Heat Pump Installers Newcastle: MCS Air Source

Newcastle's mix of housing makes some homes easy candidates and others hard ones. About a third of households sat in a semi-detached house in 2021, and those are often the simplest to convert. Flats, which make up roughly 30% of homes, need more thought about where the outdoor unit goes.

The government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump. There is no income test, and your MCS certified installer claims it for you.

Newcastle at a glance

Homes that are flats: 24.8% of Newcastle households lived in a purpose-built flat or tenement in 2021, and another 6.0% in part of a converted or shared house. Terraced houses made up 23.6% and detached houses 9.5%. Source
How homes are heated: 74.8% of Newcastle households heat with mains gas only and 10.1% with electricity only. 2.3% (2,880 homes) are on a district or communal heat network. Oil-only heating covers 131 households, about 0.1%. Source
Heat pump planning: An air source heat pump is usually permitted development, with size limits of 1.5 cubic metres on a house and 0.6 cubic metres on a block of flats. In a conservation area it must not face a highway, and listed buildings need consent. Source
Energy ratings: About 43% of homes with an EPC in Newcastle upon Tyne are rated band D or below (median score 70, band C), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Where the outdoor unit can go

On a house, a single unit up to 1.5 cubic metres is usually permitted development, so no planning application. Flats in a block have a lower limit of 0.6 cubic metres. In a conservation area, the unit must not face a highway, which matters in parts of Jesmond and Gosforth where many streets are protected.

Back yards in terraced streets are small. The unit still needs airflow around it and a sound level that meets the permitted development rules at the neighbour's window, which your installer works out on the survey.

Heat networks as an alternative

2,880 Newcastle households were on a district or communal heat network at the 2021 Census, more than the city's oil and bottled gas homes put together. If you live in a block that's already on one, a heat pump for your flat alone isn't usually possible or needed. Ask the network operator about its own plans first.

Getting the design right

A heat pump runs best at low flow temperatures. Your installer should do a room-by-room heat loss calculation, then check each radiator. Some will need to be larger. Our air source heat pumps guide explains why, and our heat pump cost guide covers typical totals before the grant.

Heat pumps and Newcastle's homes

Tyneside flats and brick terraces

An upper flat with no ground of its own may struggle to find a legal spot for the unit. A lower flat with a back yard has better options. If both flats in a pair convert, the units must not crowd one yard.

Interwar and postwar semis

Side and rear gardens give plenty of room for the unit. Empty cavity walls and thin loft insulation should be fixed first, so the heat pump can be smaller.

Newer estates on the city edge

Good insulation means low heat loss, and these homes usually need few or no radiator changes. Check the estate's covenants before choosing a spot for the unit.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Newcastle work across areas including Jesmond, Heaton, Gosforth, Fenham, Byker, Benwell, Walker, Kenton, Westerhope and Denton Burn.

View Newcastle on Google Maps

Questions people in Newcastle ask

Will a heat pump cope with a North East winter?

Yes, if it's sized from a proper heat loss calculation. They work well below freezing, though efficiency drops a little on the coldest days.

Can I keep my gas boiler as a backup?

Not with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Hybrid systems with a gas boiler aren't eligible for the grant.

Sources

Also nearby: Heat pump installation in Sunderland, Heat pump installation in Middlesbrough

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