This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. Ground source cost bands are from Heatable’s ground-source guide and iHeat’s heat-pump FAQ, checked 16 August 2026, and neither firm lists a ground source model on its live product page. Grant figures are from Ofgem’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme property-owner page, checked the same day. Last reviewed: August 2026.
You can’t look up a fixed price for a ground source heat pump the way you can for a boiler. The number comes from a survey of your property, and it’s a big one: Heatable’s guide puts a horizontal loop at about £18,000 to £28,000 and a borehole at £30,000 to £50,000, both including their MCS install, while iHeat’s FAQ gives a single £15,000 to £35,000 band. Even after the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, or £9,000 if you’re off-gas replacing oil or LPG, you’re left with a five-figure balance.
The honest headline is that ground source is the expensive way to heat a house, and most UK homes are better off pricing an air source heat pump first. Both firms’ live shops are air source anyway, and a ground source quote runs through the same heat-pump tool, then a survey. The air source numbers are in our air source heat pump cost guide, and the grant that applies to both is in our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.
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Ground source heat pump cost: the short version
Treat ground source as a designed groundworks job. Heatable’s guide puts a horizontal loop at about £18,000 to £28,000 and a borehole at £30,000 to £50,000, with installation by their MCS-certified team; iHeat’s FAQ gives £15,000 to £35,000 and says they’ll quote. There’s no Alpha, Vaillant or Worcester ground source package on iHeat’s live page, and Heatable’s product page is built around air source. The £7,500 grant, or £9,000 off-gas oil or LPG, still applies. Quote Heatable first on the heat-pump link and say you want ground source; add iHeat for a second survey price.
What ground source heat pump cost actually covers
Ground source cost is the indoor heat pump, the ground array (trenches or boreholes), the manifolds, a hot-water cylinder and controls, the labour to design and fit it, and any heating-side work the survey turns up. The groundworks are most of the money. That’s why it isn’t a 60-second boiler-style buy, and why neither partner puts a ground source unit next to the Alpha Hydro on the shop page.
| Source | What they publish | After £7,500 |
|---|---|---|
| Heatable horizontal (3-bed guide) | £18,000–£28,000 | About £10,500–£20,500 |
| Heatable vertical / borehole | £30,000–£50,000 | About £22,500–£42,500 |
| iHeat FAQ band | £15,000–£35,000 | About £7,500–£27,500 |
| iHeat live catalogue | Air source models only | No ground source package listed |
Heatable’s figures are from their ground-source guide, including installation by their MCS-certified team and the groundworks; iHeat’s band is from the heat-pump FAQ. The after-grant column is arithmetic on the £7,500 England and Wales grant, and your survey is the number that counts. One thing to watch: for a 3-bed, Heatable also publish a kit-plus-install figure of £12,000 to £18,000 with groundworks on top, so we use the all-in bands above rather than that lower figure, to avoid counting the kit twice.
Live catalogues are air source first. iHeat’s three packages (Alpha Hydro £10,595, Vaillant aroTHERM Plus £11,495, Worcester 5800i £11,995) are air-to-water, and Heatable’s product page is an air source estimate tool. For ground source you start a heat-pump quote and tell them you want it; don’t expect a model page like the air-source list.
Horizontal loop or borehole?
Heatable’s guide splits the job the way most UK quotes do:
- Horizontal loop. Pipes in trenches under a decent garden. Their 3-bed example is about £18,000 to £28,000 all-in. You need land; a small terrace lawn won’t do it.
- Vertical borehole. Drilled 75 to 200 metres on their copy, used when space is tight. £30,000 to £50,000, because of the rig.
iHeat’s FAQ doesn’t split horizontal from borehole. It gives one £15,000 to £35,000 band and says air source is the common, easier install. On site they put ground source at 5 to 7 days versus 2 to 3 for air source, before any trenching or drilling.
The grant on ground source
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays the same £7,500 for ground source as for air-to-water in England and Wales, rising to £9,000 for off-gas properties replacing oil or LPG from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027. Air-to-air is a different, £2,500 product. The installer must be MCS, and hybrids that keep a fossil-fuel boiler alongside a heat pump aren’t eligible. It’s installer-led: they apply, you confirm consent, and it comes off the invoice. Full rules are in our Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.
Heatable and iHeat on ground source: a quote path, not a model
Heatable’s dedicated ground-source guide says installation is by their MCS-certified engineers and uses the generic heat-pump quote button. The live product page is the air source estimate, with the £240 heat-loss survey and 2 to 5 day install copy; there’s no ground source model list. iHeat’s FAQ lists ground source at £15,000 to £35,000 and says they can quote, but the catalogue on the product page is air source only.
iHeat’s 0% APR is advertised on heat pumps, so ask the ground source quote whether that rate still applies, because the published packages are the three air-source models. Either way the buy path is the same heat-pump links as air source: tell the estimator you want ground source. If they steer you to air source after looking at the garden, that’s the survey talking, not a switch we’ve invented.
Heatable first, iHeat for a second survey price
Both are MCS installers and both apply for the £7,500 grant. Heatable is the first quote for most homes; iHeat is the second number, or the first if you already want Vaillant aroTHERM Plus, Alpha Hydro or Worcester 5800i on the air-source side. For ground source, quote either and say so, then expect a survey rather than a model page.
- Instant estimate, then a £240 heat-loss survey
- £240 refunded if they install
- Ground-source guide, MCS-certified install
- BUS paperwork handled, MCS + Which?
- Air-source packages: Alpha, Vaillant, Worcester
- Ground source quoted via the heat-pump tool
- 0% APR on heat pumps (confirm it applies to GSHP)
- BUS paperwork handled, MCS engineers
When ground source is the job, and when it isn’t
Ground source can make sense when
- You have the garden, or access for a drill rig
- You want quieter running and stable ground temperatures
- You’re off-gas on oil or LPG and can use the £9,000 window
- You’ll stay long enough to wear the extra capital cost
Stay on air source when
- You want a public model price (iHeat’s three packages)
- The garden can’t take trenches or a borehole
- You want the lower band (£7,000–£13,000 typical at Heatable)
- You want a 2 to 5 day install, not 5 to 7 plus groundworks
The usual air source route is in our air source heat pump cost guide, and if you’re still weighing a new boiler, our heat pump vs boiler guide compares the two.
How to buy
- Most homes: start with Heatable’s heat-pump estimate and tell them ground source. Expect a survey, not a model.
- Second number: iHeat’s heat-pump quote, same instruction. Their live list will still show air source packages.
- Off-gas on oil or LPG: ask both to price the £9,000 uplift to 31 March 2027.
- No land, or you want a published package: price air source instead.
- Scotland or Northern Ireland: the grant doesn’t apply, so don’t use the grant column.
Frequently asked questions about ground source heat pump cost
How much does a ground source heat pump cost in the UK?
Heatable’s guide puts a horizontal loop at about £18,000 to £28,000 on a typical 3-bed, or £30,000 to £50,000 for a borehole. iHeat’s FAQ gives £15,000 to £35,000. After the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant you still pay a five-figure balance, and neither figure is a live model price.
Do Heatable or iHeat sell a ground source heat pump off the shelf?
No. Heatable have a ground-source guide and a generic heat-pump quote; iHeat mention ground source in the FAQ and will quote. The live catalogues are air source. Use the heat-pump links and say you want ground source.
Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cover ground source?
Yes. It pays £7,500 in England and Wales, the same as air-to-water, or £9,000 if you’re off-gas replacing oil or LPG, from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027. The installer must be MCS and applies on your behalf.
How long does a ground source install take?
iHeat’s FAQ puts ground source at 5 to 7 days, versus 2 to 3 for air source. Heatable’s product page quotes 2 to 5 days for the air source job they actually sell. Budget extra time for trenches or drilling, and confirm it at the survey.
Should I get a ground source or an air source heat pump?
Most UK homes should price air source first. Ground source is for land, noise and a stable ground loop, not for beating air source on the invoice. Quote Heatable then iHeat either way. Who to use is in our heat pump installers guide.