Heat pumps
Replacing your boiler with a new heat pump could help lower your energy bills and reduce your home’s carbon emissions. We’re here to help people make the switch.
Key facts
- A well-designed heat pump can save around £80 -£170 a year compared to a gas boiler. Complete our suitability checker to get savings tailored to your home.
- A heat pump can maintain a steady and consistent temperature throughout your home.
- A well-maintained heat pump should last for 20 years or longer.
- Grant funding of £7,500 is available to homeowners in Scotland.
What are heat pumps?
Heat pumps - air source, ground source, or water source - are a way of heating your home and providing hot water. These modern, low-carbon heating systems are much more energy efficient than boilers and other types of electric heating. Heat pumps could help lower your energy bills and reduce your home’s carbon emissions.
Heat pumps efficiently move heat from the surrounding air or ground into your home, requiring much less energy than traditional heating systems burning gas or oil. Heat pumps use electricity to operate, but as our grid shifts to cleaner energy sources like renewables, heat pumps become increasingly low carbon over time.
Benefits of heat pumps in Scotland
There are many benefits to installing a heat pump in Scotland.
- Save on your energy bills. A semi-detached home could save you around £80-£170 a year.
- Lower your carbon emissions. If you're currently heating your home with a gas or oil boiler, then switching to a heat pump is one of the most effective ways you can lower your carbon footprint.
- Make your home more comfortable. Many people report that with a heat pump their home is much more comfortable as the whole home is maintained at a relatively constant temperature.
- For long-lasting heating with fewer hassles. The lifetime of a well-maintained heat pump is around 20 years with some lasting longer. In comparison, a boiler's lifetime is more like 15 years. Both systems need to have annual services, and performance can degrade over time. If you're switching from oil or LPG, you won't need to arrange fuel deliveries anymore and will never run out of fuel, and you'll be protected from dramatic fuel fluctuations. You can also get your oil or LPG tank removed if other appliances don't require the fuel. This can give you more outside space and reduces any risk of an expensive replacement if the tank has any issues.
Check your suitability
Go to the Home Renewables SelectorAnswer a few questions to find out which technology is suitable for your home.
Funding support
The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan provides homeowners in Scotland a grant, interest free loan or a combination of both to install clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures. *Higher grant amounts are available for people living in very rural postcodes.
The Warmer Homes Scotland programme provides eligible homeowners with fully funded energy-saving improvements, which can include heat pumps where suitable for your home and needs.
Local, area-based schemes are run by councils. If you live in social housing, your landlord may already be installing a heat pump as part of wider home upgrade programmes.
If you're unsure what support you could get, get in touch with us and we'll talk you through your options.
Heat pump costs and savings
Costs
As a guide you could expect the following:
| Heat pump | Typical cost | Home Energy Scotland grant | Cost after grant |
| Air-to-air | £3,700 | No | Not available |
| Air-to-water | £13,000 | Yes | £5,500 |
| Ground source | £34,000 | Yes | £26,500 |
*The cost will depend on the heat pump size and the work required in the home, such as pipework, a new hot water cylinder and upgraded radiators. Most systems come with a two to three-year warranty. Typical costs are based on the mean average of invoices supplied by Home Energy Scotland applicants between 2019 and 2025, with inflationary uplifts applied to earlier years. These averages include homes needing extensive upgrades as well as homes requiring minimal work. They are illustrative only. The only way to know the cost for your home is to get a quote based on a proper assessment.
Savings
Savings on your energy bills vary from home to home, but they can be significant.
They depend on several factors, including:
- the quality of the installation
- what heating system you're switching from
- the tariff you use with the heat pump
- how well the controls are set up.
For example, in a semi-detached home currently heated by gas, a medium-performing heat pump could save around £80 a year, while a high-performing system could save £170.
Homes switching from oil can see more variation. Oil prices change more sharply over time, so savings can depend both on heat pump performance and the current cost of oil. A high-performing heat pump can help reduce costs, but some households may still spend more each year compared to heating with oil.
If you're switching from gas and making your home all electric, you can have your gas supply removed and stop paying any standing charges. As of January 2026, this is around £128 over the year, but standing charge costs can change.
If you have solar panels or are considering them, a heat pump can work really well with them. You can use more of the electricity you generate instead of selling it to the grid. And this makes the combined savings bigger still.
What heat pump is right for you?
There are three types of heat pump; air source, ground source, and water source. Read on to find out how they work, the benefits, potential costs and savings, and what to think about before installing.
Heat pump heroes
Our heat pump heroes are homeowners who’ve already made the switch to save energy and cut carbon emissions and are keen to encourage others to do the same. Read their stories to learn more about their experiences and what it's really like installing and living with this low-carbon technology.
Be inspired by the heat pump heroes
Speak to a Home Energy Scotland advisor
Free, impartial advice on home upgrade options and available funding.
Find an installer
You can search for Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified installers in your area and read customer reviews on Energy Saving Trust's Renewables Installer Finder.
Check your suitability
Answer a few questions to find out which technology is suitable for your home.
View case studies
Visit Energy Saving Trust's Green Homes Network to discover how others have successfully improved their homes with measures such as heat pumps.