Heat Pump FAQs

The genius of a heat pump is that it doesn’t need to burn stuff to make heat. Instead, it works like a fridge in reverse. It's incredibly efficient, taking warmth from outside your home (even on chilly days) and bringing it inside to heat your water and radiators.

For a complete deep-dive into how to get the absolute most out of your clean energy setup, check out our full Master your heat pump guide.

Nope! We are on a massive mission to help the UK transition to clean energy. Anyone can book a home survey and get a heat pump installed by us, even if your home's energy supply is currently with another provider.

Most homes in the UK are! While having decent insulation helps maximise efficiency, modern high-temperature heat pumps work brilliantly in older properties too. During our initial consultation, we’ll assess your home's thermal layout to ensure a heat pump is the right fit.

Our typical heat pump price is £4,459, which is lower than the national average of £5,600.

This is the median post-survey price from all of our heat pump quotes after the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme has been applied, between the 01/09/2025 - 28/02/2026. National average taken from Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics: April 2026 - median cost of installation Q4 2025.

Prices vary depending on your home, but we provide a transparent, upfront quote for a standard installation based on your property details.

For the best indication of how much a heat pump will cost for you, get an instant quote.

We generate your quote using the information you provide us when you request a quote and EPC data on your home from the national database. This allows us to generate, with a high degree of accuracy, the cost of a standard installation for your property.

If your home requires any non-standard work to make it heat pump ready, our team will let you know after your home survey.

Our quote includes everything required for an efficient, MCS-quality heat pump installation built to our strict design standards. As standard, you get:

• The air source heat pump unit: such as an Octopus Cosy, Daikin, or Grant unit, depending on what's the best fit for your home.

• All required radiators: Any and all radiator upgrades calculated during your survey to make your home heat-pump-ready.

• Hardware & components: A compatible hot water cylinder, plus all plumbing, pipework, and electrical bits needed for the fit.

• Full delivery & labor: Complete end-to-end installation and configuration by our expert in-house engineering team.

• Administrative support: We handle your entire BUS grant application from start to finish. Including a free Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) application if required.

• Initial safety checks: Free asbestos testing for the direct installation areas.

• Standard cover: A 8-year product warrant with a Cosy or Grant Aerona heat pump, or 5-years with a Daikin heat pump. A 2-year warranty on all other parts and a 8-year warranty on labour & workmanship.

• A dedicated team to support with everything: from quote to installation and beyond.

  
  

There may be some additional work or tests required to make your home heat pump ready at an extra cost, such as planning permission in some cases or groundworks for site preparation.

Following your survey, we'll be able to confirm precisely what work is necessary so that you can make an informed decision on whether you'd like to go ahead (see the FAQ above for more detail).

If your home requires extra work beyond our standard design scope to get it heat-pump-ready, it may incur additional costs. We will flag these clearly after your home survey so there are no surprises.

The most common scenarios that may require extra funding include:

• Scaffolding: About 30% of homes require scaffolding so our engineers can complete the installation safely. (Typical cost: £800 - £1,000)

• Planning permission: Roughly 40% of customers need formal planning permission. While we can assist with the technical data, the standard application fee is charged directly by your Local Planning Authority (LPA). (Typical cost: £250 - £347)

• Asbestos removal: We include asbestos testing for free. However, if asbestos is discovered, we legally cannot remove it for you. We will put you in touch with a specialist removal team, and a clean-air test will be required before we can resume work.

• Groundworks & site prep: Any extra labor or structural work needed to prepare the exact physical plots where the outdoor unit or the internal hot water cylinder will sit.

• Structural surveys or loft upgrades: If you want your new hot water cylinder installed up in your loft space, we will require a structural survey to ensure the joists can safely support the weight.

• Fuse or DNO upgrades: Your local Distribution Network Operator (DNO) may state that your property's electrical incoming service or fuse needs an upgrade before handling the heat pump.

• Optional hardware upgrades: If you want extra components outside our standard configuration—such as a specialised solar diverter or a premium hot water tank upgrade—this will add to the final cost. (Note: We only install hardware supplied directly by Octopus).

  
  

We’re not able to install in properties without existing plumbing, or if the plumbing needs to be fully replaced or re-piped to be heat pump ready. If this sounds like you, please email us at heat@octopus.energy and we can refer you to one of our Octopus Trusted Partners.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a central government grant designed to make clean heating affordable for homes across England and Wales.

The grant funding tiers are:

• £7,500 off an air source heat pump if your home is replacing a standard gas system.

• £9,000 off if your home is off the gas grid and replacing an old heating oil or LPG system.

• £5,000 off the cost of a biomass boiler

The best part? You don’t have to do any paperwork. We handle the application on your behalf and deduct either the £7,500 or the upgraded £9,000 grant money straight from your initial installation quote.

Check out this blog for further details on the scheme.

There are flexible payment options available to suit your needs:

• Pay in full or;

• Spread the cost with monthly payments through our finance partner Novuna

  • Loan terms available from 5-10 years

  • Subject to status and affordability

  • Explore all finance options here

    
    

Money-saving tip: Many banks offer cashback rewards of up to £2,000 when you install a heat pump or solar panels with a battery. If you’re a customer of Lloyds, Halifax, Nationwide, and Barclays, you can learn all about these cashback offers here.

The outside bit of a heat pump is roughly 1m x 1m x 2m (or to help you visualise - the size of a moped). It needs a space of around a meter infront and to each side to breathe.

Inside you need space for a hot water tank - 2m x 1m x 1m (the size of a modern fridge freezer), on the ground or first floor of your home (the closer to the outside the better).

The cylinder can also be installed in a garage, outdoors in a purpose-built store, or in the loft, but this may decrease efficiency (it takes more energy to heat the water when the cylinder is exposed to the cold).

If you don't have the room right now, new space saving technology is being developed all the time, so expect this to come down considerably in future (more on this to come 👀).Find out more about hot water cylinders here.

Insulating your home is always a good idea, as it means whatever boiler you have will work more efficiently. Generally homes with an Energy Performance Certificate Rating of D and above, with at least a couple of types of insulation (wall, loft or double glazing) should be well insulated enough already, which includes most homes in the UK. You can check your EPC here. If not you may have to insulate first, which is usually quite straightforward (cavity wall insulations costs around £500 and takes 4 hours on average) and we can help arrange this for you.

The short answer: Not necessarily, but you might need a couple of upgrades.

The why: Heat pumps are green heroes because they run at lower, more consistent temperatures than traditional gas boilers. To keep your home perfectly toasty at these lower temps, you sometimes need slightly larger radiators to distribute the heat effectively.

What happens next: * Our surveyors will calculate your home's exact needs during your home survey. If you do need a few upgrades, we’ll map it all out and include it directly in your upfront quote—no surprise costs.

• If you need them, we'll install your shiny new radiators at the same time as your heat pump.

Bonus tip: Heat pumps also work brilliantly with wet underfloor heating systems (just note that they don't pair up with electric/dry underfloor systems).

If your home has an artex ceiling or was built before the year 2000, for safety reasons, it’s likely that an asbestos test will need to be completed before we can begin your installation. The good news is that Asbestos testing is included in the price of an Octopus heat pump - so that's one less thing to think about.

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a mineral that occurs naturally in specific types of rock. Due to its durability, fire-resistance, and relatively low cost, it was used in the manufacture of thousands of products, particularly building materials up until 1985, when it became known that asbestos poses serious respiratory health hazards to people who are exposed to even a small amount of airborne fibres. The HSE has guessed that all buildings constructed before the beginning of the 21st century may contain asbestos in the UK.

Most heat pumps can be fitted under something called permitted development, which means that planning permission is not required. In fact, regulations in England have been significantly relaxed to allow for larger units and more flexible placements.

However, there are still a few scenarios where your install may not fall under permitted development, in which case advice and/or planning permission must be sought from your Local Planning Authority (LPA). The most common reasons include:

• Noise assessment limits: Your proposed heat pump location does not pass a strict noise assessment (i.e., the proposed location is too close to a neighboring property’s habitable window).

• Special property designations: Your property is located within a World Heritage Site or conservation area, or itself is a Listed Building.

How the process works:

• Our Assessment: We'll let you know after your home survey if we think any of these scenarios apply to you. We will inform you if your proposed heat pump install would be subject to planning permission being obtained from your LPA, but we’re unable to submit planning applications on your behalf.

• Why it matters: As Octopus Energy is an MCS-accredited installer, planning permission must be officially obtained prior to commencing your heat pump installation.

• Costs & Grants: There may be a application cost charged by your LPA of around £347 to submit your planning application, but if successful, this allows us to legally claim the government BUS grant on your behalf.

In the meantime, you can read more about permitted development and planning permission for heat pumps here.

Making home improvements is really exciting, and a heat pump could be the icing on the cake! If you’re planning to make structural changes (like knocking down a wall or adding an extension), you will need to wait for the renovation to be complete before we can begin designing your heat pump.

This is because big changes will alter the overall heat loss and thermal performance of your property. We tailor your heat pump design specifically to your home, so if the layout changes, the needs of your heat pump will too. This means your heat pump may end up being too small or less efficient, and cost you more money in the long run. Your heat pump may also no longer meet MCS requirements, which is needed for the government grant.

However, there are some things you can factor into your renovation plans now to get your home heat pump ready:

• Underfloor heating/ radiators - underfloor heating is the perfect partner for heat pumps or larger, higher output radiators to accommodate the lower flow temp. Just let your contractor know you're planning to match it with a heat pump and they'll find the right emitters for you.

• Pipework - you'll need a minimum pipe size of 15mm for a conventional heat pump. If you have smaller pipes, they can still work well but you may need a more bespoke system.

• Space - think about where you'll be placing your heat pump (outside) and water cylinder (inside) - the closer together, the better!

• Insulation - renovation can be a prime time to add more insulation to your property, which will make your heating more efficient (whatever system you have).

  
  

Please get back in touch once your renovation is structurally complete and we'll be happy to give you a heat pump quote.

With every heat pump, we install a new hot water cylinder or keep your existing one if it’s compatible. This is used to heat and store your hot water for use throughout the day. To find out everything you need to know about hot water cylinders, what size you need and how to get the best out of your hot water check out this blog.

With an Octopus heat pump, you’ll be able to set your schedule and temperature from wherever, whenever with an app on your phone.

Check out our handy video on how to set up a schedule for a Daikin on the in-home control panel for a little insight into how it works: https://octo.ps/schedule

Think of it as a clever extra brain for your Cosy. It looks at live data from the energy grid to automatically run your heating and hot water at the cheapest, greenest times, while keeping your home exactly how you like it.

It juggles a lot of math behind the scenes—checking live grid prices, carbon levels, and your personal schedule. It then creates an invisible "Smart Schedule" to tell your Cosy exactly when to do its thing.

(You will need a smart meter installed for this magic to work!)

Nope. It lives up in the cloud, constantly updating throughout the day to hunt down the lowest costs and carbon impact. You’ll always see your normal, chosen schedule in the app—our tech just works in the background to deliver exactly what you asked for, just cheaper.

Absolutely. Edit your heating and hot water schedules whenever you like. Just give the big brain in the sky a bit of time to crunch the new numbers—your changes will usually kick in by the next day.

You can use Smart Heating with any Octopus tariff – fixed or variable, standard or smart. If you’re on Cosy Octopus, Smart Heating will detect the tariff and automatically account for the dip and peak time periods.

Flexible Octopus & other non-smart tariffs

No, this can’t save you money. Your energy costs the same all day, so it won't cut your bills—but you will cut your carbon footprint!

Cosy Octopus

Yes, this can save you money! Smart Heating knows you're on Cosy. Don't micro-manage your temperatures to match the cheap slots; just set your ideal temperature and let us do the heavy lifting.

Agile Octopus

Yes this can save you money!  Because Agile prices change every 30 minutes, Smart Heating will actively dodge the pricey peaks and grab the bargain slots for you.

Intelligent Octopus Go

This could save you some money, but not much. Because Agile prices change every 30 minutes, Smart Heating will actively dodge the pricey peaks and grab the bargain slots for you.

Don’t panic. When you first flip the switch, our tech needs about 12 to 36 hours to check your account and recognise your tariff.

While it's getting its bearings during the first day or two, it might accidentally schedule some heating or hot water during a pricier peak window. It’s completely temporary—once it settles in, the big brain will start dodging those expensive slots automatically.

Of course - you always have the power. However, it works best if you leave it to do its thing consistently. If you do switch it off, give the app about 30 seconds to wave goodbye to the cloud before you exit the settings page.

Not just yet. For now, it’s one or the other. If you want a bit of hush, you’ll need to switch Smart Heating off (and vice versa).

No, not yet. Smart heating only knows the prices on the grid and your tariff. It can’t “see” what your battery’s inverter is doing. However, if your battery is set for you to self-consume when grid/tariff prices are high, smart heating will likely turn your Cosy on at the same time (provided your schedule needs it) so you’ll mostly heat your home using the battery when prices are high.

If you've encountered any issues with your heat pump, check out our Heat Pump Support page before getting in touch.

You can find lots of tips for the best ways to run your heat pump at our support page. Including tips on how to set a schedule, tariffs and running your heat pump.

If you move after your heat pump has been installed, your finance agreement with Novuna stays the same. It’s a personal credit agreement linked to you, not the property - so you’ll still be responsible for the repayments, even if you move home.

Call us: 0808 196 6842
Email: heat@octopus.energy

Our phone lines are open 9am - 5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am - 4pm on a Friday.

If you need support after installation, the phone line is open 8am – 8pm Monday to Saturday, 10am - 6pm Sunday.

For the fastest response, fill out this form to raise any issues. Alternatively, you can email us at heat@octopus.energy.

Check out our full complaints procedure here.

Cosy heat pump customers on the Cosy Octopus tariff saved an average of £224 last year compared to using a gas boiler running at 85% efficiency on our standard variable tariff

This figure is based on the actual energy consumption of all Cosy heat pump customers on a Cosy Octopus tariff between 1 July 2025 and 1 July 2026, using tariff rates at the time.

We compared this to the cost of producing the same amount of heat with a gas boiler operating at 85% efficiency, priced using our Flexible Octopus (standard variable) tariff at the same time. 

Savings from gas standing charges were included only for customers who had fully removed their gas supply (less than 3% of customers). Actual savings vary depending on system design, tariff choice, home insulation, and energy use.

Our typical heat pump price is £4,459, which is lower than the national average of £5,600

This is the median post-survey price from all of our heat pump quotes after the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme has been applied, between 01/09/2025 and 28/02/2026. The national average is taken from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics: April 2026 – median cost of installation Q4 2025.

Cut carbon emissions by 82% with a heat pump

This is the typical reduction in heating carbon emissions using an electric powered heat pump compared to a gas boiler.

The carbon breakdown

• Gas CO2 (tonnes per year) - 2.42

• Electricity CO2 (tonnes per year) - 0.43

• Carbon saving (tonnes per year) - 1.99

Data sources and assumptions

• Gas Energy Usage (kWh) 11500 (Ofgem medium use gas usage (Jun 2026))

• Heat Pump Efficiency 312% (typical seasonal coefficient of performance from a fleet of Octopus high temperature heat pumps)

• Gas Boiler Efficiency 85% (The typical gas boiler efficiency from a BEIS study)

• Gas fuel emissions of (gCO2/kWh) 210 (SAP 10.2)

• Electricity fuel emissions of (gCO2/kWh) 136 (SAP 10.2)

Based on these sources, heat pumps typically produce lower operational emissions when heating the home than gas boilers.

For more information, explore our Octopus Cosy heat pump fleet performance dashboard.

We're the largest heat pump installer on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme

Based on Octopus benchmarking against Ofgem reports from 2024, and we've continued to grow since.

Our customers love their heat pumps! 

- 93% of people say it's the same or more comfortable than their previous boiler

- 87% say it costs the same to run or less

- 83% say it's the same noise or less than the previous boiler

- 90% say it's just as easy or easier to maintain

We survey all our heat pump customers 3 months post-installation to see how they find their heat pump compared to their previous gas boiler. Survey results are taken from a sample of 2,837 customers:

• Comfort: 93% of people say it is the same or more comfortable than their previous boiler.

• Running Costs: 87% say it costs the same to run or less.

• Noise: 83% say it is the same noise or less than the previous boiler.

• Maintenance: 90% say it is just as easy or easier to maintain.

  
  

A heat pump is around 4x more efficient than a gas boiler

Heat pumps don't generate heat by burning fuel. Instead, they transfer existing heat into your home. This means they can deliver multiple units of heat for each unit of electricity used.

Based on performance data from a fleet of installed Octopus Cosy heat pumps, typical real-world seasonal performance (SPF or SCOP) is around 3.6. This means around 3–4 kWh of heat is delivered for every 1 kWh of electricity used (an effective efficiency of 300–400%). By comparison, typical UK domestic gas boilers operate at around 85% efficiency, delivering approximately 0.85 kWh of heat per 1 kWh of gas used. On this basis, a heat pump can be around 4× more efficient than a typical gas boiler.

All our heat pumps are independently tested by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), with SCOP values published on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) product database. Actual efficiency will vary depending on the property, system design, and usage. For more information, explore our Octopus Cosy heat pump fleet performance dashboard.

The UK's most awarded energy supplier

We've won more awards for customer service than anyone else.

Heat pumps give reliable, consistent heating and hot water

The heat pump user survey report by Nesta from May 2023 summarises that "users are highly satisfied with their heat pumps". It states: "People living in England, Scotland and Wales who own their home and use a heat pump to heat it are satisfied that heat pumps are safe, reliable, quiet heat sources that are effective for space heating and producing hot water." Find the full report here.

The Cosy heat pump is quiet

Heat pump sound power levels are verified by an independent, third-party laboratory as part of the testing process for inclusion on the MCS product database. The laboratory verifies the sound power on the A-weighted decibel curve, as A-weighting closely aligns to how humans perceive "loudness".

All heat pumps are measured using EN14511 standards to ensure uniformity across manufacturers and models. Our Cosy 6 heat pump has a verified sound power level lower than many other heat pumps of the same capacity.

Heat pump heating makes the air healthier in your home

Homes with a heat pump emit far less harmful nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions than those with gas boilers and cookers, significantly reducing asthma and other respiratory illnesses. According to the Sustainable Markets Initiative Cleantech Homes report.

A heat pump can add thousands to your property value

Analysis by the Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge suggests a 16% value uplift for new-build homes with enough solar and battery storage to eliminate energy bills. A further study of over five million existing properties indicates a 2-3% value increase for existing homes with solar panels or heat pumps (versus like-for-like gas-heated homes), according to the Sustainable Markets Initiative: Cleantech Homes report, 2024.

As of April 2025, the average house price in the UK is £265,497 according to the Land Registry. Therefore, a 2-3% value increase for an average house priced at £265,497 would be between £5,310 and £7,965.

Heat pumps typically last longer than gas boilers

The expected lifespan of a typical gas boiler is 10–15 years. A heat pump typically has a lifespan of 15–20 years, with UK government research indicating an average of around 20 years. Manufacturer Daikin reports similar ranges. Actual lifespan depends on factors such as installation quality, maintenance, usage patterns, and operating conditions.