A fully installed air source heat pump in the UK typically costs around £12,000 before any grant, with most jobs landing between £8,000 and £14,000 depending on the property (Energy Saving Trust, 2025). After the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, the figure a homeowner actually pays often falls to somewhere near a new gas boiler.
This guide breaks the number down the way a good quote should: equipment, cylinder, emitters, labour and the grant. It is written so installers can explain the price with confidence and homeowners can see where their money goes. The headline figure hides a lot of variation, and the detail is where trust is won or lost.
Key Takeaways
- A typical UK air source heat pump costs around £12,000 installed before grants, usually £8,000 to £14,000.
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 in England and Wales, rising to £9,000 for off-gas homes replacing oil or LPG until 31 March 2027.
- Running costs sit near £787 a year for a three-bedroom home, roughly £14 a year more than a new A-rated gas boiler.
- Radiator upgrades, cylinder size and heat loss drive most of the price difference between quotes.
- MCS recorded 57,918 certified heat pump installations in 2024, up 75% on 2023, so competitive quoting matters more than ever.
How much does an air source heat pump cost in the UK?
An air source heat pump costs around £12,000 installed on average, with a realistic spread of £8,000 to £14,000 before the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant is applied (EDF, 2026). The final number depends on the heat pump size, the cylinder, how many radiators need changing, and the complexity of the pipework.
For a typical three-bedroom semi, a 6 to 8 kW unit with a hot water cylinder and a handful of radiator upgrades usually falls between £9,000 and £12,000 before grant (Heatable, 2026). That is the band most domestic quotes will sit in, and it is the number to sense-check any outlier against.
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 often less than half the total. The rest is the system around it, which is why two homes with the same heat pump can receive very different prices.
The table below shows a typical breakdown for a mid-size domestic job. Treat it as a starting point, because heat loss and the existing system change every line. A clear itemised quote also helps the homeowner understand why the cheapest number is rarely the best value.
- Heat pump unit: Typical share of a domestic job: Around 35 to 45 percent
- Hot water cylinder: Typical share of a domestic job: Around 10 to 15 percent
- Radiator or emitter upgrades: Typical share of a domestic job: Around 10 to 20 percent
- Pipework, controls and electrical: Typical share of a domestic job: Around 10 to 15 percent
- Labour, design and commissioning: Typical share of a domestic job: Around 15 to 25 percent
How much is a heat pump after the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards an air source heat pump in England and Wales, taken off the installed price so the homeowner never handles the money (UK Home Energy, 2026). After the grant, many homeowners pay between £500 and £6,500, which puts a heat pump within reach of a straight boiler replacement for well-matched properties.
Since 21 July 2026, off-gas-grid homes in England and Wales replacing oil or LPG heating can claim £9,000, with that uplift running until 31 March 2027 (UKEM, 2026). The wider scheme has been funded through to 2030, so the grant is no longer the short-term gamble it once looked. As the MCS-registered installer, you apply for the grant on the customer's behalf, which is a selling point worth stating plainly.
Air source heat pump cost by property size
Cost scales with heat demand, not floor area alone, but property size is a useful proxy for a first conversation. A well-insulated flat needs a smaller unit and fewer emitter changes than a draughty detached house, and the quote reflects that. The band below is before grant.
- 1 to 2 bed flat or small house: Typical unit: 4 to 6 kW; Indicative cost before grant: £7,000 to £10,000
- 3 bed semi: Typical unit: 6 to 8 kW; Indicative cost before grant: £9,000 to £12,000
- 4 bed detached: Typical unit: 8 to 12 kW; Indicative cost before grant: £11,000 to £16,000
- Large or poorly insulated home: Typical unit: 12 kW plus; Indicative cost before grant: £14,000 upwards
Accurate sizing depends on a proper heat loss calculation, not a rule of thumb. Oversizing wastes money and hurts efficiency, while undersizing leaves the home cold on the coldest days. This is the single most important survey step, and it feeds directly into the emitter schedule that drives the rest of the cost.
What affects the cost of an air source heat pump?
Four factors move the price more than anything else: the heat pump size set by the heat pump sizing calculation, 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 sits at the heart of an honest quote. Where a home already suits underfloor heating, the running-cost picture improves further, though the install cost can rise. 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 always sit at the upper end of its band.
How much does an air source heat pump cost to run?
Running a well-designed air source heat pump costs around £787 a year for a typical three-bedroom home, or roughly £80 a month (The Eco Experts, 2025). The exact figure depends on the tariff, the building fabric and, above all, the system efficiency measured as SCOP.
The Energy Saving Trust puts the comparison in perspective: a heat pump costs about £14 a year more to run than a new A-rated gas boiler, but around £340 less than an old G-rated one (Energy Saving Trust, 2025). The gap swings heavily in the heat pump's favour on a dedicated heat pump tariff, and a higher SCOP is what turns a fair running cost into a good one. Design quality, not the brand on the box, decides where a home lands.
Air source heat pump value: payback and worth
For the right property, an air source heat pump is worth it, and the market agrees: MCS recorded 57,918 certified installations in 2024, up 75% on the 32,927 set in 2023 (pv magazine, 2025). The UK has now passed 250,000 all-time certified heat pump installations, and the first half of 2025 added roughly 30,000 more, a 12% rise on the year before (MCS, 2025).
Payback is not the whole story, because a heat pump also lifts EPC ratings and future-proofs a home against tightening rules such as the Warm Homes Plan. For a home on oil claiming the £9,000 grant, the sums can be compelling today, because the grant covers a large share of the install and the running-cost gap against oil is wide. For a home on cheap mains gas with tiny radiators, the honest answer may be to improve the fabric first, and saying so builds long-term trust rather than chasing a sale that will disappoint.
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. The strongest quotes explain why a particular unit size and radiator schedule were chosen.
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 it protects your margin. Software like Reonic helps installers turn a survey into a clear, itemised heat pump quote quickly, so the paperwork keeps pace with demand.
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 most jobs between £8,000 and £14,000. After the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, many homeowners pay between £500 and £6,500. The final figure depends on the unit size, cylinder, radiator upgrades and pipework complexity, all of which the heat loss survey determines.
Is the £7,500 heat pump grant still available?
Yes. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards an air source heat pump in England and Wales and has been funded through to 2030. Off-gas-grid homes replacing oil or LPG can claim £9,000 until 31 March 2027. The MCS-registered installer applies for the grant, and it is deducted from the installed price.
How much does an air source heat pump cost to run per year?
Running costs sit near £787 a year for a typical three-bedroom home, around £80 a month. The real driver is efficiency: a higher SCOP and a heat pump tariff push the annual cost down. The Energy Saving Trust estimates a heat pump costs about £14 a year more than a new A-rated gas boiler, but far less than an old boiler.
Why are some heat pump quotes so much cheaper?
Usually because they leave something out, most often radiator upgrades or a proper heat loss calculation. A cheap quote that keeps undersized radiators will run at a high flow temperature, which pushes up bills and can leave rooms cold. Always compare quotes line by line, and be wary of any that skip the survey.
Does an air source heat pump add value to a home?
A heat pump improves the EPC rating and removes reliance on fossil-fuel heating, which is increasingly relevant as rules tighten around minimum efficiency standards. 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 a practical necessity rather than a luxury.
A credible air source heat pump price always traces back to the same root: a proper heat loss survey feeding an honest emitter and cylinder schedule. Get that right and the £12,000 headline becomes a defensible, itemised quote the customer can trust, whether they pay it in full or after the grant.
