Heat Pumps: The Complete UK Guide
Everything you need to know about air source and ground source heat pumps in the UK: costs, grants, running costs, and installation.
Heat pumps pull free warmth from the air (or ground) outside your home and concentrate it to heat your radiators and hot water. The median air source install cost £12,908 in April to June 2026, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme takes £7,500 off. So a typical household pays around £5,408, and the cheapest quarter about £3,628 or less.
MCS says there were over 60,000 certified heat pump installations in 2025, the most ever in a year. In England the Future Homes Standard, in force from 24 March 2027, is meant to ensure new homes are built with low carbon heating. Below: our straight answer, a quick comparison with gas, then deeper guides if you want to dig in.
Costs: DESNZ Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics, August 2026 (air source, England and Wales, April to June 2026). Running costs: Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 (26.32p electricity, 7.97p gas), SCOP 3.5 (our assumption), 90% boiler. Noise: MCS 020 a). Installs: MCS. Lifespan: Intergas and OVO.
Answer it for your own home
Four tools built on official data. Size and price a heat pump for your house, check a quote you've been given, see whether your spot passes the 37 dB noise rule, or work out what you'd save.
What Size Heat Pump Do I Need?
Describe your home and we'll estimate its heat loss on the coldest design day, using the same default values an EPC assessor uses and the design temperatures MCS installers must use.
Estimated peak heat loss
6.3kW
At -5.1C outside, 20C inside
Heat pump size to look at
7kW
Smallest common size at or above your heat loss
Heat loss per sq m
70W
Lower is easier for a heat pump
What air source heat pumps of 6kW to 8kW actually cost
£12,164
median installed price, before the grant
£4,664
after the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant
Median of 8,054 real installations in that size band in 2025/26. Source: DESNZ Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics, August 2026 (installations with a paid voucher, England and Wales). The grant applies in England and Wales.
Where the heat goes
What would shrink the heat pump
- Fill the cavity walls: -1.5kW
- Replace the windows with modern double glazing: -0.6kW
- Top the loft up to 270mm: -0.3kW
An estimate, not a design. MCS installers must size a heat pump to cover at least 100% of a room-by-room heat load calculation to BS EN 12831-1:2017 (MCS standard MIS 3005-D), and that survey replaces this number. Our defaults: U-values from BRE's RdSAP 10 specification (June 2026), window area from RdSAP 2012 Table S4, design outdoor temperatures from MIS 3005-D Table 2 column B, a whole-house 20C indoors, a rectangular plan with 2.5m storeys, no thermal bridging allowance, and air leakage from SAP 10.2 with a minimum of 0.5 air changes an hour. Solid floors use the design temperature rather than the annual average MCS specifies, so that part errs high. Flats and homes with extensions or room-in-roof conversions will be less accurate.
Heat pump quote checker
Is your heat pump quote fair?
We compare it with what households paid for the same size of heat pump under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Is that price
Households who had an air source heat pump of 6 to under 8kW fitted paid a median of £12,164 before the grant (8,054 installs in 2025/26). On our estimate, the middle half paid about £10,500 to £14,700.
Enter your quote above to see where it sits.
Does your quote include all of this?
Free, no obligation. Get at least three quotes, as MCS and the Renewable Energy Consumer Code advise.
Source: DESNZ Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics, August 2026 (installations with a paid voucher, England and Wales), tables A1.3A (median by capacity, 2025/26; bands include the lower bound) and Q1.1A (quartiles, all sizes, April to June 2026). The typical range for each size is the national spread scaled to that size's median. Air source, air-to-water only.
MCS 020 a) noise checker
Will your heat pump pass the 37 dB rule?
The same calculation an MCS installer has to do for permitted development in England and Wales. Run it once for each neighbouring window or door.
From the datasheet or the MCS product database. It must be sound power (Lw), not sound pressure, and not the low noise mode figure.
Hard surfaces within 1m of the unit
A surface only counts if it reaches 1m or more past the unit in at least two directions. Plants don't count.
Straight line from the centre of the unit to a point 1m outside the middle of a habitable room's window or door (bedrooms, living rooms, not bathrooms or utility rooms).
Anything in between?
At the neighbour's window
36.0 dB
Passes: 1.0 dB under the 37.0 dB limit at this position.
Working: 55 + 10 log(4 / (4 x pi x 5.0 x 5.0)) = 36.0 dB(A). Directivity Q4, no barrier credit.
With this unit and siting, anywhere 4.5m or further from the window passes.
Every extra wall within 1m doubles Q and adds 3 dB. Moving the unit away from a corner takes that back off.
England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland still use the old MCS 020 (42 dB with a background noise allowance). Passing the noise test is only one of the permitted development conditions, and this is a guide: your installer's assessment is the one that counts.
1. What heats your home today?
Pick whichever your main heating uses.
Add up last year's bills, or use the typical figure for your home below.
3. What size is your home?
We use this to estimate the size of heat pump you'd need.
4. Do you have solar panels?
Free electricity from your roof cuts what the heat pump costs to run.
5. Your options
Both are on to start with. Leave them on unless you know they don't apply.
Your estimated saving
£407a year
Over 15 years that's around £6,105 off your heating bills.
Now: Gas boiler
£950 / year
With heat pump
£543 / year
You save
£407 / year
What about the upfront cost?
- Heat pump install (DESNZ median for this size)
- £12,200
- Less government grant
- -£7,500
- You pay
- £4,700
- A new gas boiler would cost
- ~£2,750
If your boiler needs replacing anyway, the heat pump costs about £1,950 more upfront (before any radiator upgrades), earned back in roughly 4.8 years from running cost savings. That assumes you have the gas supply disconnected, so you stop paying its standing charge (about £108 a year). Keep gas for cooking and it takes longer. It leaves out a heat pump's dearer servicing.
Like the look of £407 a year?
These are estimates. The only way to know your real saving is a free quote from an MCS-certified installer. Takes about 60 seconds, no obligation.
How we worked this out
Energy prices: Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026 (Direct Debit, GB average): gas 7.97p/kWh, electricity 26.32p/kWh. There is no VAT on domestic electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027; the gas figure includes 5% VAT. Heat pump tariff blended at 20p/kWh (an estimate for Cosy Octopus, E.ON Next Pumped or EDF Heat Pump Tracker on a heat pump load profile, not a quoted rate). Heating oil 11.31p/kWh (111.52p/litre plus 5% VAT, over 10.35 kWh/litre; BoilerJuice UK average, 23 October 2026). LPG at the price you enter (we start from 75p a litre, our estimate: there's no published average).
Heat pump efficiency: a seasonal efficiency of 3.5. That sits between two measured figures: a median of 2.80 across 291 air source heat pumps in the government's Electrification of Heat trial (installed in 2020 and 2021, whole system), and an average of 4.01 across the 307 systems on heatpumpmonitor.org with a full year of data when we checked in October 2026, a self-selected group of air and ground source systems, mostly high temperature capable R290 units. The break-even with a 90% gas boiler on a standard tariff is a SCOP of about 2.97.
Typical bill ranges: for a 3-bed using 9,500 to 10,300 kWh of heat a year (DESNZ's median and mean gas use for 3 bedrooms in England and Wales, through a 90% boiler): gas £950 to £1,000 (with the standing charge, which the saving assumes you stop paying by having the gas supply disconnected), oil £1,250 to £1,350, LPG £1,200 to £1,300 on our LPG price, direct electric heating £2,500 to £2,700. At these prices a unit of heat from oil costs about 1.5 times as much as from gas, and from LPG about 1.4 times, which is why the saving from switching is bigger.
Solar: A 4kW system in central England generates around 3,800 kWh a year on our estimate (950kWh per kW). On the government's SAP 10.2 self-use formula, a typical 3-bed's heat pump uses about 350 kWh of that a year without a battery, and about 510 kWh with one (8 kWh usable). Most of its demand falls in winter, when panels make least, and the calculator works it out for your bill.
Install costs: DESNZ Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics (August 2026), median cost of real installs by size: about £11,500 (4-6kW), £12,200 (6-8kW) and £13,900 (10-12kW). New gas boiler about £2,750 (our estimate). The £7,500 grant is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (gov.uk) for England and Wales; £9,000 for oil or LPG heating with no mains gas connection until March 2027, which this calculator applies when you choose oil or LPG (if you also have a mains gas connection, take that extra off).
Estimates only. Your actual saving depends on the installer, flow temperatures, your home's heat loss and your electricity tariff. Always get a heat loss survey from an MCS installer for an accurate quote.
Bottom line
Our view: for most UK homes with reasonable insulation, fitting a heat pump when the boiler is due is a yes.
Heat pump vs gas boiler at a glance
Heat pump costs are the middle half of real installs (DESNZ, April to June 2026), and the boiler is our estimate. Running costs are our model of a three-bed home (DESNZ's median and mean gas use for 3 bedrooms) at the October 2026 cap, on the standard rate, heat pump at SCOP 3.5. These cover the energy you use, not the fixed daily standing charge. The calculator below adds the gas standing charge you'd stop paying, so it shows a bigger saving. Your numbers will vary by insulation, install and tariff.
| Heat pump | Gas boiler | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | £11,128 to £15,627 | about £2,750 |
| Govt grant (England and Wales) | £7,500 (BUS) | None |
| Net cost after grant | £3,628 to £8,127 | about £2,750 |
| Annual running cost | £710 to £770 | £840 to £910 |
| Lifespan | 15 to 20 yrs | 10 to 15 yrs |
| New builds in England from 24 March 2027 | What the Future Homes Standard is meant to ensure: low carbon heating | Not low carbon |
Work out if a heat pump fits your home
Start here if you're not sure whether one's right for you. These reads cover the basics: how they work, when they shine, when to think twice, and what the coming boiler rules actually mean for existing homes.
Guide
Guide
Ground source heat pumpsMore efficient, far pricier: when it's worth it
Air-to-air heat pumpsAbout £3,700 for a 3-bed semi (Energy Saving Trust), and a £2,500 grant once installers are certified
How noisy are heat pumps?Real dB readings and the 37 dB neighbour rule
My boiler's on its last legs: should I switch?When it makes sense, and when to fit another boiler
The gas boiler ban explainedNew homes from 2027, and what it means for yours
Do heat pumps work in cold weather?UK trial data from the coldest days, and defrost explained
Replacing storage heatersWhat they cost on Economy 7, and the air-to-air route (its £2,500 grant can't be claimed yet)Or skip to your house type
Cost it for your house
Match a system size and budget to your specific home. Costs vary more by heat loss and existing radiators than by brand, so this is where the homework pays off.
Guide
Real running costs from monitored homesData from heatpumpmonitor.org
Should you insulate first?It can mean a smaller, cheaper heat pump
Do you need bigger radiators?How flow temperature changes the maths15-year cost comparison toolHeat pump vs boiler over the long runBest heat pump tariffCosy, EDF and British Gas priced for your home
Servicing and warrantiesWhat a service costs and which warranties need onePick a unit and the kit around it
Once you know roughly what size and budget you're working with, this is where to compare brands, models and the supporting kit (radiators, controls) that decides how well the system actually performs.
Guide
Guide
Best smart thermostats for heat pumpsWeather compensation done properly
Best smart TRVsRoom-by-room control without zoning
Octopus heat pump reviewWhat the Cosy price includes, and when to go independentBrand reviews and head-to-heads
Claim the grant and book an installer
The £7,500 BUS grant is claimed by your installer, not you, so the order is: shortlist installers, get quotes, then they apply for the grant on your behalf. Get at least three quotes, as MCS and the Renewable Energy Consumer Code advise: the middle half of real installs spans £11,128 to £15,627.
Guide
Guide