Crowborough and Uckfield are both in Wealden District, which has 41 conservation areas. Wealden District Council manages 33 of them, including Crowborough and Uckfield, and the South Downs National Park Authority manages the other eight. Around both towns are villages and rural homes where a heat pump may replace oil or LPG, and where the grant rules can work in your favour.
Prices
| System | Price |
|---|---|
| Single room split | £1,200–£2,200 + VAT |
| Two-room multi-split | £2,800–£4,500 + VAT |
| Three to five rooms | £4,500–£8,500 + VAT |
| Air-to-water heat pump | £8,000–£16,000, 0% VAT on homes at present, before the £7,500 grant |
| Annual service | £95–£150 + VAT |
Installation includes the equipment, fitting, commissioning and F-Gas documentation. Repairs start with a diagnosis visit from £75 + VAT.
Leaving oil or LPG
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers £7,500 towards an air-to-water heat pump. Until March 2027, homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas can get an extra £1,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump. For an air-to-air system the grant is £2,500, and only where it takes over from the oil or LPG boiler completely and can heat the whole house on its own.
Keep in mind that the scheme is for homes, not businesses; that the installer has to hold MCS certification; that each property gets one grant; that a home already on a low-carbon system can’t claim to replace it; and that hybrids and boiler add-ons are excluded. We’re MCS certified and handle the application. Our grant guide explains the air-to-air rules, and our heat pump cost guide covers air-to-water.
What changes the price in a rural home
Rural properties can mean longer runs between the house and a good outdoor position, older solid walls, and electrics that need an upgrade. For an air-to-water heat pump, the radiators and hot water cylinder matter too: we check whether the existing radiators are big enough for lower flow temperatures. All of this is assessed on the survey and shown on a fixed-price quote.
Want it done properly? AirCon Doctor installs, repairs and services air conditioning and heat pumps across London and the South East, from our base in East Grinstead. We’re an F-Gas certified company and NICEIC approved. Get a fixed-price quote.
Planning in the town centres
Wealden District Council’s conservation areas page has a boundary map for the Uckfield conservation area, and both a draft character appraisal and a map for Crowborough. If your home is in either, an outdoor unit on a wall or roof that fronts a road isn’t permitted development, so we look for a rear or side position. Listed buildings need listed building consent.
If your home is inside the South Downs National Park, the National Park Authority is the planning authority; its guide has a map to check.
Air conditioning in the towns
Not every enquiry is about leaving oil. In Crowborough and Uckfield homes, a single room split for a bedroom or study is the most common starting point, and most modern units can heat the room in winter too. The usual factors set the price: how close the outdoor unit can sit to the room, the pipe route, the wall type and the electrics. A multi-split serves two to five rooms from one outdoor unit and is worth considering if you might add rooms later.
The national rules
The Planning Portal allows an air source heat pump on a house without a planning application where the outdoor unit is 1.5 m³ or less, it complies with MCS 020(a), it isn’t used solely for cooling and it’s not on a pitched roof or within the grounds of a listed building. Air-to-air heat pumps are covered since 2025. A cooling-only unit is not.
VAT
Under HMRC Notice 708/6, qualifying heat pumps installed in homes are zero-rated until 31 March 2027 and 5% after that. Not every air conditioning unit will qualify, as HMRC looks at the facts of each installation, so we confirm the VAT on your quote. Commercial premises are charged at the standard rate. Treat this as general guidance, not tax advice.
Local pages: Crowborough and Uckfield. We’re based nearby in East Grinstead; see our East Grinstead price guide.
Quick answers
Can I get £9,000 for a heat pump in an oil-heated home near Crowborough?
Until March 2027, an air source or ground source heat pump in a home on oil or LPG with no mains gas can get the £7,500 grant plus an extra £1,500, if the conditions are met.
Is Uckfield town centre a conservation area?
Wealden District Council lists an Uckfield conservation area with a boundary map on its website. Check the map for your address.
Will my old radiators work with a heat pump?
Some will and some need upsizing. We check each room on the survey.
Do you install air conditioning as well as heat pumps here?
Yes. We fit air conditioning, air-to-air and air-to-water heat pumps across Wealden.
Related services
More advice
- The £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme Grant for Air-to-Air Heat Pumps
- Air Source Heat Pump Cost UK 2026: Complete Guide
- Air Conditioning Cost in East Grinstead: 2026 Price Guide
- Air Conditioning Cost in Dorking and Leatherhead: 2026 Price Guide
- All advice
This guide is general information, checked against the sources linked on 30 October 2026. It isn’t legal, tax or financial advice. Rules, grants and product ranges change, so check the current position before you rely on it.