Air Source Heat Pump Cost in North West England (2026)
Typically £8,000 to £14,000 installed in North West England 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 North West England, not from measured quotes. Your installer’s survey sets your price.
Heat pump prices in towns across North West England
Indicative installed prices, before and after the grant, for the largest towns in North West England. Each town page has local detail, including whether the area is on the gas grid.
| Town | Installed, before grant | After grant |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester | £7,900 to £13,900 | £400 to £6,400 |
| Liverpool | £8,100 to £14,100 | £600 to £6,600 |
| Birkenhead | £8,150 to £14,150 | £650 to £6,650 |
| Preston | £7,900 to £13,900 | £400 to £6,400 |
| Oldham | £8,100 to £14,100 | £600 to £6,600 |
| St Helens | £8,100 to £14,100 | £600 to £6,600 |
| Wigan | £8,000 to £14,000 | £500 to £6,500 |
| Warrington | £7,950 to £13,950 | £450 to £6,450 |
| Burnley | £8,300 to £14,300 | £800 to £6,800 |
| Blackburn | £7,950 to £13,950 | £450 to £6,450 |
| Blackpool | £7,900 to £13,900 | £400 to £6,400 |
| Bolton | £7,900 to £13,900 | £400 to £6,400 |
| Stockport | £8,100 to £14,100 | £600 to £6,600 |
| Salford | £8,150 to £14,150 | £650 to £6,650 |
| Rochdale | £8,050 to £14,050 | £550 to £6,550 |
| Southport | £7,900 to £13,900 | £400 to £6,400 |
| Chester | £8,400 to £14,400 | £900 to £6,900 |
| Carlisle | £8,400 to £14,400 | £900 to £6,900 |
| Fylde | £8,050 to £14,050 | £550 to £6,550 |
| Crewe | £8,400 to £14,400 | £900 to £6,900 |
| Rossendale | £8,100 to £14,100 | £600 to £6,600 |
| Ellesmere Port Town | £8,150 to £14,150 | £650 to £6,650 |
| Sale | £7,850 to £13,850 | £350 to £6,350 |
| Widnes | £7,950 to £13,950 | £450 to £6,450 |
Grants and support in North West England
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme takes £7,500 off an air source heat pump in North West England, 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 North West England
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). North West England spans 2 price cap regions, so both are shown.
| Price cap region | Electricity | Heat pump a year | Gas | Gas boiler a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Western England | 26.49p | £590 to £695 | 7.86p | about £870 |
| Merseyside and Northern Wales | 27.86p | £620 to £735 | 7.91p | about £880 |
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 (29.81p a day in North Western England, 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 North West England are heated today
Share of households by their only type of central heating (Census 2021, England and Wales).
10% of homes in North West England are not on the gas grid (government estimate for 2024; Great Britain 16%). The estimate counts every home without a gas meter, so it includes homes on electric or communal heating as well as oil and LPG. Homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas connection can claim the higher £9,000 grant until 31 March 2027.
The climate in North West England
January averages 6.6°C by day and 1.4°C at night, with 48 days of air frost a year (Met Office 1991-2020 averages for the England NW & Wales N 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 North West England are switching
MCS-certified retrofit heat pump installations in North West England: 904 in Apr to Jun 2026, against 1,131 a year earlier. Since the Boiler Upgrade Scheme opened in May 2022, 7,702 grants have been paid in North West England: 23.5 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 North West England?
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 North West England?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme takes £7,500 off an air source heat pump in North West England, 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 North West England?
For a home needing about 10,000 kWh of heat a year, roughly £590 to £695 a year at the Ofgem price cap for North Western England (electricity 26.49p 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 £870 for the same heat at 7.86p 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 North West England?
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 North West England too cold for an air source heat pump?
No. January averages 6.6°C by day and 1.4°C at night here, with 48 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 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 North West England
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
- 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