HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

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

Air or ground source, the grant comes only through an MCS certified installer. How to check them, and what the survey and quote must show.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a heat pump installer in five steps

  1. Check MCS firstLook the installer up on MCS's installer search; no MCS, no Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.
  2. Air or ground source?Ground source needs trenches or a borehole and costs more; ask for both if you have the land.
  3. Survey before priceA room-by-room heat loss survey sizes the heat pump, the radiators and the cylinder.
  4. Grant on the quoteThe installer applies to Ofgem; the grant is deducted from your quote and invoice.
  5. Paperwork at the endMCS certificate, commissioning record and warranty, kept together.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

MCS certification

Nothing reserves heat pump installation to MCS installers by law. But the Boiler Upgrade Scheme only pays through one, and gov.uk's guidance says MCS installers must belong to an approved consumer protection scheme too.

Find the installer on MCS's own installer search before you sign. mcscertified.com →

How the grant is paid

gov.uk's Boiler Upgrade Scheme rules: the property owner qualifies, the new system replaces fossil fuel heating, the MCS installer applies and deducts the grant, and installation and commissioning happen within 120 days of applying.

Make sure the application is in your name and the deduction is on the quote. gov.uk →

0% VAT on the installation

HMRC's Notice 708/6 lists ground source and air source heat pumps among energy-saving materials zero-rated when installed in a home until 31 March 2027; it covers necessary groundworks for a ground source system too.

Look for 0% VAT on the heat pump installation lines. gov.uk →

Building regulations self-certification

Microgeneration and renewables are on gov.uk's list of work a competent person scheme installer can self-certify in England.

Ask which scheme the heat pump installer self-certifies through, and for the certificate. gov.uk →

VAT

Installing a heat pump in a home — drawing heat from the air, the ground or water — is zero-rated (0%) until 31 March 2027, then 5%; supply without installation, or fitting in a hotel or other commercial building, is standard-rated. Once a business's taxable turnover goes over £90,000 it must be registered, and the VAT then goes on the quote as its own line.

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

“Which MCS certification do you hold for heat pumps?”

A good answer: Certification you can find on MCS's search. It is the condition for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

“Is air source or ground source right for this house?”

A good answer: An answer that looks at your land, heat loss and budget, not one system for everyone.

“What heat loss did the survey find, and what size heat pump does that need?”

A good answer: A figure for each room and a total, with the heat pump output chosen from it.

“What changes to radiators and pipework does the heat pump need?”

A good answer: A list by room, and a word on narrow pipes that may limit flow.

“How will you handle the Boiler Upgrade Scheme application?”

A good answer: They apply to Ofgem, in your name, and deduct the grant. You do not pay it up front.

“What does the heat pump warranty cover, and for how long?”

A good answer: Equipment and workmanship stated separately, with servicing terms.

“How noisy is the outdoor unit, and where will it sit?”

A good answer: A position agreed with you, away from bedroom windows and boundaries where possible.

Getting the quote right

  • Heat pump type, make, model and output, with the heat loss figure it is sized to
  • Radiators, cylinder, controls and any ground works listed separately
  • The grant shown as a deduction, and the price you pay after it
  • MCS registration, commissioning and warranty
  • Who actually attends for the survey, the fit and any ground works — employed staff or subcontracted teams
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 0% on the qualifying installation shown on its own line

Walk away if

  • Not MCS certified, yet promising the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
  • A quote without a heat loss figure
  • Asks you to apply for the grant yourself
  • Standard-rate VAT charged on a heat pump installed in a home
  • A ground source price with no ground survey
LOW
£8,000
TYPICAL
£12,000
HIGH
£18,000

What a heat pump installer costs: £8,000–£18,000 per install

Heat pumps are quoted as an installed price after a survey, with the grant shown as a deduction where the installer applies for it. Heat Pump Installation 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

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. SurveyHeat loss, radiators, cylinder space, outdoor unit or ground loop position.
  2. Apply for the grantThe installer applies to Ofgem; the 120-day clock starts.
  3. InstallOutdoor unit or ground loop, cylinder, controls and radiator changes.
  4. CommissionFilled, tested and set to the design flow temperature.
  5. Register and explainMCS registration, warranty and the controls shown to you.

Ground loop
Pipe buried in trenches or a borehole that collects heat for a ground source pump.
Air source heat pump
Takes heat from outside air through an outdoor unit.
Flow temperature
The temperature of water sent round the heating; lower is more efficient.
Heat loss
How fast the house loses heat; it sets the size of the system.
MCS
The certification scheme the Boiler Upgrade Scheme relies on.
Commissioning
Setting up and testing the system before handover.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the MCS certificateIt records that the heat pump was installed by an MCS certified installer.
Check rooms reach temperatureOn a cold day each room should reach the temperature the design promised.
Answer Ofgem if it callsOfgem may phone or visit to confirm the installer acted for you.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy are tied to a booking, so yours about the heat pump carries weight. If something is not right, the make-it-right step gives the heat pump installer the first chance to fix it before it is published.

MONEY BACK

Grants that may apply

These are the verified schemes that fund heat pumps in the UK nations. Apply through the installer, and do not let work start before the application is made.

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 1Go back to the heat pump installerStart with an email to the heat pump installer: the problem, photos and what would put it right. A trader's heat pump is covered by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and the remedies — doing it again, or a price reduction — follow from sections 55 and 56.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepRate the heat pump below four stars and you are asked whether the heat pump installer should see the complaint first; we keep it moving until it is answered, then you review.
STEP 3The grant, MCS or Trading StandardsOfgem runs the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and may check the work; MCS oversees certified installers. For a wider dispute, the consumer helplines — Citizens Advice 0808 223 1133, Advice Direct Scotland 0808 800 9060, Consumerline 0300 123 6262 — refer cases to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedA claim against the heat pump installer that will not settle can go to court without a lawyer — the small claims track for up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure for up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court for up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a heat pump installer: questions people ask

Not by law, but for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant the installer must be MCS certified.

£7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump, in England and Wales, with £2,500 for an air-to-air heat pump. An extra £1,500 applies to air or ground source where the home is heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas, until March 2027.

No — 0% until 31 March 2027 for installation in a home, then 5% from 1 April 2027.

£8,000–£18,000 per install before any grant, about £12,000 typical for air source; ground source costs more. What pushes it up or down is in the heat pump installation price guide; search above by town for installers in your area.

An MCS certificate, the commissioning record and the warranty, plus the building regulations certificate from the installer's competent person scheme.

Two to five days for an air source system; longer for ground source.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: Air Source Heat PumpHow to hire: Underfloor HeatingHow to hire: Central Heating InstallationHow to hire: Boiler ReplacementHow to hire: Radiator InstallationHow to hire: Solar Thermal InstallationHow to hire: Water Tank InstallationHow to hire: Power FlushingAll 701 hiring guides →

Heat pump installers near you

Heat pump installers in LondonHeat pump installers in ManchesterHeat pump installers in BirminghamHeat pump installers in GlasgowHeat pump installers in BelfastAll 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. gov.uk — competent person schemes: current schemes and how they are authorised
  6. mygov.scot — Home Energy Scotland grant and loan
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  8. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  9. Energy-saving materials and heating equipment (VAT Notice 708/6) — 2.7 Energy-saving materials covered by the zero rate
  10. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register