A fully installed air source heat pump in the UK typically costs around £12,000 before any grant (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). After the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, many homeowners pay between £500 and £6,500, which brings a heat pump close to the price of a new boiler for a well-matched home.
This guide breaks the number down the way a good quote should: equipment, cylinder, emitters, labour and grant. It is written so installers can explain the price with confidence and homeowners can see where their money goes.
Key Takeaways
- A typical UK air source heat pump costs around £12,000 installed before grants, and sizing bands run from about £7,000 for a small flat to £13,000 for a large detached home (Heatable, 2026).
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 in England and Wales, rising to £9,000 for eligible off-gas homes until 31 March 2027, and £2,500 for air-to-air units (Ofgem, 2026).
- Ofgem paid £233.1 million in grants for 31,104 low-carbon heating systems in scheme year 4, from 45,880 applications, up 19% on the year before (Ofgem, 2026).
- Whether a heat pump beats gas on running cost depends on efficiency: at a SCOP of 4.0 it is around £322 a year cheaper in Heat Geek's October 2026 example (Heat Geek, 2026).
- Radiator upgrades, cylinder size and heat loss drive most of the price gap between quotes, so a line-by-line comparison matters more than the headline number.
How much does an air source heat pump cost in the UK?
An air source heat pump costs around £12,000 installed in the UK, before any grant is deducted (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). Most domestic jobs land in a band of roughly £7,000 to £13,000, and the final price depends on the unit size, the cylinder, how many radiators change and how awkward the pipework is.
For a three-bedroom semi, Heatable puts the installed cost at £8,000 to £11,000 before grant (2026). That is the band most domestic quotes should sit in, and it is the number to sense-check any outlier against, whether the quote is cheap or expensive.
What does an air source heat pump quote include?
A complete quote covers the heat pump unit, a hot water cylinder, emitter upgrades, controls, pipework, electrical work and labour, plus commissioning and MCS certification. The heat pump itself is usually well under half the total. The rest is the system around it, which is why two homes with the same unit can receive very different prices.
A clear itemised quote also helps the homeowner see why the cheapest number is rarely the best value. If a quote does not name the cylinder, the radiator schedule and the heat loss calculation, those items are probably missing rather than free, and they tend to reappear as extras once the job starts.
Itemising also protects the installer. When the homeowner can see the unit, cylinder, emitters, controls and labour as separate lines, a request to drop a line becomes a conversation about performance rather than a discount negotiation, and the design stays intact.
How much is a heat pump after the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards an air-to-water heat pump in England and Wales, deducted upfront from the installer's quote (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). Heatable's guide prices put the net cost at £500 to £3,500 for a three-bedroom semi, so the grant can cover most of the bill.
Off-gas homes replacing oil or LPG can claim £9,000 from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, and air-to-air heat pumps are eligible for £2,500 in residential properties (Ofgem, 2026). The applicant must own the property and replace a fossil fuel or direct electric system, and a home that already has a heat pump is not eligible. For air-to-air detail, see our air-to-air heat pump grant guide.
The installer applies for the voucher on the customer's behalf. MCS said in September 2026 that DESNZ recognised the redeveloped installer scheme's consumer protection as a Code of Practice for the grant in June 2026, and that current installers have until 31 March 2027 to move over (Heat Pumps & Renewables, 2026). Confirm your own consumer protection route with your certification body before quoting.
Air source heat pump cost by property size
Property size is a useful proxy for a first price conversation, although heat loss rather than floor area sets the real number. The guide prices below come from Heatable (2026) and assume the £7,500 grant in England and Wales.
- 1 to 2 bed flat or small terrace: Installed cost: £7,000 to £9,000; Cost after grant: £0 to £1,500
- 3 bed semi: Installed cost: £8,000 to £11,000; Cost after grant: £500 to £3,500
- 4 bed or larger detached: Installed cost: £10,000 to £13,000; Cost after grant: £2,500 to £5,500
Accurate sizing depends on a proper heat loss calculation, not a rule of thumb. Oversizing wastes money and hurts efficiency, while undersizing leaves rooms cold on the coldest days. Our heat pump sizing guide covers the method.
What affects the cost of an air source heat pump?
Four factors move the price more than anything else: the unit size, the number of radiators that must be upsized, the hot water cylinder, and the difficulty of the pipe runs. A home that already has generous radiators and a modern cylinder can be surprisingly cheap to convert.
Emitters are the quiet cost driver. Heat pumps run at lower flow temperatures than boilers, so radiators often need to be larger, which is why radiator sizing for heat pumps sits at the heart of an honest quote. Fabric condition, existing pipework and electrical capacity round out the variables, and a home that needs a supply upgrade or extensive first-fix pipework will sit at the top of its band.
Site access adds cost too. Tight plant spaces, long outdoor pipe runs, a cylinder that must move to a new location and the need to protect existing flooring all add labour hours. A thorough survey photographs these points so the quote reflects them before work begins, not after.
How much does an air source heat pump cost to run?
Running cost depends on the tariff and the system efficiency. Ofgem's price cap from 1 October to 31 December 2026 sets electricity at 26.32p per kWh and gas at 7.97p per kWh (Uswitch, 2026), so electricity costs about 3.3 times as much as gas per kWh.
A heat pump only beats gas when its efficiency exceeds that ratio. In Heat Geek's October 2026 example, a three-bedroom semi with 11,500 kWh of heat demand costs about £757 a year at a SCOP of 4.0, against about £1,079 for an 85% efficient gas boiler (Heat Geek, 2026). The figures are the firm's own illustrative calculation, not Ofgem data.
Other sources land closer together. EDF estimates about £782 a year for a heat pump and £664 for a new gas boiler in a three-bedroom home using 9,500 kWh (EDF, 2026). The gap swings on design quality, so a higher SCOP is what turns a fair running cost into a good one. See our SCOP heat pump guide and the heat pump vs gas boiler running cost comparison.
Is an air source heat pump worth the cost?
For the right property it is, and customers who have one tend to agree: MCS found a 95% installation satisfaction rate among Boiler Upgrade Scheme customers (MCS, 2026). The market is cooling slightly, though, with just over 25,000 certified heat pump installations in the first half of 2026, down 17% on the same period in 2025.
About three quarters of installations were funded by schemes and incentives such as the grant (MCS, 2026), which shows how much demand still depends on the subsidy. Ofgem reports 97.6% of grants paid since launch went to air source heat pumps (Ofgem, 2026).
Payback is not the whole story, because a heat pump also lifts EPC ratings and prepares a home for tightening rules such as the Warm Homes Plan. For a home on oil claiming the £9,000 grant, the sums can be compelling today. For a home on cheap mains gas with undersized radiators, the honest answer may be to improve the fabric first, and saying so builds trust rather than a sale that disappoints.
How should installers quote an air source heat pump?
Quote from a heat loss survey, itemise every line, and show the grant as a separate deduction so the customer sees both the true cost and the net figure. Vague lump sums invite price shopping, while a clear breakdown lets you compete on value rather than headline price.
Give two options where sensible, such as a lower-cost package that keeps most radiators and a premium package that optimises every room for efficiency. This lets the homeowner choose and protects your margin. Explain why a particular unit size and radiator schedule were chosen, because that reasoning is what separates a trusted quote from a cheap one.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an air source heat pump cost in 2026?
A typical UK air source heat pump costs around £12,000 installed before grants, with guide prices from about £7,000 for a small flat to £13,000 for a large detached home. After the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, a three-bedroom semi often nets out at £500 to £3,500. Heat loss, cylinder and radiator upgrades set the final figure.
Is the £7,500 heat pump grant still available?
Yes. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 for an air-to-water heat pump in England and Wales. Eligible off-gas homes can claim £9,000 until 31 March 2027, and air-to-air units can claim £2,500. The MCS-certified installer applies for the voucher and the grant is deducted from the quote.
How much does an air source heat pump cost to run per year?
Published estimates for a three-bedroom home range from about £740 to £790 a year at typical efficiency, and a higher SCOP lowers it. Gas costs 7.97p per kWh and electricity 26.32p per kWh under the October 2026 price cap, so efficiency decides whether a heat pump beats a boiler.
Why are some heat pump quotes so much cheaper?
Usually because something is left out, most often radiator upgrades or a proper heat loss calculation. Undersized radiators force a higher flow temperature, which raises bills and can leave rooms cold. Compare quotes line by line and be wary of any quote that skips the survey.
Does an air source heat pump add value to a home?
It improves the EPC rating and removes reliance on fossil fuel heating, which matters as efficiency rules tighten. It is not a guaranteed uplift to sale price, but it lowers running costs and future-proofs the property. For landlords facing EPC targets, that combination is becoming practical rather than optional.
A credible heat pump price always traces back to a heat loss survey feeding an honest emitter and cylinder schedule. Installers who want to turn that survey into a clear, itemised quote quickly can do so with Reonic.
