THE CAMBRIDGE FIELD GUIDE / AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
Older walls and windows can make one room govern the whole heating design. Compare Cambridge heat-pump quotes against the same room-by-room survey.
START WITH THE PROPERTY
An older Cambridge home may include rooms with very different wall, floor or window construction. Share any known upgrades and request room-by-room losses before deciding whether radiators need to change.
BEFORE YOU ACCEPT A QUOTE
The flow temperature, emitter schedule and chosen heat pump must agree. If one quote offers a smaller unit, ask which room loads or fabric assumptions allow it, instead of treating the lower rating as a saving.
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 £850approximate 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 11,593 kWh, the 2024 mean annual domestic gas use per meter in Cambridge. We apply 85% boiler efficiency and a heat pump seasonal performance factor of 3.1, then price the electricity at 26.61p per kWh in 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 quote specifies less output after assuming insulation upgrades.
Another sizes to the existing walls and windows and lists emitter changes.
Compare room losses and the dates of any fabric work. A lower-rated machine is sensible only if the rooms remain comfortable under its stated assumptions.
ANOTHER PROJECT AT THE SAME ADDRESS?
NEXT STEP IN CAMBRIDGE
After the heat-loss survey, identify whether a suitable cylinder position exists and how it connects to the present plumbing. That choice affects the full system price.