Air-to-water heat pumps
An air-to-water heat pump is a whole-home heating system that replaces your boiler, heating your radiators or underfloor heating and your hot water. Whether it suits your home depends on a proper assessment, and 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 gas grid with high heating costs
- A renovation where the heating is being reworked anyway
- Wanting lower-carbon heating, with interest in government support
- Homes with reasonable insulation, or a plan to improve it
Who it may not suit
- Homes that would need extensive insulation work first: we'll say what's needed
- Properties with no space for an outdoor unit or a hot water cylinder
- Situations where a few problem rooms are the real issue: 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 hot water cylinder. The important question is not whether heat pumps work. They do. It is whether one will work well in your home, and what it would take to get there.
Why the assessment matters
A heat pump runs its water cooler than a boiler, so the heating system has to be designed for that. A proper assessment includes a room-by-room heat-loss calculation, a check of insulation, pipework and radiators, and a system design built on the results. That design step is the difference between a heat pump that keeps you comfortable and one that disappoints. It isn’t optional.
What we’ll tell you honestly
If your home would benefit from insulation work first, we’ll say so and explain the order to do things in. If some radiators need upsizing, that belongs in the price from the start. If your property genuinely isn’t a good candidate, we’ll tell you that too, and what would change the answer.
Government support
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers £7,500 toward an air-to-water heat pump for eligible homes in England and Wales. It is claimed by the MCS-certified installer, and eligibility depends on the property. Figures last checked 30 October 2026 (GOV.UK: Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant levels). The grant should never come before whether the system is right for your home.
Our guide Can a heat pump replace my boiler? goes through radiators, hot water, running costs and planning in more detail. Or start your home assessment to begin with your own home.
How it works
An air-to-water heat pump takes heat from the outside air and raises it to a temperature that is useful for heating water. That water circulates through your radiators or underfloor heating and heats a cylinder for taps and showers. It runs cooler than a boiler, typically 35–45°C to the radiators rather than 60–70°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 cheaper to run than oil or LPG
- Steady, even warmth rather than short hot bursts
- Eligible homes can receive Boiler Upgrade Scheme support, claimed by the MCS-certified installer
- Well-understood technology with long equipment warranties
What to understand
- It runs at a lower water temperature, so some radiators may need upsizing
- A hot water cylinder is needed, usually in an airing cupboard or loft
- The outdoor unit is larger than an air-to-air unit
- A heat-loss calculation 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
An initial call about the property and current heating
- 02
A consultation on how assessment and design work
- 03
A property and technical assessment, including a heat-loss calculation
- 04
A system design: heat pump size, cylinder, radiator or underfloor changes
- 05
A clear written recommendation and price
- 06
Installation and commissioning, with the system balanced and explained
Questions
Will a heat pump actually keep my house warm?
A suitable, properly assessed and correctly designed system will, including through a cold Yorkshire winter. The assessment is how that is confirmed for your home.
Will my radiators need replacing?
Some may need to be larger because the system runs cooler. The assessment identifies which ones, and that cost belongs in the price from the start.
Do I need underfloor heating?
No. Radiators work well with a heat pump when the system is designed for the lower water temperature.
What happens to my hot water?
It's stored in a cylinder heated by the heat pump. You'll need space for one, usually an airing cupboard or loft.
What if my property isn't suitable?
We'll tell you, explain why, and say what would need to change.
Are grants available?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme supports eligible homes in England and Wales. It is claimed by the MCS-certified installer, and eligibility depends on the property.
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