THE LIVERPOOL FIELD GUIDE / AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
A heat pump at the wall is not a finished heating system. In Liverpool, check the price for hot water, radiators, controls and commissioning.
START WITH THE PROPERTY
A Liverpool boiler replacement can involve more than swapping one heat source. Photograph the old boiler, hot-water arrangement, radiators and consumer unit so the installer can identify what needs removing or changing.
BEFORE YOU ACCEPT A QUOTE
Check that the final scope includes cylinder, controls, radiator work, commissioning and disposal of redundant equipment. If one item is excluded, ask what separate contractor or cost will complete the installation.
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 £780approximate 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 10,271 kWh, the 2024 mean annual domestic gas use per meter in Liverpool. We apply 85% boiler efficiency and a heat pump seasonal performance factor of 3.1, then price the electricity at 27.86p per kWh in Merseyside and Northern Wales.
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 removes the boiler and fits a pump but excludes the cylinder and control upgrades.
Another takes responsibility through balancing, commissioning and handover.
Mark every excluded task and its owner. A functioning heat pump at the wall is not the same as a complete heating and hot-water system.
ANOTHER PROJECT AT THE SAME ADDRESS?
NEXT STEP IN LIVERPOOL
Once the enabling work is listed, ask how each radiator meets its room's heat loss at the proposed flow temperature. Equipment replacement alone is not proof of comfort.