Independent UK heat pump research
Should your home
get a heat pump?
The honest answer depends on your house, your heating bill and a £7,500 grant. We research all three from primary sources - 155+ guides, no sales team, and verdicts no installer can buy.
Find your home
Written for your exact house
A heat pump that works in a Passivhaus can disappoint in a Victorian terrace. We keep 61 suitability guides, one per UK property type - start with yours.
Pre-1919
Victorian terrace
Solid walls and small radiators - what actually works.
Read the guide →1930s
1930s semi
The classic British retrofit, cavity walls and all.
Read the guide →1970s
1970s detached
Big rooms, dated insulation, plenty of siting space.
Read the guide →Single storey
Bungalow
Short pipe runs and loft access make life easier.
Read the guide →Flats
Flat or apartment
Freeholders, siting and the routes that do work.
Read the guide →Post-2010
New build
Designed-in efficiency - sizing is the whole game.
Read the guide →Heritage
Listed building
Consent, sympathetic siting and what conservation officers ask.
Read the guide →Off-grid
Off the gas grid
Where the economics are strongest of all.
Read the guide →All 61 home types
Tenements, park homes, barn conversions, tower blocks and everything between.
Browse the library →The route
Four decisions, in order
-
Claim the grant
Check Boiler Upgrade Scheme eligibility and how the £7,500 comes off your quote.
Grants & policy → -
Do the maths
Running costs against gas, oil and LPG, plus the tariffs that change the answer.
Costs & savings → -
Check your home
Suitability, heat-loss surveys and the guide written for your exact house type.
Your home → -
Pick the installer
MCS vetting, the national installers compared, and the questions to ask.
Installers & quotes →
The physics
One unit in, three to four out
A boiler can never give you more heat than the fuel it burns. A heat pump moves heat instead of making it, so a good installation delivers three to four units of heat for every unit of electricity - the efficiency figure the whole running-cost argument turns on.
Whether that beats your gas bill depends on your electricity tariff and how well the system is designed. That is exactly what our costs cluster works through.
Start here
The four pillars
Boiler Upgrade Scheme 2026: Complete UK Grant Guide
How the £7,500 BUS grant works in 2026, who qualifies, what changed under v5 on 28 April, and the £9,000 oil/LPG uplift live from 21 July 2026.
Read the guide →
Heat Pump Running Costs vs Gas Boiler: UK 2026 Maths
The honest UK 2026 running-cost calculation - Ofgem cap rates, Cosy Octopus, SCOP scenarios. When a heat pump beats gas and when it does not.
Read the guide →
Best Heat Pumps UK 2026: Honest Buyer's Guide
Independent 2026 UK heat pump buyer's guide - Aira, Octopus Cosy 6, BOXT, Heatable, Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Mitsubishi, Daikin, Samsung compared.
Read the guide →
Is My Home Suitable for a Heat Pump? UK Guide 2026
Insulation, heat-loss surveys, radiators, hot water, outdoor space, planning rules and noise - the honest UK suitability checklist for 2026.
Read the guide →Brand verdicts
The units themselves, scored
Mitsubishi Ecodan Review 2026: UK's Quietest Pump?
Read the verdict → 4.4/5Daikin Altherma 3 Review 2026: Best UK Variant?
Read the verdict → 4.3/5Octopus Cosy 6 Review 2026: Cheapest UK Heat Pump?
Read the verdict → 4.2/5Panasonic Aquarea Heat Pump Review (UK 2026)
Read the verdict → 4.1/5Worcester Bosch Compress 7001i AW Review 2026
Read the verdict → 4.0/5BOXT Heat Pump Review 2026: Vaillant Partner Tested
Read the verdict → 3.9/5Samsung EHS Heat Pump Review (UK 2026)
Read the verdict → 3.8/5Aira Heat Pump Review 2026: Subscription Model Verdict
Read the verdict →Editor's scores are research-based - built from spec data, efficiency figures and owner feedback, not hands-on testing. How we score →
Quotes
Compare the national installers
Prices for the same house routinely differ by thousands of pounds. Get at least two quotes, and read our vetting guide before you sign anything.
Octopus Energy
Energy supplier with its own install arm and a heat-pump tariff to match.
Get a quote →Aira vs BOXT vs Octopus Heat Pump UK 2026 (3-Way)
Read the comparison → VSBOXT vs Heatable: 2026 UK Heat Pump Installer Comparison
Read the comparison → VSAira vs Octopus Heat Pump: 2026 UK Decision Guide
Read the comparison →Some links on this site are affiliate links: if you use one we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never affects a verdict - how we handle this.
We don't sell or install heat pumps, and no installer can pay for a verdict. Every grant figure is checked against the primary source before we publish.
Newsletter
The grant-watch briefing
Boiler Upgrade Scheme changes, running-cost updates and new house-type guides, straight from the research desk. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
We'll only email you Heat Pump HQ updates, and you can unsubscribe at any time.