Replace Electric Storage Heaters with an Air Source Heat Pump in Eston, YH
Electric storage heaters are the most expensive common way to heat a UK home: resistive heating turns 1 kWh of electricity into 1 kWh of heat, while an air source heat pump turns it into roughly 3.8 to 4.5 kWh (its SCOP). Same heat, about a quarter of the electricity. The conversion is a bigger job than a boiler swap because most storage-heater homes need radiators and pipework installed, but it is also the switch with the biggest running-cost payoff, and the grant applies in full.
The heating picture in Yorkshire and the Humber
Most homes here heat with a mains-gas boiler, and the Ofgem price cap gas rate jumps 27% on 1 July 2026 (5.74p to 7.33p/kWh). With £7,500 off through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and 0% VAT until March 2027, replacing the boiler with an air source heat pump at end-of-life is now cost-competitive up front and on running costs. Cooler winters than the south - look for units with strong low-temperature output and factor radiator sizing into the MCS heat-loss survey.
Read the full Boiler Upgrade Scheme guideCost Comparison
| Cost Factor | Electric Storage Heaters | Air Source Heat Pump |
|---|---|---|
| Annual heating cost, ~10,000 kWh of heat (est.) | ~£2,500/yr (flat rate) | £560 - £660/yr |
| Annual saving (est.) | - | Roughly £1,800/yr or more |
| Efficiency (heat out per kWh in) | 1.0 (resistive) | SCOP 3.8 - 4.5 |
| Out of pocket after grant | - | £900 - £6,900 + wet system where needed |
Estimates for a home needing about 10,000 kWh of heat a year at Ofgem price cap averages (electricity ~25p/kWh; gas 5.74p/kWh Apr-Jun 2026 and 7.33p/kWh from 1 July 2026; the cap changes quarterly). A 90%-efficient boiler and a heat pump at SCOP 3.8-4.5 are assumed; heating oil is an editorial estimate. Standing charges excluded unless noted. Installed prices are indicative, June 2026, with 0% VAT already applied. Actual costs depend on your tariff, home and usage.
The Biggest Running-Cost Win in UK Heating
Storage heaters pay full price for every unit of heat; a heat pump gets its heat at roughly a quarter of the electricity, so the percentage saving is larger than for any other switch. The honest caveat is the scope of works: most storage-heater homes have no radiators, pipework or hot water cylinder, so the conversion installs a wet central heating system as well as the heat pump, which pushes the job toward and beyond the top of the typical cost range. Get the wet system itemised in every quote so you can compare like for like, and weigh it against the roughly £1,800 a year the running costs can save at current rates.
How to Switch from Electric Storage Heaters to an Air Source Heat Pump in Eston
Get a heat-loss survey
A local installer visits your Eston home and calculates heat loss room by room (an MCS requirement). Storage-heater homes usually have no radiators or wet pipework, so the survey also scopes the wet central heating system (radiators, pipe runs, cylinder) the heat pump will feed.
Choose your unit and confirm the quote
Because the job includes a new wet heating system, quotes vary more than for boiler swaps. Make sure each quote itemises radiators, pipework, the hot water cylinder and the heat pump itself so you can compare like for like.
Let your installer claim the £7,500 grant
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme requires an MCS-certified installer, who applies on your behalf so the £7,500 comes straight off the quote (£9,000 for oil and LPG heated homes from 21 July 2026). You never front the grant money. The EPC precondition was removed in April 2026.
Installation and switchover
The radiators, pipework and cylinder go in first, then the heat pump is connected and commissioned, and the old storage heaters are removed. No gas work is involved. From day one the same heat arrives on roughly a quarter of the electricity of resistive heating.
Grants and Support in Eston, YH
Yorkshire and the Humber uses the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, claimed for you by your MCS-certified installer. Accurate as at June 2026.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)
£7,500 off an air-to-water or ground-source heat pump (£2,500 for air-to-air) in England and Wales. From 21 July 2026, homes heated by oil or LPG can claim £9,000 (expected to run to around March 2027). The EPC-certificate precondition was removed on 28 April 2026. Your installer must be MCS-certified and claims the grant for you - it comes straight off the quote. Scheme extended to 2030.
0% VAT on heat pump, solar and battery installations
Residential installations of heat pumps, solar panels and home batteries are zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027 (then 5%). Applied automatically by the installer - typically worth £1,000-3,000 on a heat pump job versus standard 20% VAT.
What happens to my old storage heaters?
Your installer removes and disposes of the old storage heaters once the new wet system is running. Because storage-heater homes usually have no radiators or pipework, the bigger part of the job is installing those, which is also why this conversion delivers the biggest running-cost saving of any switch: a heat pump delivers the same heat for roughly a quarter of the electricity of resistive heating. You may also be able to move off a storage-heater tariff to a heat-pump time-of-use tariff; compare current offers.
Replacing a Different System?
Where are you?
See indicative costs and local installers for your area