HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

How to hire an air source heat pump installer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays only through an MCS certified installer. The checks, the survey questions and what the quote must show.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an air source heat pump installer in five steps

  1. Find an MCS certified installerOnly MCS certified installers can apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for you; check them on MCS's own search.
  2. Insist on a heat loss surveyRoom by room, so the heat pump and radiators are sized for your house, not guessed.
  3. See the grant on the quoteThe installer applies to Ofgem and takes the grant off what you pay — it should be on the quote.
  4. Plan the cylinder and outdoor unitWhere the hot water cylinder goes and where the outdoor unit sits, agreed before you sign.
  5. Keep the MCS certificateCommissioning, MCS registration and the warranty papers together.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

MCS certification

MCS is not a licence to trade, but the Boiler Upgrade Scheme only pays through an MCS certified installer, and gov.uk says those installers must also belong to an approved consumer protection scheme.

Search the installer on MCS's installer search before accepting a quote. mcscertified.com →

The grant taken off the quote

Under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme the MCS installer checks you are eligible, applies to Ofgem in your name and deducts the grant from the quote and invoice. The heat pump must be installed and commissioned within 120 days of the application.

Check the quote shows the grant deducted and that the application is in your name. gov.uk →

Zero-rate VAT

HMRC's Notice 708/6 zero-rates an air source heat pump installed in a home, a relief running until 31 March 2027; the rate becomes 5% on 1 April 2027. It applies in Northern Ireland as well.

Check the quote charges 0% VAT on the installed heat pump. gov.uk →

TrustMark

TrustMark is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for work in and around the home. It is voluntary, and registration is by trade.

Search the business on TrustMark and check it is registered for heat pumps. trustmark.org.uk →

VAT

Installing an air source heat pump in a home is zero-rated (0%) until 31 March 2027 and 5% from 1 April 2027; a pump supplied without installation, or fitted in a hotel or other commercial building, is standard-rated. Registration is compulsory above £90,000 of taxable turnover, and a registered firm has to charge it and itemise it rather than fold it into the price.

Check the heat pump quote shows 0% against the installed equipment and labour, and ask for the installer's VAT number. gov.uk →

“Are you MCS certified for air source heat pumps, and can I see you on the MCS search?”

A good answer: Yes, with a certification you can find yourself. Without it there is no Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.

“Will you do a room-by-room heat loss survey?”

A good answer: Yes, and they give you the figures. A heat pump sized from the old boiler's output is a guess.

“Which radiators need upsizing for the heat pump?”

A good answer: A list by room. Heat pumps run cooler than boilers, so some radiators often get bigger.

“Where will the hot water cylinder and outdoor unit go?”

A good answer: Named positions, with the space and noise considered — not 'we'll find somewhere on the day'.

“Will you apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and take it off the price?”

A good answer: Yes. If they ask you to pay in full and claim later, that is not how the scheme works.

“What running cost and efficiency do you expect for this heat pump?”

A good answer: An estimate in writing from the survey, with the flow temperature it assumes.

“Does the home's electrical supply need upgrading for the heat pump?”

A good answer: A view from the survey; if it does, the electrical work is quoted or referred to an electrician.

Getting the quote right

  • Heat pump make, model and output, matched to the heat loss figure
  • Radiator changes, cylinder, controls and pipework listed room by room
  • The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant shown as a deduction, with the amount
  • Commissioning, MCS registration and the warranty terms
  • Any electrical supply work, and who does it
  • Who actually attends for the survey, the fit and the commissioning — employed staff or subcontracted fitters
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 0% on the qualifying installation shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • Not on MCS's installer search, but promising the grant
  • Asks you to pay the full price and claim the grant back later
  • No heat loss survey, only a price over the phone
  • Charges the standard rate of VAT on a qualifying heat pump installed in a home
  • Cannot say where the cylinder will go
  • Pressure to sign on the first visit
LOW
£7,000
TYPICAL
£10,000
HIGH
£16,000

What an air source heat pump installer costs: £7,000–£16,000 per install

Air source heat pumps are quoted as an installed price after a heat loss survey, with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant deducted where it applies. Air Source Heat Pump price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Air source heat pump installers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. SurveyA heat loss survey room by room, and the cylinder and outdoor unit positions agreed.
  2. Grant applicationThe MCS installer applies to Ofgem; the voucher has to be redeemed within 120 days.
  3. InstallOutdoor unit, cylinder, controls and any radiator or pipework changes fitted.
  4. CommissionThe system filled, tested and set up at the design flow temperature.
  5. Register and hand overMCS registration, the warranty and the controls explained.

Heat loss survey
A room-by-room calculation of the heat the house loses, which sizes the system.
Flow temperature
The temperature of the water sent to the radiators; heat pumps run it lower.
SCOP
Seasonal coefficient of performance — how much heat the pump gives per unit of electricity over a year.
Buffer tank
A small store of heated water some systems use to smooth the heat pump's running.
MCS certificate
The record that the installation was done by an MCS certified installer.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
The grant in England and Wales towards a heat pump, paid through the installer.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the MCS certificateIt shows the installation was registered with MCS — the grant and the warranty depend on it.
Learn the controlsAsk for the flow temperature and schedule settings to be shown and written down.
Expect a call from OfgemOfgem may phone or visit to confirm the installer acted for you and to check the work.
Rate the jobTell the next person how the heat pump installation went — time kept, mess left, price held. Under four stars, the air source heat pump installer is offered the chance to fix it first through make-it-right.

MONEY BACK

Grants that may apply

The schemes below are the ones the family research verified for heat pumps. The installer applies for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme; Home Energy Scotland needs the improvement recommended first.

OFGEM, FOR THE DEPARTMENT FOR ENERGY SECURITY AND NET ZERO · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

£7,500£7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump; £5,000 towards a biomass boiler; £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump; an extra £1,500 for an air or ground source heat pump where the home is heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas, until March 2027. One grant per property.

Who: owners of the property — homes, second homes, rentals and small business premises

  • replacing an existing fossil fuel system (oil, gas, electric or LPG)
  • not a hybrid system and not replacing low-carbon heating
  • capacity up to 45kWth for a single system
  • an MCS certified installer applies for you and deducts the grant from the quote
  • installed and commissioned within 120 days of the application
  • most new builds and social housing are excluded; biomass only in rural homes off the gas grid
Official details on gov.uk →
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT (HOME ENERGY SCOTLAND) · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Home Energy Scotland grant and loan

up to £7,500 grantClean heating such as a heat pump: grant up to £7,500 plus an optional interest-free loan up to £7,500. Energy efficiency such as insulation: grant up to 75% of the cost, capped at £7,500, plus an optional loan up to £7,500. Rural and island homes can get up to £1,500 more on each.

Who: homeowners in Scotland; landlords, businesses and developers cannot apply

  • the improvement must be recommended in the home's Energy Performance Certificate, Home Energy Improvement Report or Home Renewable Selector Report
Official details on mygov.scot →

Schemes change. The amounts above were checked on the dates shown; the official page is the one that counts.

STEP 1Put it in writing to the air source heat pump installerRaise it with the air source heat pump installer in writing while it is fresh. The heat pump installation came with a legal promise of reasonable care and skill under the 2015 Act; ask for the shortfall to be fixed at no cost, and if it cannot be, for an appropriate refund.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepRate the heat pump installation below four stars and you are asked whether the air source heat pump installer should see the complaint first; we keep it moving until it is answered, then you review.
STEP 3The grant or the installationOfgem runs the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and MCS checks installations for it; raise a grant or certification problem with them. For a general dispute, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline (0300 123 6262) can pass it to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedIf money is still in dispute over the heat pump installation, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales on the small claims track, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland's small claims court.

Hiring an air source heat pump installer: questions people ask

Not by law, but the Boiler Upgrade Scheme only pays through an MCS certified installer, so for the grant you do.

In England and Wales the scheme gives £7,500 for an air source heat pump, deducted by the installer from your quote. One grant per property.

Not until 31 March 2027: installing an air source heat pump in a home is zero-rated under HMRC's Notice 708/6, then 5% from 1 April 2027.

£7,000–£16,000 per install before any grant, with about £10,000 typical for a three- or four-bed home. The detail sits in the air source heat pump price guide, and the search above lists installers working near your town.

In Scotland, Home Energy Scotland offers a grant and an optional loan where the heat pump is recommended in the home's EPC or a Home Energy Scotland report. nidirect lists no heat pump grant for homeowners in Northern Ireland.

An MCS certificate for the installation, the commissioning record and the warranty. Ask which competent person scheme self-certifies the building regulations side.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: Heat Pump InstallationHow to hire: Boiler ReplacementHow to hire: Central Heating InstallationHow to hire: Underfloor HeatingHow to hire: Radiator InstallationHow to hire: Solar Thermal InstallationHow to hire: Boiler InstallationHow to hire: Power FlushingAll 701 hiring guides →

Air source heat pump installers near you

Air source heat pump installers in LondonAir source heat pump installers in ManchesterAir source heat pump installers in BirminghamAir source heat pump installers in GlasgowAir source heat pump installers in BelfastAll air source heat pump installers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
  2. gov.uk — Boiler Upgrade Scheme: the whole guide
  3. MCS — the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for consumers
  4. gov.uk — VAT on energy-saving materials and heating equipment (Notice 708/6)
  5. TrustMark — the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme
  6. mygov.scot — Home Energy Scotland grant and loan
  7. nidirect — energy saving grants in your area
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  9. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  10. Energy-saving materials and heating equipment (VAT Notice 708/6) — 2.15 Air source heat pumps
  11. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  12. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register