According to Checkatrade, installing a heat pump could cost anything between £3,000 and £15,000. However this cost can be offset by government funding under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, with a grant of up £7,500 available for the installation of new heat pumps. Talk to us about heat pumps and how to take advantage of the grant. In this way you can reduce the cost of installation as well as the ongoing utility costs that the switch to a heat pump will result in.

Heat pumps are devices that sit outside your house that are designed to draw in ambient heat – either from the air or the ground – and compress it to raise the temperature. The heat produced is then transferred to your central heating system. It is a hugely efficient alternative to gas or oil central heating, producing three units of heat for each unit of electricity it uses. This means you will use less power to get the same amount of heat, saving money on your electricity bill and reducing your CO2 emissions. Heat pumps work with radiators, but they are most effective with underfloor heating, so if you already have underfloor heating – or are about to install it – heat pumps will give you added value.

There are days when you can barely believe it, but there is plenty of heat (thermal energy) in the air and the ground – even on cold days. Heat pumps harvest this heat and raise the temperature, then transfers the heat into your central heating system. It does this by using a liquid chemical in a closed loop within the heat pump, that takes heat from the air or the ground, compressing the liquid until it turns into a hot gas; the hot gas releases its heat into your central heating system, keeping your home nice and warm. Once the gas has transferred the heat, it cools down and turns back into a liquid ready to start the whole process again.

The technology also works in reverse, so in the summer, heat pumps can convert heat into cold – in the same way a refrigerator cools the air to keep your food cold or frozen. Some heat pumps have been manufactured with the capacity to cool your building in the summer, either through your current heating system or a dedicated air conditioning unit.

In the long run, a heat pump can save money on electricity bills, but they obviously come with an upfront cost – greater than the cost of replacing your boiler – which means it will be a number of years before you break even. That’s why the government has launched the Boiler Upgrade Scheme which gives you up to £7,500 off the cost of your new heat pump. It’s worth noting that heat pumps have a predicted life span of around 20 years, which is twice as long as the predicted life span of boilers, which also need to be taken into consideration when assessing their overall lifetime costs. Therefore, don’t be put off by the upfront cost of installing a heat pump because, with the grant, its longevity and your lower energy bills, it definitely is worth it. 

Another reason for getting a heat pump is that some can also cool buildings too. At a time when global warming means hotter summers, the ability to cool as well as heat is a huge tick in its favour.

Giving a precise figure for running costs isn’t an exact science. It depends on the size of your house, the amount of insulation you have, and the type of heating you have (for example, underfloor heating is cheaper to run than radiators because it works at lower temperatures). However, according to E.ON, a heat pump will typically cost between £450-£1,200 a year to run.

Heat pumps and gas boilers use fuel differently, so while the unit cost of electricity is greater than the unit cost of gas, things are less unequal than they first appear. This is because gas boilers are a lot less efficient than heat pumps – even the newest ones are only 90% efficient, which means that 10% of the fuel it uses is wasted. Air-sourced heat pumps, on the other hand, are at least 300% efficient, meaning they produce three units of heat for every unit of electricity they use, meaning you get more bang for your buck. Ground-sourced heat pumps can be even more efficient.

If your old boiler will need replacing in the next couple of years, then it is definitely worth considering replacing it with a heat pump, especially if you are interested in reducing your carbon footprint. The good news is that you can take advantage of the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant that will give you up to £7,500 towards the costs. We can help you assess if a heat pump will be the best option for your home or business and, if it is, will take care of the grant funding on your behalf.

Properly maintained, your heat pump will last for around 20 years – which is twice the lifespan of an average boiler.

Heating our homes accounts for more than 50% of global energy consumption in buildings, so it’s clear that something needs to be done if the UK is going to hit Net Zero by 2050. Heat pumps are many times more efficient than traditional boilers which makes them more sustainable in terms of the electricity they use, but they also generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions than gas boilers because they don’t rely on fossil fuels. And if you have solar panels helping you produce your own electricity, so much the better!

The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers grants of up to £7,500 towards the replacement of boilers with heat pumps with the intention of reducing the carbon footprint of homes and small commercial buildings. It will be available to homeowners and small businesses until 31 March 2028. Heat pump installation companies will apply for the grant on your behalf as part of the installation project so you don’t need to do anything to take advantage of the funding.

No, but how well it is insulated will affect the kind of heat pump you will need to install. If you have an old, draughty home, you will need a larger heat pump in order to heat the building sufficiently. Therefore, insulating the building as much as possible will mean you can buy a smaller heat pump and save energy too.

A lot of people think that heat pumps are very noisy, but that’s no longer true. Heat pump technology has advanced and modern heat pumps are a lot quieter than the older models. This means they can be placed nearer to windows and in built up areas without having an adverse effect on you or your neighbours.

Depending on the amount of work needed to upgrade your heating system to a heat pump, it could take 3 or 4 days to fully install it. It is therefore best to book the work in the warmer months when not having any heating for a few days won’t be an issue! 

Yes. In fact heat pumps offer an excellent heating solution for rural homes and buildings, many of which currently rely on oil tanks or off-grid LPG for their heating. Heat pumps are cleaner, safer, and far more convenient – and also mean you’ll get more garden space once the old tank has been removed.