Heat Pump Installers Manchester: MCS Certified

Manchester has more flats than most English cities outside London, at roughly a third of all households, and only 5.4% of homes are detached. That shapes the heat pump question here more than anything else. A house with a back yard or garden has options; a flat on the fifth floor usually doesn't, unless the block itself changes its heating.

For houses, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, with no income test.

Manchester at a glance

How homes are heated: 67.0% of Manchester households heat with mains gas only and 18.3% (39,199 homes) with electricity only. 1.1% (2,349 homes) are on a district or communal heat network and just 193 homes use oil only. Source
Flats and apartments: About 34.6% of Manchester households live in a flat: 28.1% in purpose-built blocks, 3.9% in converted or shared houses and the rest in converted buildings or above shops. Only 5.4% live in a detached house. Source
Local grant: The Greater Manchester Combined Authority runs the Warm Homes: Local Grant across all ten boroughs, in selected low-income areas only. Owner-occupiers can get up to £30,000 at full cost for insulation and low-carbon heating; gas and oil boilers are not funded. Source
Energy ratings: About 36% of homes with an EPC in Manchester are rated band D or below (median score 71, band C), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Finding space for the outdoor unit

The unit needs free airflow around it and a short pipe run to the house. On a terrace that usually means the back yard, mounted on a ground frame or a wall bracket. Planning Portal rules allow one unit up to 1.5 cubic metres on a house as permitted development, provided it is at least 1 metre from the boundary.

Conservation areas such as parts of Didsbury, Chorlton and Victoria Park add a restriction: the unit can't face a highway. Listed buildings need consent.

Radiators and cylinders

Heat pumps run at lower flow temperatures than a gas boiler, so some radiators may need upsizing. Your installer's heat loss survey will say which ones.

You'll also need a hot water cylinder. If your old combi freed up the airing cupboard years ago, plan where a new cylinder will go before the survey.

GMCA funding in selected areas

In low-income neighbourhoods chosen by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, owner-occupiers can get up to £15,000 for low-carbon heating at full cost under the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Delivery officers contact eligible households directly, and the GMCA lists Manchester's own contact route as still to be confirmed.

Manchester homes and what they need

Victorian red-brick terraces

Solid brick walls lose heat fast. Internal wall insulation on the coldest rooms can cut the heat pump size you need and the running cost.

Interwar semis in the southern suburbs

A side passage or rear garden usually takes the outdoor unit easily. Cavity walls, if filled, make these some of the best heat pump candidates in the city.

City-centre apartments and mill conversions

Individual air-to-water units are rarely practical in tall blocks. Ask your managing agent whether a communal heat pump or heat network connection is planned.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Manchester work across areas including Didsbury, Chorlton, Withington, Levenshulme, Fallowfield, Ancoats, Prestwich, Stretford, Sale and Wythenshawe.

View Manchester on Google Maps

Questions people in Manchester ask

Will a heat pump cope with a Manchester winter?

Yes, if it is sized from a proper heat loss survey. Modern units are designed for UK winters, and the North West's mild, damp climate is well within their range.

Sources

Also nearby: Heat pump installation in Bolton, Heat pump installation in Warrington, Heat pump installation in Liverpool, Heat pump installation in Preston

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