What will an air source heat pump cost?
A starting figure before you call an installer. Pick your property size, the radiator work the changeover needs and your region — and we give you an indicative UK installed price range, net of the £7,500 government grant, with the usual extras broken out. A budget to plan around before the quotes come in. Free, no sign-up.
A guide, not a quote. The ranges are typical 2025/26 UK installed prices — the heat pump, a hot-water cylinder, the install and labour, inclusive of the reduced 0% VAT that runs to 2027 — drawn from published industry averages. They exclude any major insulation upgrades, three-phase supply work, or a full central-heating replacement beyond the emitters. The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant (England & Wales) is shown when you tick it; Scotland's scheme differs. Every home is different: the only real number is an MCS heat-loss survey and a written quote, and you should get at least three. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The grant closes the gap; the radiators decide the comfort.
A heat pump costs more up front than a boiler — but the grant closes much of the gap. A like-for-like gas boiler swap is a few thousand pounds; an air source heat pump is a bigger system with more to fit. The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant takes a large chunk straight off the bill for eligible homes in England and Wales, which is why the net figure above can land close to a premium boiler install.
Radiators and flow temperature are the make-or-break. A heat pump heats your water to a lower temperature than a gas boiler, so each radiator gives out less heat. To keep the house as warm, some radiators usually need upsizing — or you move to underfloor heating. Skimp here and the home feels cold and the running cost climbs; get it right and a heat pump is quiet, even and comfortable.
Insulation comes first. The better insulated the home, the smaller the heat pump can be, the less emitter work it needs, and the cheaper it is to run. Loft and cavity insulation, draught-proofing and decent glazing all shrink the heat loss the pump has to cover — often the best money you can spend before fitting one.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme — and Scotland's alternative. In England and Wales the grant is £7,500 off an air source heat pump, claimed by an MCS-certified installer who discounts your bill; you need a valid EPC with no outstanding insulation recommendations. Scotland isn't part of the scheme — Home Energy Scotland offers its own grant plus an interest-free loan instead.
It all rests on an MCS heat-loss survey. A heat pump must be sized from a proper room-by-room heat-loss calculation, not a rule of thumb. An oversized unit short-cycles and costs more to run; an undersized one can't keep up. That survey also sets which radiators must change — so it's the single most important number, and it's required for the grant.
Keep your heat pump's details in one place.
Stead holds the install date, the MCS certificate, the grant paperwork and the service schedule alongside the rest of your home's record — so the warranty doesn't lapse, and everything's to hand for a service or a sale.