Heat Pump Installers Birmingham: MCS Certified

Birmingham has a lot of housing that suits a heat pump well. More than a third of households live in a semi, usually with a side path or a back garden, and cavity walls that can be filled before the survey.

Birmingham at a glance

How homes are heated: 74.2% of Birmingham households heat with mains gas only and 11.7% (49,507 homes) with electricity only. 0.6% use a communal or district heat network, and 2.4% (9,995 homes) have no central heating at all. Oil-only heating covers 292 homes. Source
Types of home: 35.6% of Birmingham households live in a semi-detached house, 27.8% in a terrace and 21.0% in a purpose-built block of flats. Only 11.2% live in a detached house. Source
Local grant: Birmingham City Council's Warm Homes Local Grant (2025 to 2028) covers only six Retrofit Priority Areas: Balsall Heath, Bromford, Castle Vale, Sparkbrook, Sparkhill, and Tyseley and Hay Mills. Next Energy is upgrading 625 private homes. Homes must be rated EPC D to G. Source
Heat pump planning: One air source heat pump of up to 1.5 cubic metres is usually permitted development on a house, and up to 0.6 cubic metres on a block of flats. Listed buildings need consent, and in conservation areas the unit cannot face a highway. Source
Energy ratings: About 53% of homes with an EPC in Birmingham are rated band D or below (median score 68, band D), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Grants that help

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards an air source heat pump in England, with no income test. Your installer must be MCS certified and applies on your behalf.

If you live in one of the council's six Retrofit Priority Areas, such as Castle Vale or Sparkhill, the Warm Homes Local Grant lists air source heat pumps among its measures for eligible homes rated EPC D to G. Our heat pump cost guide shows typical prices before any grant.

Where the outdoor unit goes

A single unit of up to 1.5 cubic metres on a house is usually permitted development, as long as it meets the MCS noise standard. Conservation areas stop it facing a road, and listed buildings need consent.

The installer will look for a spot with airflow, a solid base and a short pipe run to the cylinder. A side wall on a semi is often ideal.

Electric homes and heat networks

11.7% of Birmingham households heat with electricity alone. Replacing old storage heaters with a heat pump can cut running costs sharply, but it means fitting radiators and pipework from scratch, so get a full quote.

About 2,500 homes take heat from a communal or district network. Switching those is up to the building owner.

Heat pumps in Birmingham's homes

Interwar semis in the outer suburbs

The easiest Birmingham case. Fill the cavities and top up the loft first, then the heat loss survey will size a smaller unit. Expect a few radiators to be upsized.

Victorian and Edwardian red brick terraces

Solid brick walls lose more heat, so bay-fronted rooms may need bigger radiators. With no side access, the unit goes in the back yard and the pipes run through the kitchen.

Tower blocks and city-centre apartments

Individual units are rare in high-rise blocks. A balcony may take a small unit with the freeholder's permission, but a shared system is usually the realistic route.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Birmingham work across areas including Edgbaston, Moseley, Kings Heath, Harborne, Erdington, Selly Oak, Hall Green, Sutton Coldfield, Acocks Green and Handsworth.

View Birmingham on Google Maps

Questions people in Birmingham ask

Will it work in a cold snap?

Yes, if it is sized for your home's heat loss. Heat pumps run longer and at lower temperatures than a boiler; our air source heat pumps guide explains why.

Can it cool in summer too?

Air-to-water models feeding radiators don't cool. Air-to-air units can, and the scheme pays £2,500 towards one.

Sources

Also nearby: Heat pump installation in Coventry, Heat pump installation in Wolverhampton, Heat pump installation in Leicester, Heat pump installation in Derby

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