THE LEICESTER FIELD GUIDE / AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
Planned insulation should appear in the heat-loss assumptions with a date, not as an invisible saving. Tell a Leicester surveyor what work is committed.
START WITH THE PROPERTY
If a Leicester home is due for loft insulation or draught work, tell the surveyor what is committed and what is only an idea. Room losses should not quietly assume improvements that may never happen.
BEFORE YOU ACCEPT A QUOTE
Ask which fabric standard each quoted design uses. An installer who sizes for future work should explain whether the system will still heat the home comfortably before that work is complete.
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 £870approximate 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 12,575 kWh, the 2024 mean annual domestic gas use per meter in Leicester. We apply 85% boiler efficiency and a heat pump seasonal performance factor of 3.1, then price the electricity at 25.36p per kWh in East Midlands.
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 connects a pump to existing radiators without stating operating temperature.
Another measures emitters and prices the changes needed at its chosen flow temperature.
Request room loads and radiator outputs on the same sheet. The cheaper connection only works if each room still meets its load.
ANOTHER PROJECT AT THE SAME ADDRESS?
NEXT STEP IN LEICESTER
When fabric plans are clear, photograph emitter sizes and the existing boiler area. The quote should identify changes needed to heat each room at its proposed flow temperature.