Is my home suitable for a heat pump?

Checked November 2026

Almost certainly, yes. A large UK trial put heat pumps into 742 homes of all ages and types and didn’t find any kind of house that couldn’t have one. The better question is what your home needs first, and whether the cost of that makes sense for you.

That trial was the Electrification of Heat project, run by Energy Systems Catapult. 163 of the installs were in houses built before 1945. Its conclusion was that no property type or architectural era is unsuitable for a heat pump (Energy Systems Catapult, December 2021).

So “my house is too old” usually isn’t the problem. What changes from house to house is how much work goes in around the heat pump. A well insulated 1990s semi might need very little. A draughty Victorian terrace might need bigger radiators and some insulation. Both can work. Below is what we look at.

How much insulation do I need for a heat pump?

A heat pump doesn’t need a perfectly insulated house. But the less heat your home loses, the smaller the heat pump can be and the less it costs to run.

That’s why we start with the basics. Is the loft insulated, and how thick is it? Are the walls cavity or solid, and are the cavities filled? Is there a suspended timber floor letting cold air up? Are there big draughts round doors and windows?

None of these is a pass or fail. They feed into the heat loss calculation, which works out how much heat each room needs on a cold day. That sets the size of the heat pump and tells us which radiators need to change.

Cheap fixes like topping up loft insulation or sorting draughts are often worth doing before or alongside the install. Bigger jobs like solid wall insulation are a different decision. Sometimes they make sense. Sometimes bigger radiators do the job for less. We’ll tell you which we think is better for your home and why.

If you’ve had insulation work done that isn’t visible, like underfloor insulation, keep the invoices and photos. They help the survey reflect what’s really there.

Do I have space for the outdoor unit?

An air source heat pump needs an outdoor unit. It has to sit somewhere with good airflow, where we can run pipes into the house and where it won’t bother you or the neighbours.

Most homes can have one without planning permission. Listed buildings and road-facing walls in conservation areas are the main exceptions.

The old rule that it had to be at least a metre from your boundary has gone (legislation.gov.uk, changed 29 May 2025). That opens up a lot of small back yards and side passages that were ruled out before. The unit still has to pass the MCS 020(a) noise check, though, so siting still matters.

There’s more in our guide to heat pump planning permission.

Will my radiators and pipes work?

A heat pump runs your heating at a lower water temperature than a boiler. Each radiator gives out less heat at that temperature, so some rooms need a bigger one. It’s often a few rooms rather than all of them.

Very narrow microbore pipes can limit how much heat reaches a room. That doesn’t rule a home out, but we’ll look at it. Our guide do I need new radiators for a heat pump? goes into the detail.

Where would the hot water cylinder go?

A heat pump can’t make hot water on demand like a combi, so it needs stored hot water. Usually that’s a cylinder. Baxi says most go in a utility room, an airing cupboard or the loft.

If you have a system or regular boiler, you probably have a cylinder already. It may or may not be reusable. If you have a combi, we need to find a spot. A heat battery is a smaller option in some homes. Our guide on hot water cylinders for heat pumps covers the choices.

What about my electricity supply?

A heat pump runs on electricity, so your connection is part of the check. GOV.UK guidance says a heat pump has to be registered with your local electricity network operator. The installer looks at the heat pump and your connection and works out whether the network operator needs telling before or after it goes in.

Some can be fitted first and notified after. Others need the network operator’s agreement before any work starts, which can affect the start date. GOV.UK says the owner should make sure the installer has done the notification, so it’s fair to ask.

Will I qualify for the grant?

A house can be fine for a heat pump and still not qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. GOV.UK says you must own the property and be replacing a fossil fuel system such as gas, oil, electric or LPG, and most new builds and social housing can’t apply. If you qualify it’s £7,500 for an air source heat pump in England and Wales, and we check the current rules for your home at the assessment.

Local homes: what to check

Every house is different, but these are the questions worth asking about the common types round here.

Terraced houses in Hinckley. Where can the outdoor unit go, back yard or side passage? Is there a neighbour’s bedroom window close by for the noise check? Where’s the cylinder going if there’s a combi? Our page on heat pump installation in Hinckley has more on the town.

1930s semis in Coventry. Are the cavities filled? Is the loft insulation thick enough? Is there a box room or airing cupboard that could take a cylinder? See our page on heat pump installation in Coventry.

Regency and period homes in Leamington. Is it listed, or in a conservation area? Is the front facing the road, which rules out that wall in a conservation area? Can the unit sit in a rear yard or lightwell? Our page on heat pump installation in Leamington Spa covers local installs, and our guide to heat pumps in older and period homes goes into more depth.

Frequently asked questions

Will a heat pump work in an old house?

Usually, yes. The Electrification of Heat trial installed 163 heat pumps in homes built before 1945 and didn’t find any age of property that couldn’t have one. Older homes often need more work on radiators or insulation.

Do I have to insulate first?

Not always. Better insulation can mean a smaller heat pump that costs less to run. Whether it’s worth doing first depends on the cost and what it saves, and we’ll go through that with you.

Can I have a heat pump in a flat?

Sometimes. Under the planning rules the outdoor unit on a flat can’t be bigger than 0.6 cubic metres, which is smaller than for a house. Space for the unit and a cylinder is usually the deciding factor. We’d need to see it.

How do I find out for sure?

Book a free home assessment and we’ll look at your home room by room. It’s the first step in our air source heat pump installation process. You can see how it works in our guide to what happens in a home energy assessment.

Want to know if your home is ready? Our free home assessment will tell you.

Sources

• Energy Systems Catapult, “All housing types are suitable for heat pumps, finds Electrification of Heat project” (742 installs, 163 pre-1945, no property type or era unsuitable, published 16 December 2021), checked 3 November 2026, es.catapult.org.uk
• legislation.gov.uk, SI 2025/560 (amends Class G, removes the boundary rule, from 29 May 2025), checked 2 November 2026, www.legislation.gov.uk
• legislation.gov.uk, The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 14 Class G, as amended by SI 2025/560 from 29 May 2025, checked 2 November 2026, www.legislation.gov.uk
• Baxi, “What you need to know about your air source heat pump’s cylinder” (published 18 June 2026), checked 3 November 2026, www.baxi.co.uk
• DESNZ and BEIS, GOV.UK, “How to register energy devices in homes or small businesses: guidance for device owners and installation contractors” (published 31 March 2021), checked 3 November 2026, www.gov.uk
• GOV.UK, “Check if you’re eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme”, checked 3 November 2026, www.gov.uk
• Ofgem, “Boiler Upgrade Scheme” (grant amounts), checked 2 November 2026, www.ofgem.gov.uk