650 |
| 2–3 bedroom terrace or semi | 5–7 kW | £10,600–£13,650 | £1,600–£4,650 |
| 3 bedroom semi or small detached | 6–9 kW | £12,100–£15,650 | £3,100–£6,650 |
| 4 bedroom detached | 8–12 kW | £14,150–£18,200 | £5,150–£9,200 |
| 5+ bedroom or larger older house | 11–16 kW | £16,650–£22,750 | £7,650–£13,750 |
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.
Winter daylight and heating in Dorchester
On the shortest day Dorchester gets about 7 hours 57 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 Dorchester
- Tell us about your home: postcode, property type and current heating.
- We book a survey in Dorchester; the surveyor measures rooms, windows and radiators and looks at cylinder space.
- The design and quote arrive in writing, including radiator changes and the outdoor unit position.
- On installation days the old system is removed and the new one fitted and filled.
- We commission the heat pump, show you the controls and register the installation.
Replacing an oil or LPG boiler with a heat pump in Dorchester: questions
Do you cover Weymouth as well as Dorchester?
Yes. We arrange surveys and installation in Weymouth, which is about 7 miles south of Dorchester, and across Dorset.
How soon can you survey a home in Dorchester?
Survey dates depend on how busy installers are in Dorset. We offer the next available dates when you enquire and confirm them in writing.
What size heat pump does a Dorchester home need?
It depends on the heat loss, not the postcode. As a rough guide, a 3 bedroom semi often needs 6–9 kW, but the room-by-room survey sets the actual size for your Dorchester 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.
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.