THE OXFORDSHIRE FIELD GUIDE / AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
An extension can change the heating calculation room by room. In Oxfordshire, show the surveyor where the original building ends before anyone sizes a heat pump.
START WITH THE PROPERTY
If an Oxford terrace has gained a rear kitchen, ask when it was built and whether its floor, walls and glazing differ from the original rooms. Give that history to the heat-loss surveyor before anyone proposes radiator sizes.
BEFORE YOU ACCEPT A QUOTE
A design can look convincing on total kilowatts while one room remains under-served. Read its heat loss beside the proposed emitter output and flow temperature; ask what fabric work, if any, the installer has assumed.
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.
£830–£860approximate 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 11,852 kWh, the 2024 mean annual domestic gas use per meter in Oxfordshire's five district councils, weighted by domestic gas meters. We apply 85% boiler efficiency and a heat pump seasonal performance factor of 3.1, then price the electricity at 25.60–26.47p per kWh in Southern England or West Midlands, depending on postcode.
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
A lower price retains every radiator and gives one whole-house heat figure.
A second design lists each room's loss, replaces the front bedroom radiator and states its flow temperature.
Ask the first designer to show how that bedroom reaches its target temperature on the same survey assumptions. The equipment price alone cannot settle the comparison.
ANOTHER PROJECT AT THE SAME ADDRESS?
NEXT STEP IN OXFORDSHIRE
A heat pump design also needs a credible cylinder position and a route to the current plumbing. Show us the airing cupboard or alternative location before treating equipment placement as settled.