Air-to-water heat pumps
An air-to-water heat pump is a whole-home heating system that replaces your boiler and heats your radiators or underfloor heating, plus your hot water. Whether it suits your property depends on an assessment — that is a benefit, not an inconvenience.
Who this suits
- An ageing gas, oil or LPG boiler that is due for replacement
- A home off the mains gas grid paying high heating costs
- A renovation or extension where the heating is being reworked anyway
- Wanting lower-carbon heating and interested in available government support
- Homes with reasonable insulation, or a plan to improve it
Who it may not suit
- Homes that would need extensive fabric upgrades first — we'll tell you what's needed
- Properties with no space for an outdoor unit or a hot water cylinder
- Situations where a targeted room-by-room fix is really what's wanted — see air-to-air
Whole-home heating, properly assessed for your property
An air-to-water heat pump is a genuine replacement for a boiler. It heats your radiators or underfloor heating and your hot water, from one outdoor unit and a cylinder. The important question is not whether heat pumps work — they do — but whether one will work well in your home, and what it takes to get there.
Why the assessment matters
A heat pump runs at a lower temperature than a boiler, so the heating system has to be sized for that. We carry out room-by-room heat-loss calculations, check your insulation and pipework, and design the system around the result. That process is the difference between a heat pump that keeps you comfortable for cheaper and one that disappoints. We treat it as essential, not optional.
What we’ll tell you honestly
If your home would need significant insulation work first, we’ll say so and explain the order to do things in. If a handful of radiators need upsizing, that’s in the quote from the start. If your property genuinely isn’t a good candidate, we’ll tell you that too — and point you at what would help.
Government support
Grant support toward the cost is available for suitable homes through the recognised schemes. We’ll confirm whether you qualify as part of the assessment. It is never the headline — whether the system suits your house always comes first.
Start your home assessment to begin understanding whether air-to-water is right for your property.
How it works
An air-to-water heat pump takes low-grade heat from the outside air and raises it to a temperature useful for heating water. That warm water is pumped around your radiators or underfloor heating and stored in a cylinder for taps and showers. It runs at a lower flow temperature than a boiler — typically 45–55°C rather than 70°C — which is why the system is designed as a whole, radiator by radiator, rather than simply swapped in.
Meaningful benefits
- One system for whole-home heating and hot water
- Lower carbon than a fossil-fuel boiler, and often lower running cost off-gas
- Stable, even warmth rather than short hot blasts
- Eligible, for suitable homes, for government grant support toward the cost
- Well-understood technology with long equipment warranties
What to understand
- It runs at a lower flow temperature, so some radiators may need upsizing
- A hot water cylinder is required — it needs a cupboard or loft space
- The outdoor unit is larger than an air-to-air unit
- Proper heat-loss calculations and system design are essential before any quote
- Running cost depends on insulation, tariff and how the system is set up
A clear path from question to decision
- 01
Initial qualification call about the property and current heating
- 02
A consultation to explain how assessment and design work
- 03
A property and technical assessment, including heat-loss calculations
- 04
A system design — heat pump size, cylinder, radiator or underfloor changes
- 05
A clear written recommendation and price
- 06
The relevant MCS / grant process where it applies
- 07
Installation and commissioning, with the system balanced and explained
What it costs
from £8,000 before any grant you may be eligible for
Cost depends heavily on the property, the radiators and the cylinder position. Nothing is quoted firm until the heat-loss assessment and design are done.
Recent air-to-water heat pumps work
Detached home near Harrogate — air-to-water and hot water
An off-gas detached home on an ageing oil boiler moved to a fully assessed air-to-water heat pump, with a heat-loss survey driving the radiator…
Read moreQuestions
Will a heat pump actually keep my house warm?
For a suitable, properly assessed and correctly designed system, yes — including through a cold Yorkshire winter. The assessment is how we confirm it for your home.
Will my radiators need replacing?
Some might need to be larger because the system runs cooler. The assessment identifies exactly which, and it is priced in — not sprung on you later.
Do I need underfloor heating?
No. Radiators work well with a heat pump when the system is designed for the lower flow temperature.
What happens to my hot water?
It's stored in a cylinder heated by the heat pump. You'll need space for it — usually an airing cupboard or loft.
What if my property isn't suitable?
We tell you, explain why, and what would need to change. We won't install a system we don't believe will perform.
Are grants available?
Government support exists for suitable homes. We'll only mention it once we've confirmed your eligibility — it never comes before whether the system is right.
