Home Heat pump installation Preston
Heat pump installation in Preston
We pass your request to MCS certified installers who cover Preston and claim the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for you.
The strongest case for a heat pump in Preston is in the homes off the gas grid. More than 1,000 households in the city heat with oil or LPG, and those properties get an extra £1,500 on top of the standard £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant until March 2027.
Suburban semis and modern estate homes are also good candidates, with outdoor space and decent insulation.
Preston at a glance
- Oil and off-gas homes
- 688 Preston households (1.2%) heated with oil only in 2021, more than double the share in Warrington and over ten times that in Manchester or Liverpool. Another 338 used tank or bottled gas and 112 used wood only. Source
- House types
- 34.2% of Preston households live in a semi, 29.2% in a terrace and 19.0% in a detached house. About 17.5% live in a flat. Source
- Local grant
- Preston is part of a Lancashire consortium led by Blackpool Council for the Warm Homes: Local Grant, with a £35.3m allocation shared across 13 councils. Source
- Energy ratings
- About 42% of homes with an EPC in Preston 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
What a good survey covers
An MCS installer calculates heat loss room by room, checks your radiators and pipework, and works out where the outdoor unit and hot water cylinder will go. Expect the survey to take a couple of hours.
If radiators are undersized for lower flow temperatures, some may need replacing. It's often fewer than people fear.
Do you need planning permission?
Most air source heat pumps on houses are permitted development, provided the unit is no larger than 1.5 cubic metres and sits at least a metre from the boundary. Conservation areas and listed buildings carry extra limits.
Local funding
Preston is in the Blackpool-led Lancashire consortium for the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Lower-income households in homes rated EPC D to G may get help with insulation or a heat pump. Apply through the GOV.UK eligibility checker.
Rural homes around Preston
Off-gas homes in the villages north of the city are often detached, with gardens that easily take the outdoor unit and room for a buffer tank or cylinder. Older stone farmhouses with solid walls and single glazing need more care. Sealing draughts, topping up loft insulation and replacing the worst windows can make the difference between a heat pump that copes and one that struggles in January.
Ground source heat pumps are also an option where there's enough land for trenches or a borehole. They cost more to install but run more efficiently in deep winter.
Preston homes and what they need
Red-brick terraces from the mill era
A small back yard can take a wall-mounted unit. Solid walls lose heat, so insulation may come first.
Suburban semis in Fulwood, Ashton and Penwortham
Side passages and rear gardens make placement easy. These homes usually suit a heat pump well.
Modern estates on the north-west edge
Good insulation means a smaller heat pump and lower running costs. The main question is cylinder space.
Areas covered
Engineers who cover Preston work across areas including Fulwood, Ashton-on-Ribble, Deepdale, Penwortham, Ribbleton, Ingol, Cottam, Broughton, Walton-le-Dale and Lostock Hall.
Questions people in Preston ask
Will a heat pump cost less to run than my Preston oil boiler?
Often, yes, with a well-designed system and a suitable tariff. Your installer should give you an estimate based on your home.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Boiler Upgrade Scheme, what you can get
- Planning Portal: Air source heat pumps
- ONS Census 2021, TS046 central heating (Nomis)
- GOV.UK: Warm Homes: Local Grant successful local authorities
Also nearby: Heat pump installation in Bolton, Heat pump installation in Liverpool, Heat pump installation in Manchester, Heat pump installation in Warrington