Installed prices
| System | Typically suits | Installed price |
|---|---|---|
| One room — 2.5kW | Bedroom, home office, small garden office | £1,800 – £2,600 |
| One room — 3.5kW | Living room, loft conversion, larger garden room | £2,200 – £3,000 |
| One large room — 5kW | Kitchen-diner, extension, conservatory | £2,600 – £3,700 |
| Two rooms — multi-split | Two indoor units, one outdoor unit | £3,500 – £5,000 |
| Three rooms — multi-split | For example, loft plus two bedrooms | £4,800 – £6,500 |
These are the same figures as our air conditioning cost guide, because it is the same equipment. That page also lists the extras that can sit on top of a quote, such as scaffolding or a long pipe run.
What it costs to run
A heat pump's heating efficiency is shown as its SCOP. A SCOP of 4 means that over a heating season it delivers about four units of heat for every unit of electricity. Good modern split systems are rated around 4 to 5.
The simple way to compare: divide your electricity price per kWh by the SCOP. At, say, 25p per kWh and a SCOP of 4, each kWh of heat costs around 6p. A modern gas boiler typically works out at roughly 6p to 8p per kWh of heat, depending on your tariff. A plug-in electric heater costs the full 25p. Check your own bill for your actual rates — the comparison holds either way.
In practice, heating a room you use every day with a heat pump costs about the same as gas, and much less than electric heaters. You also get cooling in summer for no extra installation cost.
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Get a fixed priceWhy there's no grant
The government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays towards air-to-water heat pumps that replace a gas or oil boiler and supply radiators and hot water. It has to be claimed by an MCS certified installer. Air-to-air heat pumps are not covered, whoever installs them.
The trade-off is cost: an air-to-air system for one or two rooms is a fraction of the price of an air-to-water system, needs no changes to your radiators or hot water, and is usually fitted in a day.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is there a grant for air-to-air heat pumps?
No. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme only covers air-to-water heat pumps that replace a fossil-fuel heating system, claimed through an MCS certified installer. Air-to-air systems are not eligible from any installer.
Is an air-to-air heat pump cheaper to run than gas?
For the rooms it heats, it's usually in the same range as a modern gas boiler, and sometimes a little cheaper. It depends on your tariffs and on the unit's heating efficiency (SCOP). It is several times cheaper than heating the same room with plug-in electric heaters.
Why are the prices the same as air conditioning?
Because it's the same equipment. Every modern split system heats and cools. The only difference is that for a heating-led job we size the unit for the coldest weather rather than the hottest, and pick models that hold their heating output well in the cold.
What does servicing cost?
Around £90 to £140 a year per system. Most manufacturers make an annual service a condition of the warranty, and a clean unit heats more efficiently.