Heat pumps in the UK: Compare the whole installation before the unit price

Start with the building, the heating requirement and the scope of installation before comparing equipment prices.

A heat-pump quotation is easier to assess when the questions about the property have been answered. Prepare a building file and ask installers to explain the assumptions behind their designs.

Check the advice for your part of the UK

Energy Saving Trust describes how an air-source heat pump transfers heat from outside air into water for a heating system. Use its household guidance to prepare questions about your property. For grants and permissions, check the rules for the relevant nation and location; this article does not apply an offer in Scotland to England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Energy Saving Trust: Air-source heat pumps.

Prepare for a building assessment

Collect recent energy bills, floor plans and details of previous improvements. Add photographs of existing radiators and note rooms that are difficult to heat. Describe what you have observed rather than supplying a technical diagnosis. Ask how the required heating capacity will be calculated.

Tell the assessor about planned insulation, windows or other changes. Ask how these plans affect the proposed design. Discuss equipment location, pipe routes, hot water requirements and any permissions relevant to your property before approving the work.

Compare the same scope of work

Use one checklist for every quotation: removal of the old system, installation, electrical work, changes to emitters, commissioning and user instruction. Ask which costs remain provisional. Only include financial support in a budget after checking the rules applying to the specific project.

Ask the installer to price the same scope in pounds and state any work still provisional. Do not deduct a hoped-for grant from the budget until the relevant scheme has confirmed how your project would qualify. No grant amount or application deadline is quoted here.

Sources and date

• Energy Saving Trust: Air-source heat pumps

Research checked on 5 November 2026.

Transparency: This article was researched and written with AI assistance. Net Trends did not perform product tests. Numerical examples use explicitly assumed inputs and are not current offers.