THE BRIGHTON & HOVE FIELD GUIDE / AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
The shortest pipe run may put a heat pump too close to a neighbour's window. Compare viable Brighton & Hove positions with sound and access shown.
START WITH THE PROPERTY
For a Brighton & Hove home with a small yard, take dimensions that include gates, doors and windows near the proposed unit. The footprint must work for neighbours and service access, not just the equipment casing.
BEFORE YOU ACCEPT A QUOTE
The final design should show unit placement, pipe entry, drainage and how it can be maintained. If the first position is not practical, get the heat-loss and cost implications of an alternative in writing.
LOCAL COST EVIDENCE / OCTOBER 2026
A quoted installation price depends on the work inside the home. Electricity use depends on the finished design and tariff.
We could not verify a representative local average for a fully installed, family-sized system. Published installer figures mix starting prices, example homes and different scopes. Averaging them would suggest more certainty than the evidence allows.
For a useful comparison, ask each installer to itemise the heat pump, cylinder, radiator changes, electrical work and commissioning, then show the price before and after any eligible grant.
about £760approximate annual cost if the October–December 2026 unit rate lasted a full year
This is a model, not a measured bill or an average for families with heat pumps. It starts with 10,370 kWh, the 2024 mean annual domestic gas use per meter in Brighton and Hove. We apply 85% boiler efficiency and a heat pump seasonal performance factor of 3.1, then price the electricity at 26.88p per kWh in South Eastern England.
Calculation: 2024 mean gas kWh per domestic meter × 0.85 ÷ 3.1 × Ofgem electricity unit rate. The result is rounded to the nearest £10. It assumes the gas meter's entire use was for heating and hot water, so cooking and other gas use can make it too high. It does not include existing electricity standing charges, servicing, or changes to your other electricity use.
Gas consumption is by local authority, except London, which uses the London region. Oxfordshire combines its five districts by gas-meter count. The electricity rate follows the distribution region for the place; Oxfordshire spans two regions. Actual cost depends on your heat-loss survey, hot-water use, chosen tariff, controls and the installed system's measured performance. Ask the installer for a property-specific annual estimate.
ILLUSTRATIVE QUOTE COMPARISON
One yard layout uses the shortest pipe run beside a boundary window.
Another moves the unit and includes a longer route plus its sound assessment.
Compare sound at the affected receptor, service access and added pipework. The nearest wall is not automatically the best installation point.
ANOTHER PROJECT AT THE SAME ADDRESS?
NEXT STEP IN BRIGHTON & HOVE
With a plausible outside position, the next test is whether each room can be served at the planned flow temperature. Share an existing survey or arrange one before judging unit sizes.