Heat Pump for a Bungalow
Estimate the Saving for a Bungalow
Pre-set for a typical 3-bed bungalow on gas. Bungalows are usually great heat pump candidates: smaller systems, easy outdoor unit placement, and big roof areas if you want to add solar later.
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
Most homes qualify for both. Leave them on unless you know they don't apply.
Your estimated saving
£230a year
Over 15 years that's around £3,456 off your heating bills.
Now: Gas boiler
£1,300 / year
With heat pump
£1,070 / year
You save
£230 / year
What about the upfront cost?
- Heat pump install (typical)
- £11,000
- Less government grant
- -£7,500
- You pay
- £3,500
- A new gas boiler would cost
- ~£2,750
If your boiler needs replacing anyway, the heat pump costs about £750 more upfront - earned back in roughly 3.3 years from running cost savings.
Like the look of £230 a year?
These are estimates. The only way to know your real saving is a free quote from an MCS-certified installer. Takes 2 minutes, no obligation, no pushy sales calls.
How we worked this out
Energy prices: Ofgem price cap for April-June 2026 (Direct Debit, GB average): gas 5.74p/kWh, electricity 24.67p/kWh. Heat pump tariff blended at 20p/kWh (typical for E.ON Next Pumped, EDF Heat Pump Tracker, Cosy Octopus on a heat pump load profile). Heating oil 11.21p/kWh (116p/litre ÷ 10.35 kWh/litre, April 2026). LPG 11p/kWh midpoint of typical UK domestic range.
Heat pump efficiency:Seasonal performance factor (SCOP) of 3.5. The real-world average across 252 monitored UK heat pumps on heatpumpmonitor.org is 3.87 (January 2026), so we've picked a deliberately conservative figure.
Typical bill ranges: Gas 3-bed £1,000-£1,400, oil £1,500-£2,000, LPG £1,400-£2,200, electric storage heaters £1,500-£2,500 (Uswitch, retrofitplanner.co.uk, Checkatrade 2026). Oil and LPG homes pay roughly twice as much per unit of heat as gas, which is why the saving from switching to a heat pump is bigger.
Solar: A typical UK 4kW system generates around 3,800 kWh/yr. Without a battery the heat pump can self-consume around 1,000 kWh of that; with a battery shifting midday surplus into morning and evening, around 1,700 kWh.
Install costs: Energy Saving Trust 2026 typical range £10,000-£13,000 by home size. New gas boiler ~£2,750 (UK average, Checkatrade 2026). The £7,500 grant is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (gov.uk) for England and Wales.
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.
Heat Pumps in Bungalows: Quietly One of the Best Combinations Going
Bungalows don't get enough credit. If you're the owner of a bungalow and you're thinking about a heat pump, possibly combined with solar panels, you might be sitting on one of the best setups in UK residential energy. Let's explain why.
Why Bungalows Work So Well
Single-storey living has real advantages when it comes to heat pumps:
- Lower wall-to-floor ratio: one storey means less vertical wall area per square metre of floor. Less wall = less heat loss through walls.
- Simple pipe runs: in a bungalow, everything is on one level. The heat pump, the hot water cylinder, the radiators, all easy to connect without long runs up through the house.
- Garden access: almost every bungalow has a decent garden or side space for the outdoor unit.
- Large roof area: a bungalow's roof covers the entire footprint of the house. That's a lot of south-facing roof space for solar panels.
Typical Heat Loss and System Size
A typical 2–3 bedroom bungalow (say, 80–110m²) with decent insulation loses around 8,000–12,000 kWh of heat per year. If the cavity walls haven't been filled or the loft insulation is thin, add a bit more.
After basic insulation work, most bungalows are well served by a 5–8kW heat pump. These are among the smaller, more affordable systems available. Smaller systems are quieter, simpler to install, and cheaper to run. You don't need a big system to heat a bungalow well.
Insulation: Usually Straightforward
Many bungalows from the 1960s and 1970s have cavity walls, easy and cheap to fill. Loft insulation is straightforward because you're not navigating floor joists on multiple levels. A typical bungalow insulation package:
- Cavity wall insulation: £450–900
- Loft insulation (if needed): £400–700
That's under £1,600 to make a meaningful dent in your heat loss. Worth doing before installation.
Comfort: Something Worth Mentioning
A lot of bungalows are owned and lived in by older residents (people who've retired, who spend more time at home,, and who value consistent, comfortable warmth). Heat pumps deliver exactly that. Unlike a gas boiler that blasts hot air through the radiators and then shuts off, a heat pump runs for longer at lower temperatures, keeping the house at a steady, even warmth all day. No cold patches, no cycling on and off. Just consistent comfort.
For people who feel the cold or who are home all day, this is a genuinely noticeable improvement to daily life. It's not just about the bills.
The Heat Pump + Solar Combination
This is where bungalows really shine. That large, flat, unobstructed roof is ideal for solar panels. A typical bungalow can fit 10–14 solar panels (3–4kWp system), generating 3,000–4,000 kWh of electricity per year.
Why does this matter for a heat pump? Because a heat pump runs on electricity. If you generate your own, you effectively get free heating during sunny hours. In spring and autumn, when you still need some heating but there's plenty of sun, the combination works brilliantly. Run the heat pump during the day when the solar panels are generating; store heat in the hot water cylinder rather than exporting it.
Add a battery storage system and you can store surplus solar generation for the evening and overnight. The economics of heat pump + solar + battery in a bungalow are genuinely compelling.
What It Costs
| Item | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Cavity wall insulation | £450–900 |
| Loft insulation | £400–700 |
| Air source heat pump (5–8kW, installed) | £7,000–10,000 |
| Total before grant | £7,850–11,600 |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant | −£7,500 |
| Net cost after grant | £350–4,100 |
That lower end is real. A smaller bungalow with cavity walls already filled, needing a modest 5–6kW system, can come in at well under £2,000 after the grant. That's an extraordinary deal for a heating system that will last 20+ years and dramatically cuts your running costs.
Adding Solar on Top
| Item | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Solar panel system (10–14 panels, 3–4kWp) | £5,000–7,500 |
| Solar battery (5–10kWh) | £2,500–5,000 |
| Heat pump + solar + battery (all in, after BUS grant) | £8,000–16,600 |
That sounds like a lot. But you're looking at near-zero running costs on sunny days, massively reduced bills year-round, and a home that's essentially future-proofed for the next two decades. Many bungalow owners find the whole-system payback within 8–12 years, and everything after that is profit.
Running Costs
A bungalow with good insulation and a properly sized heat pump typically costs £600–900 per year for heating and hot water. Add solar panels and that drops further. In summer months you may effectively heat your hot water for free. Annual heating and hot water costs of £400–600 are achievable with a well-optimised heat pump and solar setup.
Getting Started
- Book a heat loss survey with an MCS-certified installer. They'll confirm system size and whether any insulation work is needed first
- Get cavity walls and loft insulation sorted if they haven't been done
- Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant through your installer. They handle the paperwork
- Get solar quotes at the same time. Many energy companies offer combined packages, and the roof survey is the same visit
Ready to fit one in your bungalow?
Bungalows are one of the best homes for heat pumps. Get free quotes from MCS-certified installers.
More reading: Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide | Solar panel costs in the UK | Is solar battery storage worth it? | Heat pump running costs