THE LONDON FIELD GUIDE / AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
A courtyard or roof position is only useful if you can obtain the right to use it. Check control of the outside space before a London heat-pump design relies on it.
START WITH THE PROPERTY
In a London leasehold home, a courtyard or roof area can look available while belonging to the freeholder or another resident. Confirm control of the proposed external position before paying for a detailed design around it.
BEFORE YOU ACCEPT A QUOTE
The quote should separate heating performance from access and consent. Ask what happens if the preferred unit position is refused: can the design move, does pipework change, and which costs have already been committed?
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 11,936 kWh, the 2024 mean annual domestic gas use per meter in London region. We apply 85% boiler efficiency and a heat pump seasonal performance factor of 3.1, then price the electricity at 26.60p per kWh in London.
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 design assumes an outdoor unit beside a shared boundary.
Another makes freeholder consent a named condition and prices an alternative position.
Confirm control of the space first. Then compare the two routes for sound, pipe length, service access and any change to heating performance.
ANOTHER PROJECT AT THE SAME ADDRESS?
NEXT STEP IN LONDON
Once a viable outside location is identified, the home still needs a heat-loss survey and emitter schedule. Ask how the proposed flow temperature will serve the hardest-to-heat room.