Heat Pumps Nottingham: MCS Certified Installers

Nottingham already heats thousands of homes without a boiler. The council's district heating network serves about 5,000 dwellings from the Eastcroft incinerator. For everyone else, an air source heat pump is the main low-carbon option.

Semis in Wollaton, Beeston and West Bridgford often make good candidates: cavity walls, gardens and room for a cylinder.

Nottingham at a glance

District heating: Nottingham City Council runs a heat network of 68 km of insulated pipe across the city centre and St Ann's. It supplies heating and hot water to about 5,000 dwellings and over 100 commercial premises, using heat from the Eastcroft incinerator, with gas boilers as back-up. Source
How homes are heated: 72.8% of Nottingham households heat with mains gas only, 11.0% with electricity only and 2.6% from a communal or district heat network. Just 65 households use oil alone. Source
House types: 27.4% of households live in a terraced house, 33.3% in a semi and 15.6% in a detached house. About 23.5% live in a flat, maisonette or apartment. Source
Local grant: Nottingham City Council's Warm Homes: Local Grant is handled by Nottingham Energy Partnership. It is for homes rated EPC D to G with household income below £36,000 or certain benefits. The council says it is oversubscribed and the waiting list could take up to a year. Source
Energy ratings: About 47% of homes with an EPC in Nottingham are rated band D or below (median score 69, band C), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Is your house ready?

A heat pump runs at lower temperatures than a boiler, so it needs a well-insulated house and radiators big enough to deliver the heat. The MCS installer's heat loss survey shows which rooms need larger radiators.

Fill the cavity walls and top up the loft first. Both are cheap and can reduce the size of unit you need.

Paying for it

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump. Your installer claims it, and there is no income test.

Nottingham City Council's Warm Homes: Local Grant can also cover heat pumps for lower-income households in homes rated EPC D to G. The council says it is oversubscribed, with a waiting list that could take up to a year, so register early with Nottingham Energy Partnership if you think you qualify.

Planning

Most installations on houses are permitted development, as long as the unit is no bigger than 1.5 cubic metres and at least a metre from the boundary. Different rules apply in conservation areas and for listed buildings. Flats need the freeholder's consent and may need planning permission.

Nottingham homes and what they need

Victorian terraces

Solid brick walls lose more heat. A heat pump can still work, but expect more radiator upgrades and possibly internal wall insulation on the coldest rooms.

Interwar and post-war semis

The side passage or back garden usually has space for the unit, and an airing cupboard for the cylinder.

City-centre flats and warehouse conversions

Individual heat pumps are hard to fit in blocks. If your building is near the heat network, ask the managing agent whether connection has been looked at.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Nottingham work across areas including West Bridgford, Beeston, Wollaton, Sneinton, Lenton, Mapperley, Arnold, Carlton, Bulwell and Hucknall.

View Nottingham on Google Maps

Questions people in Nottingham ask

Are heat pumps noisy?

Modern units are about as loud as a fridge at a few metres. The installer must check the noise level at your neighbour's nearest window.

Do I need to change my radiators?

Some, not usually all. The heat loss survey shows which rooms need bigger radiators to stay warm at the lower flow temperature.

Sources

Also nearby: Heat pump installation in Derby, Heat pump installation in Leicester, Heat pump installation in Sheffield

All heat pump installation locations →