Heat Pump Installers Cardiff: MCS Air Source

Cardiff's climate is kinder to heat pumps than most people assume. January nights at Bute Park average 2.5°C, well within the range an air source unit handles efficiently. The harder question is the house itself: just over half of Cardiff homes with an EPC are rated D or below, and a leaky house needs a bigger, costlier heat pump.

Cardiff at a glance

How homes are heated: 78.4% of Cardiff households heat with mains gas only and 10.4% with electricity only. Oil-only heating covers 209 homes (0.1%), and 456 homes (0.3%) are on a district or communal heat network. Source
Homes that are flats: 26.5% of Cardiff households lived in a flat, maisonette or apartment in 2021: 20.2% in purpose-built blocks and 5.0% in converted or shared houses. Another 29.6% lived in terraced houses. Source
Energy ratings: 47.5% of Cardiff homes with an EPC lodged up to March 2022 were rated C or above, so just over half sat at D or below. Among homes built before 1930, only 17.1% reached C. Source
Rain and winter cold: The Met Office station at Cardiff Bute Park recorded about 1,200 mm of rain a year on average over 1991 to 2020. January nights averaged 2.5°C and July days 21.8°C. Source
Nest scheme: Nest, the Welsh Government's scheme, funds heat pumps, insulation and solar panels for owners and private renters on means-tested benefits or low incomes whose home is rated EPC 54 (E) or lower, or 68 (D) or lower where someone has an eligible health condition. Source
Median energy score: About 42% of homes with an EPC in Cardiff are rated band D or below (median score 70, band C), against 53% across Wales. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Grants that apply in Wales

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers Wales as well as England. It pays £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump, with no income test, and your MCS installer claims it for you.

Nest, run by the Welsh Government, can fund a heat pump in full for lower-income owners and private renters whose home is rated E or below, or D or below where someone in the household has a qualifying health condition. Our heating grants page for Cardiff explains both in more detail.

The survey that decides everything

A proper survey calculates the heat loss room by room, checks each radiator's output at a lower flow temperature and finds a spot for the outdoor unit and a hot water cylinder. Expect some radiators to be upsized.

Ask for the expected seasonal efficiency, or SCOP, in writing. The installer must also check noise against MCS rules, which matters in the closely packed streets of Cathays and Canton.

Planning in Wales

Permitted development rules for heat pumps in Wales are set by the Welsh Government and differ from England's. Listed buildings and conservation areas, such as Llandaff, need extra care. Ask your installer to confirm with Cardiff Council's planning team before you sign.

Cardiff homes and what they need

Victorian bay-fronted terraces

Solid walls and single-skin rear extensions lose heat quickly. Loft and floor insulation first, then a heat pump on the rear yard wall, is the usual order. Front-wall siting is rarely an option.

Interwar and post-war semis in the northern suburbs

The best fit in the city. Cavity walls can be filled, gardens give space for the unit, and the existing airing cupboard can take a new cylinder.

Modern apartments around Cardiff Bay and the centre

Individual heat pumps rarely work in a block without a balcony or a plant area. Ask the managing agent whether a communal system is planned before you look at your own unit.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Cardiff work across areas including Roath, Cathays, Canton, Pontcanna, Grangetown, Splott, Llandaff, Whitchurch, Rhiwbina and Penarth.

View Cardiff on Google Maps

Questions people in Cardiff ask

Will a heat pump cope with Cardiff's damp winters?

Yes. Damp air around freezing makes the unit defrost more often, which a good design allows for. Our air source heat pumps guide explains defrost cycles.

How much will it cost after the grant?

It depends on the size and radiator changes. Our heat pump cost guide uses national figures to show typical totals.

Sources

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