Which heat pump should I get?

There are different types of heat pumps available, which use different heat sources (air, ground or water) or different ways of heating your home, such as via radiators, underfloor heating or by releasing warm air into your home.
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Click on one of the following to find out more:

[.cms-scribble-short-white]Air source[.cms-scribble-short-white] [.position-relative] heat pump[.position-relative]

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[.cms-scribble-long-white]Ground source[.cms-scribble-long-white] [.position-relative] heat pump (borehole)[.position-relative]

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[.cms-scribble-long-white]Ground source[.cms-scribble-long-white] [.position-relative] heat pump (ground loop)[.position-relative]

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[.cms-scribble-short-white]Air-to-air [.cms-scribble-short-white] [.position-relative] heat pump[.position-relative]

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[.cms-scribble-long-white]Shared ground[.cms-scribble-long-white] [.position-relative]source heat pump[.position-relative]

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Which type of heat pump is right for me?

Take our quiz to discover what heat pump options are likely to be best for homes like yours.

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[.cms-scribble-long]Air source[.cms-scribble-long] [.position-relative] heat pump[.position-relative]

An air source heat pump uses heat from the air outdoors to heat the water that runs through your taps and radiators or underfloor heating. These are sometimes called air-to-water heat pumps.

Components

Air source heat pumps consist of three main elements: an outdoor heat pump unit, a heat exchanger and a cylinder or heat battery for hot water.

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The outdoor unit brings air into the system, extracts heat from it and sends that heat to a heat exchanger.

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The heat exchanger heats the water that flows through your radiators and taps, using the heat extracted from the outdoor air instead of burning fossil fuels. The heat exchanger may be inside the outdoor unit, depending on the model.

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The heat exchanger is connected to a hot water cylinder or heat battery to supply hot water for your taps and shower.

Placement and size

The outdoor unit is usually about 1-1.5m high and 0.5-1m wide and deep, or about the size of a standard washing machine. The size of the heat pump will depend on the size of your property and how much heat is required. Your installer will be able to advise you on a unit’s size, just as a gas engineer would with your boiler.

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The unit is usually installed at ground level, in a garden or on a patio. It can also be installed on a flat roof or mounted on a wall, in the same way as an air conditioning unit. The outdoor unit doesn’t need to share a wall with the indoor components. At present, to avoid having to apply for planning permission, the unit must be installed at least one metre from a neighbour’s boundary, or one metre from the edge of the roof, if you’re placing it on a flat roof (or three metres if you’re in Wales). However, the Government is currently consulting on changes to Permitted Development Rights in England.

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The heat exchanger can either be built into the outdoor unit, or separated into an indoor unit, depending on the heat pump model. If it is a separate indoor unit it is usually about 50–80cm tall and wide, and 30–50cm deep, or the size of a boiler. If you currently have a boiler, the heat exchanger will usually fit in its place.

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A hot water cylinder is usually about 1.5–2m high and 50–80cm in diameter. This will depend on the size of your property and how much hot water is required. The cylinder is usually located indoors, in an airing cupboard, loft or utility room, although it can sometimes be sited outside or in a garage. If you currently have a hot water cylinder for your boiler, the replacement will likely fit in its place. If you don’t have space for a hot water cylinder, a heat battery might be a good alternative as it takes up to four times less space.

Cost

The median cost for installing an air source heat pump ranges between £9,500 and £15,000, before grants reductions, depending on the size of the home. This is the total cost of installation, including the unit itself, extra materials, labour and any pipework or radiator upgrades you may need.

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Almost all homeowners and landlords in England, Wales and Scotland are eligible for a £7,500 government grant to help pay for a heat pump. You can find out more about cost estimates, on our ‘Costs and grants’ page.

[.cms-scribble-long]Ground source[.cms-scribble-long] [.position-relative] heat pump (borehole)[.position-relative]

Ground source heat pumps use underground pipework to absorb heat from the ground to heat the water that runs through your taps and radiators or underfloor heating. If the availability of outdoor space is limited the pipework could be inserted into a deep, small-diameter borehole, as an alternative to a buried loop.

Components

Ground source heat pumps consist of three main elements: the heat-absorbing underground pipework, a heat exchanger and a cylinder or heat battery for hot water.

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The fluid in the borehole pipework absorbs heat from the ground and brings it into the system.

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The heat exchanger uses this absorbed heat to heat up the water that flows through your radiators, much like a boiler does. The only difference is that the heat is extracted by the buried pipework, instead of by burning fossil fuels.

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The heat exchanger is connected to a hot water cylinder or heat battery to supply hot water for your taps and shower.

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Placement and size

The underground pipework will require drilling one or more boreholes about 20cm wide and 75–200m deep. Once installed, this pipework will be covered over. Although this kind of system doesn’t require very much land, you will need enough access space for the drilling rig to create boreholes in the appropriate location.

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The heat exchanger may be similar in size to an under-counter dishwasher, and will usually be located indoors. If you currently have a floor-mounted fossil fuel boiler, then the heat pump may fit in its place.

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A hot water cylinder is usually about 1.5–2m high and 50–80cm in diameter. This will depend on the size of your property and how much hot water is required. The cylinder is usually located indoors, in an airing cupboard, loft or utility room, although it can sometimes also be sited outside or in a garage. If you currently have a hot water cylinder for your boiler, the replacement will likely fit in its place. If you don’t have space for a hot water cylinder, a heat battery might be a good alternative as it takes up to four times less space.

Cost

Ground source systems are usually more expensive than other types of heat pump due to the extra labour, materials and time it takes to install the underground pipework. Between 2023 and 2024, the average cost for ground source heat pumps was £21,000, according to MCS installation data from that period. Costs vary significantly depending on the type of ground source heat pump and the extent of groundwork required. Installing a ground source system with a borehole is likely to be significantly more expensive than the average, as the cost of digging a borehole can be substantial.

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[.cms-scribble-long]Ground source[.cms-scribble-long] [.position-relative] heat pump (ground loop)[.position-relative]

Ground source heat pumps use underground pipework to absorb heat from the ground, which is then used to heat the water that runs through your taps and radiators or underfloor heating. For this kind of system, the underground pipework is laid in a trench at least one-metre deep.

Ground source heat pump with ground loop

Components

Ground source heat pumps consist of three main elements: the heat-absorbing underground pipework, a heat exchanger and a cylinder or heat battery for hot water.

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The underground pipework absorbs heat from the ground and brings it into the heat exchanger.

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The heat exchanger uses this absorbed heat to heat up the water that flows through your radiators or underfloor heating, much like a boiler does. The only difference is that the heat is extracted by the fluid in the buried pipework, instead of being produced by burning fossil fuels.

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The heat exchanger is connected to a hot water cylinder or heat battery to supply hot water for your taps and shower.

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Placement and size

The buried pipework for a ground loop will require digging a 100–200m trench that’s 1–1.5m deep. This will be back-filled after the pipework is installed. You’ll usually need about 600 square metres of land that’s mostly free of trees and buildings.

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A hot water cylinder is usually about 1.5–2m high and 50–80cm in diameter. Its scale will depend on the size of your property and how much hot water is required. The cylinder is usually located indoors, in an airing cupboard, loft or utility room, although it can sometimes also be sited outside or in a garage. If you currently have a hot water cylinder for your boiler, the replacement will likely fit in its place. If you don’t have space for a hot water cylinder, a heat battery might be a good alternative, because it takes up to four times less space

Cost

Ground source systems are usually more expensive than other types of heat pump due to the extra labour, materials and time it takes to install the underground pipework. Between 2023 and 2024, the average cost for ground source heat pumps was £21,000, according to MCS installation data from that period. Costs vary significantly depending on the type of ground source heat pump and the extent of groundwork required. Installing a ground source heat pump with a buried ground loop is generally cheaper than installing one that requires digging a borehole.

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[.cms-scribble-short]Air-to-air [.cms-scribble-short] [.position-relative] heat pump[.position-relative]

Air-to-air heat pumps are commonly referred to as air conditioning units, which can also provide heating, taking cool air from outside and warming it before releasing it into your home. Most of these systems are reversible, meaning they are capable of delivering heat in winter and cooling in summer.

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Air-to-air heat pumps differ from air-to-water heat pumps (usually simply referred to as ‘air source heat pumps’) as they release warm air directly into your home instead of heating up the water that flows through your radiators.

Components

Most domestic air-to-air heat pumps consist of two elements: an outdoor unit and an indoor unit.

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The outdoor unit brings outdoor air into the system and extracts heat from the air. The indoor unit then uses this heat to warm up the air already circulating in your rooms.

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Some air-to-air heat pumps use ducting pipes to distribute warm air into homes, but these systems are less common and are typically used in highly energy efficient houses and new build properties.

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With this kind of system you’ll also have to consider your hot water supply, as air-to-air heat pumps don’t heat water. A domestic hot water heat pump or thermal store are both low-carbon options.

Placement and size

The outdoor unit is usually roughly 1–1.5m high and 0.5-1m wide and deep, though this will depend on the size of your rooms. The unit can be installed at ground level or mounted onto an external wall.

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The placement of the indoor units will depend on the specifics of the system being installed. Usually, the indoor unit is placed on the wall in the room you’re heating or cooling, but floor standing or concealed ceiling units are also available. In other instances the indoor unit might be placed in a cupboard or roof space and provide heat to different rooms via ducts.

Cost

The cost of installing an air-to-air heat pump varies depending on the size of your home, but can range from £2,000–£4,000. This includes the unit and components, materials and labour. The cost may be higher in larger homes as you may need multiple units or additional ducting.

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Unlike other systems, which use radiators or underfloor heating to distribute heat using water, air-to-air heat pumps blow warm air directly into the property, which can be cheaper and quicker to install.

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However, air-to-air heat pumps are not eligible for government grants and most green upgrade loans. You can find out more about cost estimates, grants and loans on our ‘Costs and grants’ page.

[.cms-scribble-long]Shared ground[.cms-scribble-long] [.position-relative]source heat pump[.position-relative]

Shared loop (or ‘ambient loop’) ground source heat pumps are heating systems where multiple properties share a common network of buried pipes or boreholes (either out in the road or other common areas) to extract heat from the ground. An individual ground source heat pump unit is placed in each participating home.

Components

A shared loop ground source heat pump system includes three key components: a network of underground pipes – known as the ground loop or ambient loop – which is buried beneath the road or shared space; and an individual heat pump unit and cylinder or heat battery installed in each property.

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The ground loop absorbs heat from the ground and brings it to each home’s individual heat pump unit to heat that individual property. The heat pump unit is connected to a hot water cylinder or heat battery to supply hot water for your taps and shower.

Placement and size

The buried pipes in a shared loop ground source heat pump system are typically installed beneath the road or another communal area, ensuring minimal disruption to property owners. The size of the ground loop depends on the number of properties it serves, the heating demand of each property and the thermal capacity of the top soil or geology.

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Each home will have an individual heat pump unit installed indoors. These units are usually about 50–80cm tall and wide, and 30–50cm deep, or the size of a boiler. Though it can be smaller or larger depending on the home.

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A hot water cylinder is usually about 1.5-2m high and 50-80cm in diameter. Its scale will depend on the size of your property and how much hot water is required. The cylinder is usually located indoors, possibly in an airing cupboard, loft or utility room, although it can sometimes also be sited outside or in a garage. If you currently have a hot water cylinder for your boiler, the replacement will likely fit in its place. If you don’t have space for a hot water cylinder, a heat battery might be a good alternative as it takes up to four times less space.

Cost

The cost of a shared ground source heat pump system for each household includes a proportion of the overall cost of installing the underground piping network and individual units for each home. Installing a shared ground loop is usually less expensive than an individual ground source heat pump system due to shared infrastructure costs. Because the number and size of homes included in the shared system can vary, it’s difficult to provide a generic estimated price.

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Additionally, shared ground arrays are increasingly funded by third-party investors, eliminating up-front capital costs for homeowners or landlords. The cost is recovered over time through a standing charge arrangement.