Air Source Heat Pump Cost in London (2026)
Typically £8,000 to £14,000 installed in London before the grant, or £600 to £6,600 after the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.
Official benchmark: the median installed cost of an air source heat pump under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme was £12,908 in April to June 2026, with half of installs between £11,128 and £15,627 (England and Wales, a typical 8 kW system, before the grant is taken off). Official costs are not published by region.
The typical range comes from PumpSwap’s indicative 2026 price model for towns in London, not from measured quotes. Your installer’s survey sets your price.
Heat pump prices in towns across London
Indicative installed prices, before and after the grant, for the largest towns in London. Each town page has local detail, including whether the area is on the gas grid.
| Town | Installed, before grant | After grant |
|---|---|---|
| London | £7,850 to £13,850 | £350 to £6,350 |
| Brent | £7,900 to £13,900 | £400 to £6,400 |
| Islington | £7,900 to £13,900 | £400 to £6,400 |
| City of Westminster | £8,250 to £15,150 | £750 to £7,650 |
| Bexley | £7,900 to £13,900 | £400 to £6,400 |
| Barking | £7,900 to £13,900 | £400 to £6,400 |
| Archway | £8,150 to £14,150 | £650 to £6,650 |
| Sutton | £8,050 to £14,050 | £550 to £6,550 |
| Croydon | £8,000 to £14,000 | £500 to £6,500 |
| Ilford | £8,000 to £14,000 | £500 to £6,500 |
| Enfield Town | £7,850 to £13,850 | £350 to £6,350 |
| Harrow | £7,900 to £13,900 | £400 to £6,400 |
| Tottenham | £8,050 to £14,050 | £550 to £6,550 |
| Walthamstow | £8,000 to £14,000 | £500 to £6,500 |
| Dagenham | £8,050 to £14,050 | £550 to £6,550 |
| Becontree | £8,150 to £14,150 | £650 to £6,650 |
| Romford | £8,100 to £14,100 | £600 to £6,600 |
| Hayes | £8,150 to £14,150 | £650 to £6,650 |
| Wembley | £8,150 to £14,150 | £650 to £6,650 |
| Fulham | £8,050 to £14,050 | £550 to £6,550 |
| Edmonton | £8,100 to £14,100 | £600 to £6,600 |
| Southall | £8,050 to £14,050 | £550 to £6,550 |
| Putney | £8,000 to £14,900 | £500 to £7,400 |
| Battersea | £8,150 to £14,850 | £650 to £7,350 |
Grants and support in London
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme takes £7,500 off an air source heat pump in London, or £9,000 in total if your home is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection (until 31 March 2027). Your MCS-certified installer claims it and takes it off the quote.
- £7,500 off an air source (air-to-water) heat pump. You must own the home and be replacing fossil fuel or electric heating; your MCS-certified installer applies and takes it off the quote.
- £9,000 in total (£1,500 more) if your home is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection. Until 31 March 2027.
- £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump, available since 28 April 2026.
- Free energy improvements, run by your council, for privately owned homes rated EPC D to G where household income is usually £36,000 a year or less (or you get certain benefits). Depends on council funding.
- Energy suppliers fund improvements for eligible low-income households. Runs until 31 December 2026.
What a heat pump costs to run in London
For a home needing about 10,000 kWh of heat a year, at the Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026 (Direct Debit).
| Price cap region | Electricity | Heat pump a year | Gas | Gas boiler a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 26.6p | £590 to £700 | 8.15p | about £910 |
Heat pump at a seasonal efficiency (SCOP) of 3.8 to 4.5; gas boiler at 90% efficiency. Unit rates only. Moving off gas entirely also ends the gas standing charge (30.2p a day in London, about £110 a year). There is no VAT on household electricity in Great Britain from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Estimates, not quotes.
How homes in London are heated today
Share of households by their only type of central heating (Census 2021, England and Wales).
20% of homes in London are not on the gas grid (government estimate for 2024; Great Britain 16%). That is 27% in Inner London and 15% in Outer London: the estimate counts every home without a gas meter, so it includes flats on electric or communal heating, not only rural homes. Homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas connection can claim the higher £9,000 grant until 31 March 2027.
Heat pumps in London flats, terraces and conservation areas
More than half of London households (54.0%) live in a flat, maisonette or apartment, and 40.3% in a purpose-built block, against 17.1% across England. That shapes what you can install:
- Flats. Permitted development allows one air source heat pump on, or within the grounds of, a block of flats, with an outdoor unit up to 0.6 cubic metres. A second unit on the same block needs a planning application. Where a wet heating system is impractical, an air-to-air heat pump (£2,500 grant) can suit.
- Leasehold. Check that your lease covers the spot where the unit would go. Flat owners usually need a licence, a legal agreement, from the freeholder. This is separate from planning.
- Conservation areas and listed buildings. In a conservation area the unit cannot go on a wall or roof facing a road, or nearer the road than the house. Listed buildings normally need listed building consent.
- Warm Homes: Local Grant. Most London boroughs deliver it together, in a consortium led by the Greater London Authority and London Councils. Air source heat pumps are on the list of improvements for eligible households (EPC D to G, household income usually £36,000 or less). Westminster’s scheme page.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme heat pump grants paid by borough
The ten boroughs with the most grants paid, May 2022 to June 2026.
The climate in London
January averages 7.8°C by day and 1.9°C at night, with 43 days of air frost a year (Met Office 1991-2020 averages for the England SE & Central S climate district). Across the UK the figures are 1.2°C and 53 days. Air source heat pumps keep heating well below freezing; a colder climate changes the size your installer specifies through the heat loss calculation, not whether a heat pump works.
How many homes in London are switching
MCS-certified retrofit heat pump installations in London: 560 in Apr to Jun 2026, against 422 a year earlier. Since the Boiler Upgrade Scheme opened in May 2022, 5,259 grants have been paid in London: 14.2 for every 10,000 households, against 36.1 across England and Wales.
Planning rules in England
- Most air source heat pumps on houses and blocks of flats are permitted development, so no planning application is needed, provided the installation meets MCS 020 a), the noise standard (37 dB at the assessment position).
- Up to two units on a detached house; one on any other house or block of flats.
- The outdoor unit can be up to 1.5 cubic metres on a house (0.6 cubic metres on a block of flats).
- The old rule keeping units 1 metre from the boundary was removed on 29 May 2025.
- Not on a pitched roof, and at least 1 metre from the edge of a flat roof.
- Listed buildings need consent. In conservation areas and World Heritage Sites, the unit cannot go on a wall or roof facing a road.
Source: legislation.gov.uk: General Permitted Development (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 14, Class G (as amended in 2025). If your home is listed or in a conservation area, check with your council before installing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an air source heat pump cost in London?
Typically £8,000 to £14,000 installed before the grant in PumpSwap's indicative 2026 price model, or £600 to £6,600 after it. For comparison, the official median for England and Wales was £12,908 in April to June 2026 (a typical 8 kW system, before the grant is taken off). Official costs are not published by region.
What heat pump grants are there in London?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme takes £7,500 off an air source heat pump in London, or £9,000 in total if your home is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection (until 31 March 2027). Your MCS-certified installer claims it and takes it off the quote.
How much does a heat pump cost to run in London?
For a home needing about 10,000 kWh of heat a year, roughly £590 to £700 a year at the Ofgem price cap for London (electricity 26.6p per kWh, 1 October to 31 December 2026), assuming a seasonal efficiency of 3.8 to 4.5. A 90% efficient gas boiler would cost about £910 for the same heat at 8.15p per kWh. Unit rates only; going all-electric also ends the gas standing charge, about £110 a year.
Do I need planning permission for a heat pump in London?
Usually not. Most air source heat pumps on houses and blocks of flats are permitted development, so no planning application is needed, provided the installation meets MCS 020 a), the noise standard (37 dB at the assessment position). Up to two units on a detached house; one on any other house or block of flats.
Is London too cold for an air source heat pump?
No. January averages 7.8°C by day and 1.9°C at night here, with 43 days of air frost a year (Met Office 1991-2020 averages; the UK figures are 1.2°C and 53 days). Heat pumps keep heating well below freezing. A colder climate changes the size your installer specifies through the heat loss calculation, not whether a heat pump works.
Can I install an air source heat pump in a London flat?
Often, yes. Permitted development allows one air source heat pump on, or within the grounds of, a block of flats, with an outdoor unit up to 0.6 cubic metres; a second unit on the same block needs a planning application. Leaseholders usually need a licence from the freeholder first. Where a wet heating system is impractical, an air-to-air heat pump with the £2,500 grant can suit.
Can I get £9,000 if my home uses oil or LPG?
Yes, until 31 March 2027: the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £9,000 in total towards an air source or ground source heat pump if your home is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection. All the usual scheme rules apply, and your MCS-certified installer claims it.
Heat pump guides for London
Heat pump costs in other regions
Sources
- Census 2021, England and Wales: type of central heating
- DESNZ: properties not connected to the gas network, 2024
- ONS: Housing, England and Wales, Census 2021
- Met Office: 1991-2020 climate averages
- Ofgem: price cap unit rates and standing charges by region
- DESNZ: heat pump deployment statistics, June 2026
- DESNZ: Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics: August 2026
- legislation.gov.uk: General Permitted Development (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 14, Class G (as amended in 2025)
Where are you?
See indicative costs and local installers for your area