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Install a heat pump for less with the BUS grant
Increase the value of your home by installing a heat pump
Air source heat pumps extract heat from the outside air to provide plenty of heating and hot water across your home. They are relatively simple to install, since they can operate within an existing central heating system or underfloor heating system in the place of a boiler, for example.
But how much do these renewable heating systems cost? In this article, we'll break all that down: from the supply and the installation to the maintenance costs.
Not only that, but we can also support you in getting a new air source heat pump installed. We can save you hours of time by directly connecting you with up to 4 of the top-rated heat pump installers in your area. Compare their tailored quotes and get the best deal possible.
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Air source heat pumps in the UK cost between £4,000 – £12,500, mostly depending on the type of system you go for. Air-to-air heat pumps cost between £4,000 – £9,500, whereas air-to-water heat pumps cost between £8,250 – £15,500.
How much an air source heat pump costs for your home will depend on its size, as this decides the size of heat pump you need. Take a closer look using the table below.
Type | Size | 1-2 bedrooms | 3-4 bedrooms | 5-6 bedrooms |
---|---|---|---|---|
Air-to-air heat pump | 7.5kW | £4,000 | N/A | N/A |
9.5kW | N/A | £7,000 | N/A | |
11.5kW | N/A | N/A | £9,500 | |
Air-to-water heat pump | 4kW | £8,000 | £10,500 | N/A |
6kW | £8,500 | £11,000 | N/A | |
8kW | N/A | £11,500 | £14,500 | |
10kW | N/A | £12,500 | £15,000 | |
13kW | N/A | £13,000 | £16,000 | |
16kW | N/A | £13,500 | £16,500 |
Air to air heat pumps are considerably more affordable than air to water systems because they only provide heating and cooling, but not hot water.
However, there are some other heat pumps available that can provide both heating and hot water to your home. These include ground source heat pumps, which extract energy from the ground, and hybrid heat pumps, which combine with a traditional boiler to provide more consistent year-round heating and cooling.
The table below compares the costs you can expect for each of these heat pump types.
Type | House size | Size | Average total |
---|---|---|---|
Air to water heat pump | 1 – 2 beds | 4 – 6kW | £8,250 |
3 – 4 beds | 4 – 16kW | £12,000 | |
5 – 6 beds | 8 – 16kW | £15,500 | |
Ground source heat pump | 1 – 2 beds | 3 – 6kW | £13,000 |
3 – 4 beds | 6 – 16kW | £21,000 | |
5 – 6 beds | 8 – 16kW | £25,000 | |
Hybrid heat pump | 1 – 2 beds | 5 – 8kW | £8,000 |
3 – 4 beds | 5 – 11kW | £9,000 | |
5 – 6 beds | 8 – 11kW | £10,250 |
Heat pump costs include associated installation and ancillary costs. GSHP costs do not include borehole costs, which can go up to nearly £40,000, depending on the nature of the project. Hybrid heat pump costs do not include potential boiler replacement costs.
With the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, homeowners in England and Wales can receive up to £7,500 to install an air source heat pump.
Those eligible for the BUS grant must :
Your installer will make the application on your behalf. Once approved, the grant amount is deducted from the overall installation cost
According to our estimations, an air source heat pump with a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 3 will cost between £830 – £1,600 to run per year. COPs go up to 5, which equates to higher efficiency and, therefore, lower operating costs. Before we explain how these costs are made up, take a look at the table below for a breakdown of these costs:
House size | Annual average demand | Average total |
---|---|---|
1 – 2 beds | 7,312.5 kWh | £830 |
3 – 4 beds | 11,212.5 kWh | £1,150 |
5 – 6 beds | 16,575kWh | £1,600 |
As the table shows, one of the main factors that decide your heat pump's running costs is your heating demand, with larger homes naturally consuming more heating energy per year.
However, some other factors can also influence running costs, including:
An air source heat pump installation takes 2 to 5 days and costs £1,200 – £3,500, not including labour costs. The table below breaks down these costs according to your home's size.
Type of property | Size / capacity | Installation cost (average) |
---|---|---|
1 – 2 bedrooms | 4 – 6 kW | £1,200 |
3 – 4 bedrooms | 4 – 16 kW | £2,400 |
5 – 6 bedrooms | 8 – 16 kW | £3,500 |
Good to know! Your installer will assess your home before proceeding with the installation to prepare you for the scale of the project and associated costs.
Some key factors that influence your heat pump installation costs include:
You can expect annual maintenance costs between £120 – £245, as shown below.
Minimum costs | Default costs | Maximum costs |
---|---|---|
£120 | £180 | £245 |
Once your heat pump is installed, it won't require much maintenance besides some routine checks 1 – 2 times a year. Whether you pay the minimum or maximum amount depends on the extent of the service checks necessary.
These checks ensure that your heat pump is running as it should be and as efficiently as possible. It can also identify potential issues early to avoid costly repairs down the line.
Now that you have a sense of how much a heat pump installation costs to buy and install, the next stage is to seek out a qualified installer to get the job done. While you could spend hours researching options on the Internet, we have a better way. Use our free quotes service to compare tailored quotes from 4 of the best installers in your area.
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You can save significant amounts of money on your electricity bills with an air source heat pump, upwards of £1,000 per year in some cases. The level of savings depends on the state of the existing heating system that you're replacing, as the graph below shows.
Source: Energy Savings Trust
While air source heat pumps are quite the investment, they are highly efficient. With a COP of 3 to 5, they can produce 3 –5 units of heat energy for every unit of electricity consumed. This makes way for some substantial savings per year.
The highest savings will be made from replacing an old electric storage heater since these are energy-intensive and inefficient to run. Most homes, fitted with a gas boiler, can expect savings up to £280. If your boiler is still fairly new, then you could make a small loss of -£55 per year. In this case, you may prefer to hold on to your current boiler until it reaches the end of its life and becomes more expensive to run.
The main factor that influences the costs of your air source heat pump is the type. While air-to-air systems run lower in price, remember that these systems only provide space heating, rather than combining heating and hot water, as with air-to-water systems.
For water heating replacement, you will need a dedicated system to run alongside your air-to-air heat pump, such as a boiler or hot water heater.
Compared to other heat pump systems, air-to-water heat pumps stand as the most affordable option. Considering the unit alone, ground source heat pump costs are already considerably higher than air source heat pumps before you bring in additional digging costs.
A hybrid heat pump is more affordable; however, you may have to fork out for a boiler on top of the heat pump costs, which will likely surpass the air source heat pump costs.
Some other factors include:
With a new air source heat pump, you can expect to make energy bill savings once your heat pump is up and running. Not only that, but these renewable heating systems are also drastically better for the environment than a traditional fossil-fuelled heating system.
However, considering the substantial costs associated with obtaining and installing a new air source heat pump, you may question whether it's worth the investment. This is where government schemes like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme can help since the upfront costs are reduced by £7,500.
Not only that, but our handy service is a great way to secure a good deal with a trustworthy installer. In one place, you can make contact with up to 4 heat pump installers and compare their tailored offers. This saves you from wasting hours of time looking for installers by yourself. All of the installers in our network have been carefully vetted and matched to your needs.
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Based on the current cost of electricity in the UK, an air source heat pump is likely to cost between £830 – £1,600 to run, depending on the size of your home and your energy demands.
Including supply and installation costs, an air source heat pump will cost £7,000 – £13,500 for the average 3 – 4 bedroom home in the UK.
Air source heat pumps with an average COP of 3 are marginally cheaper to run compared to a G-rated gas boiler. However, a newer, A-rated model will like be cheaper to run than an air source heat pump.
Ciaran is a content writer at WhatCost. He has become an expert in energy saving and eco-conscious living which he uses to create informative content for WhatCost readers.