Cost Guide · Updated August 2026
Air Source Heat Pump Cost UK 2026: Installed Price Guide
How much does an air source heat pump cost in 2026? Typical installed prices run £8,000–£14,000 for a 3-bed semi and £12,000–£18,000 for a 4-bed detached. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) takes £7,500 off the bill, dropping net cost to around £4,500–£10,500 for most homes. This guide covers cost by property size, ASHP type, and what a full quote should include.
Get Free Quotes →Air Source Heat Pump Cost — UK 2026
| Property | Heat Pump Size | Gross Installed | Net After BUS Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat / small terrace | 5–6 kW | £7,000–£10,500 | £0–£3,000 |
| 2-bed terrace | 6–8 kW | £8,000–£12,000 | £500–£4,500 |
| 3-bed semi | 8–10 kW | £8,000–£14,000 | £500–£6,500 |
| 4-bed detached | 10–14 kW | £12,000–£18,000 | £4,500–£10,500 |
| Large detached | 14–16 kW | £15,000–£22,000 | £7,500–£14,500 |
| Hybrid (ASHP + gas) | 5–8 kW | £6,500–£11,000 | Not eligible for BUS |
Prices include the heat pump unit, hot water cylinder, indoor controls, pipework, commissioning, MCS certification and VAT. Radiator upgrades and electrical works are quoted separately (see breakdown below).
Monobloc systems (single outdoor unit, refrigerant stays outside) are most common in UK retrofits. Split systems require an F-Gas registered engineer and add £1,000–£2,000.
Last reviewed 12 August 2026. Net prices assume the £7,500 BUS grant has been deducted from the gross installed cost.
£7,500 BUS Grant in 2026
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives every English & Welsh homeowner a £7,500 grant towards an air source heat pump (and £7,500 for ground source). Your MCS-certified installer applies on your behalf and the discount comes off the quoted price — you never see the cash. The scheme is open until at least 2028. Scotland has equivalent Home Energy Scotland grants.
The £7,500 BUS Grant and 0% VAT in 2026
Two government incentives cut the cost of an air source heat pump in 2026, and both are applied before you see the final bill. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) pays a £7,500 grant towards an air source heat pump — the same £7,500 applies to ground source — for owner-occupied and privately rented homes in England and Wales. Your installer claims it on your behalf and the grant is deducted from the quoted price, so you never handle the cash. The scheme is funded to at least 2028, and Scotland runs equivalent Home Energy Scotland grants and interest-free loans.
On top of the grant, heat pump installations carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027 under the energy-saving materials relief, after which the rate is due to return to 5%. On a typical £10,000–£14,000 install that zero rate is worth several hundred to over a thousand pounds — a saving that disappears if the work slips past the deadline.
A key 2026 change: the old requirement to clear any outstanding loft or cavity-wall insulation recommendations on your EPC before claiming the grant was removed at the end of April 2026. You no longer need to fix insulation first to qualify, though a well-insulated home still runs a heat pump far more cheaply. Full eligibility rules are on the gov.uk Boiler Upgrade Scheme pages. To claim, the firm doing the work must be MCS-certified — check any quoted company against the MCS certified installer database before you sign. For every grant available see our heat pump grants guide, and if you are pairing the pump with wet underfloor heating our underfloor heating cost guide covers that add-on.
What an Air Source Heat Pump Quote Should Cover
Equipment (~55% of gross)
- Outdoor heat pump unit — £3,500–£7,500 (Mitsubishi Ecodan, Vaillant aroTHERM, Daikin Altherma, Samsung EHS)
- Hot water cylinder (180–300L) — £900–£1,800 (unvented, pre-plumbed for ASHP)
- Buffer tank (if required) — £350–£700
- Smart controls / weather compensation — £250–£600
- Antifreeze valve & system filling — £100–£200
Labour & Works (~45% of gross)
- MCS-certified installer labour — £2,000–£4,500 (3–5 days on site)
- Heat-loss survey & MCS design — £400–£900 (mandatory for the grant)
- Radiator upgrades — £80–£250 per radiator (low-flow ASHP often needs larger emitters)
- Electrical works & consumer unit — £400–£900 (new dedicated circuit, often 32A)
- Pipework & refrigerant connection — £350–£800
- Building Regs notification & commissioning paperwork — included in MCS certification
Tip: insist on a full MCS heat-loss survey before signing. Undersized heat pumps cost more to run; oversized ones cycle and fail early. Reputable installers will refuse to quote without one.
ASHP vs Gas Boiler — 2026 Running Costs
| System | 3-Bed Semi Annual | 4-Bed Detached Annual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas boiler (A-rated combi) | £1,100–£1,450 | £1,500–£2,100 | Based on 24p/kWh gas cap, Apr 2026 |
| Heat pump (well-insulated home, SCOP ≥3.5) | £900–£1,250 | £1,250–£1,750 | Based on 28p/kWh elec cap, heat pump tariff |
| Heat pump (poor insulation, SCOP ~2.5) | £1,400–£1,800 | £1,950–£2,600 | Why a heat-loss survey matters |
| Cosy Octopus / specialist tariff | £650–£950 | £950–£1,400 | Time-of-use tariffs designed for heat pumps |
Real-world savings depend on insulation, radiator sizing, and electricity tariff. A modern heat pump on a heat-pump-friendly tariff typically beats a gas boiler by £150–£400/year for a well-insulated semi. See is a heat pump cheaper than a boiler in 2026 UK? for a fuller comparison.
Heat pump brands compared: Daikin, Vaillant, Mitsubishi Ecodan, Samsung, Grant and NIBE
Heat pump brand matters less than the heat-loss survey and the flow temperature the system is designed around — but it decides warranty, noise, and how easily you find someone to service it in ten years.
| Brand | Known for | Ranges you will be quoted | Typical unit price | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daikin | The largest heat pump maker; wide UK network | Altherma 3 R, Altherma 3 H HT | £4,500–£8,000 | High-temperature models suit homes keeping existing radiators |
| Grant UK | Popular off-gas, rural and oil-replacement installs | Aerona³ R32 | £4,000–£7,000 | Strong presence where oil boilers are being replaced |
| Mitsubishi Electric | Long-established UK presence | Ecodan R32, Ecodan Ultra Quiet | £4,500–£8,000 | Ultra Quiet models help where the unit sits near a boundary |
| NIBE | Swedish; well regarded for ground source too | S2125, F2120 | £5,000–£9,000 | Fewer installers, so allow more time to get three quotes |
| Samsung | Competitive on price, strong controls | EHS Mono, EHS Mono HT Quiet | £3,800–£7,000 | Often the value option in a like-for-like quote comparison |
| Vaillant | Familiar to boiler installers moving into heat pumps | aroTHERM plus, flexoTHERM | £4,500–£7,500 | aroTHERM plus uses R290 propane refrigerant and reaches higher flow temperatures |
Prices above are for the heat pump unit only — fitting is separate and is priced in the table further up this page. Brands are listed alphabetically, not ranked: BestBuilders does not sell or endorse any of them.
ASHP Installed Cost by UK Region (3-bed Semi, 8–10 kW)
| Region | Gross Installed | vs UK Average |
|---|---|---|
| London | £10,500–£16,000 | +20% |
| South East | £9,500–£15,000 | +12% |
| South West | £8,500–£14,000 | +5% |
| Midlands | £8,000–£13,000 | Baseline |
| North / Yorkshire | £7,500–£12,000 | −7% |
| Wales | £7,800–£12,500 | −5% |
| Scotland | £7,500–£12,500 | −5% (+ Home Energy Scotland grant) |
Equipment is nationally priced; the regional gap is driven by MCS installer day rates. Scotland's Home Energy Scotland grant runs in parallel to the BUS scheme and can offer up to £15,000 in combined grant + interest-free loan.
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Air source heat pump — guides and detail
The detail behind the number: what changes the price, the planning position, and how to check a quote before you accept it.