This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. Prices and grant figures are from Heatable and iHeat’s own pages and Ofgem, checked 26 August 2026, and change from time to time, so the live quote is the figure that counts. Last reviewed: August 2026.
Heat pump installation is a designed job, not a next-day boiler swap, and that’s the single most useful thing to understand before you start. A survey sizes the system to your home, and the design, the radiators and the pipework decide whether it runs well, so the work is closer to a small building job than a like-for-like replacement.
For most homes, quote Heatable first: a free online estimate, then a £240 heat-loss survey that comes off the bill if they install, typically 2 to 5 days on site and booked around 2 to 4 weeks after the survey. Add iHeat if you want a named package at a fixed price with 0% APR. The catch is that the survey can add a hot-water cylinder, larger radiators or electrical work, so treat any headline as a starting point. Our air source heat pump cost guide has the numbers, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide covers the £7,500 grant that comes off the price.
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The short version
Installation is a designed job, so the first step is a survey, not a delivery date. Quote Heatable first: the online estimate is free, the £240 survey comes off the balance if they install, and the fit itself is typically 2 to 5 days on site, booked around 2 to 4 weeks after the survey. iHeat sell three named packages, the Alpha Hydro, Vaillant aroTHERM Plus and Worcester 5800i, at fixed prices with 0% APR, and advertise next-day if you order before 3pm, though a survey and design still sit in front of any date. Both are MCS-certified and take the £7,500 grant off the invoice in England and Wales.
How the two installers run the job
Heatable and iHeat take the job on in different ways, and it’s worth seeing them side by side before you book. Full write-ups are in our Heatable review and iHeat review.
| Heatable | iHeat | |
|---|---|---|
| First step | Free online estimate | Pick a named package |
| Survey | £240 heat-loss survey, refunded if they install | Heat-loss survey and design before install |
| Lead time | Booked 2–4 weeks after the survey | Advertises next-day if you order before 3pm (survey first) |
| On site | 2–5 days | 2–3 days |
| System | Designed for your home, no named model | Alpha, Vaillant or Worcester package |
| Finance | Spreads the cost monthly | 0% APR, no deposit |
On iHeat’s side, each package carries a 7-year warranty, the Alpha Hydro is rated A++ with a silent mode and the Vaillant and Worcester units are A+++ and Quiet Mark accredited. Their next-day line is a booking claim rather than a boiler-style swap, since the survey and design come first. Heatable are blunt that a heat pump is more disruptive than a boiler swap, which is the honest way to put it.
What it costs, and the grant
The price depends on the survey, but the starting points are clear: Heatable quote a typical £7,000 to £13,000 before the grant, and iHeat’s named packages run from £10,595 including VAT. The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant comes off in England and Wales, or £9,000 if you’re off-gas replacing oil or LPG, so the balance is what matters. After the grant, Heatable’s band nets to roughly £0 to £5,500 and iHeat’s packages to £3,095 to £4,495, before any survey extras. The full breakdown of what pushes a job higher is in our air source heat pump cost guide.
What the survey and install involve
The heat-loss survey is where the real design happens, and it’s what the price is built on. Here’s what it covers, and what the install itself tends to involve:
- A room-by-room heat-loss calculation to size the unit to your home, rather than a rule of thumb.
- A hot-water cylinder if you’re coming from a combi, which needs cupboard or loft space.
- Radiators checked, and some upsized to run at a lower flow temperature, rather than the whole lot swapped by default.
- Pipework and electrics checked, with upgrades on older or tired systems.
- A spot for the outdoor unit, weighing space, noise and how close it sits to a boundary.
- A firm price once the survey is done. If it finds extra pipework, radiators or electrical work, both firms say they’ll tell you before you commit.
Quote Heatable first, then iHeat
Both installers are MCS-certified, both survey before quoting a firm price, and both take the £7,500 grant off the invoice. Heatable is the free first estimate and a system designed for your home; iHeat is the named-package price and the second number to compare.
- Free instant estimate, then a heat-loss survey
- £240 survey, refunded if they install
- Typically 2–5 days on site
- MCS + Which? Trusted Trader
- Alpha Hydro, Vaillant aroTHERM Plus or Worcester 5800i
- Fixed price, 7-year warranty
- 0% APR, no deposit
- MCS + Which? Trusted Trader
Who a heat pump install is for
Installation makes most sense if you’re replacing an ageing oil, LPG or electric system, or a gas boiler you’re ready to move on from, and your home is reasonably well insulated or you’re willing to get it there. Because the design matters more than the model, the first move is a survey, not a shopping list, which is why we’d quote Heatable first for a free estimate and add iHeat for a named package. A home with an existing hot-water tank is the simpler conversion; a combi needs space for a cylinder, and old, leaky homes with tired radiators may need upgrades first.
If you’re off-gas on oil or LPG, ask both to price the £9,000 uplift rather than the £7,500. If you’re in Scotland, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme won’t apply, so look at Home Energy Scotland. And on planning, most air source units are permitted development in England, Scotland and Wales, subject to limits on boundary distance, highway-facing walls and noise, though listed buildings, conservation areas and flats are the usual exceptions, and both firms check this on the survey.
Frequently asked questions about heat pump installation
How long does heat pump installation take?
Heatable quote a typical 2 to 5 days on site, booked around 2 to 4 weeks after the survey. iHeat put an air source install at roughly 2 to 3 days. Ground source takes longer, usually 5 to 7 days. In every case a heat-loss survey comes before the install date.
Is a heat pump a straight swap for my boiler?
No. It’s more disruptive than a boiler swap. The survey often adds a hot-water cylinder if you’re coming from a combi, and some radiators may need upsizing to run at a lower flow temperature. Both firms survey and design before quoting a firm price, which is why the headline is a starting point.
What happens at the heat-loss survey?
An engineer works out your home’s heat loss room by room to size the unit, then checks the radiators, pipework, electrics, cylinder space and a location for the outdoor unit. If the survey finds extra work, the price can move, and both firms say they’ll tell you before you commit.
Can I really get next-day heat pump installation?
iHeat advertise next-day installation if you order before 3pm, but treat that as a booking claim rather than a same-day boiler swap. A heat-loss survey and a system design still sit in front of any install date.
How much does installation cost, and is the survey extra?
Heatable’s typical range is £7,000 to £13,000 before the grant, with a £240 survey that’s refunded if they install. iHeat’s named packages start from £10,595 including VAT with 0% APR. The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme comes off in England and Wales, so you pay the balance.
Do I need planning permission for a heat pump?
Most air source units are permitted development in England, Scotland and Wales, subject to limits on how close the unit sits to a boundary, whether it faces a highway, and noise. Listed buildings, conservation areas and flats are the usual exceptions, and both firms check this on the survey.