Greater London · Heat pump installation
Balham air source heat pumps
Air source heat pumps across Balham and nearby, from the first look to the final check with the price fixed before work begins.
- Finding a place for the outdoor unit
- Moving away from fossil-fuel heating
- A boiler that is getting old
Air source heat pumps for homes and businesses in Balham
A £2,500 grant is available for some air-to-air heat pumps, with conditions. It has to replace the fossil-fuel heating, cover the whole heating demand, be fitted by an MCS certified installer and be in a home, so an add-on next to a boiler is not eligible. Common call-outs are for finding a place for the outdoor unit and planning and permitted development questions, on underfloor heating, radiator systems and air-to-air heat pumps.
In a flat in Balham, the lease and the freeholder usually decide where a heat pump can go. Permitted development limits are different for flats, and we check before designing.
AirCon Doctor is an F-Gas certified company and NICEIC approved for electrical work, MCS certified for heat pumps and a Checkatrade member. Refrigerant work is done by engineers who hold the F-gas qualifications the law requires.
- Place
- Balham (SW12, SW17, SW4)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price guide
- Air-to-water £8,000–£16,000 before any grant (0% VAT for homes)
- Pricing
- Fixed after a survey or photos
- Enquiries
- Answered the same working day
- Credentials
- NICEIC and F-Gas, MCS
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Leave it or put it right?
The 0% VAT rate on heat pumps in homes runs until 31 March 2027, then 5% applies. It’s a date to bear in mind when planning, though the right time also depends on your home and heating. Consents in London blocks can take time, which is another reason to plan the job in Balham early.
What you pay reflects the actual work. That is why we look at the job first, from photos or on a survey, and why the quote is fixed before work begins.
Why us?
- MCS certified for heat pumps
- A 24/7 emergency line
- NICEIC approved for electrical work
- Diagnosis first, then a fixed price
See our cost guide and how to check a contractor.
What affects the quote in Balham
The diagnosis comes before the price. The main factors are:
- What electrical work the job needs
- The number of rooms, units or zones
- The condition of any existing system
One room or a whole building, the quote is built the same way: what needs doing, how we get to it and what it needs. You’ll have a fixed price before work begins, and the quote sets out the VAT.
What we need to know
Simple jobs can often be priced from pictures and some basics. Send what you can of the following:
- A photo of the consumer unit with the cover closed
- The postcode and whether it’s a home, flat or business
- Any previous service or F-Gas records
Photos are the fastest route to a quote: the inside and outside of the property where the work is, plus the rating plate of any unit already there. Tell us the address and what you need, and many jobs can be priced from that.
The process
Where something has to be switched off during the work, we agree it with you first so it doesn’t catch you out. For businesses, we can typically work room by room or zone by zone. On site, it takes a few days on site, depending on the cylinder, the radiators and the pipework involved. Parking bays, permits and roof or balcony access are the first things we ask about in Balham.
- First, a chat about the property and your goals for the heating.
- A survey covers heat loss, radiators, hot water and where the outdoor unit could sit.
- We explain which type of heat pump suits the home and whether a grant could apply.
- We install the heat pump and connect it up.
- The job ends with commissioning, the MCS certificate and a walk through the controls.
How to prepare
- Keep pets and children away from the work area
- Make sure we can reach the consumer unit or fuse board
- Unlock any gate, garage or side passage we need
How to get a quote
Quoting starts with a diagnosis, either on a site survey or, for simple jobs, from your pictures and details. After that, we send a fixed price so you know the cost before we begin.
Advice
Homes in Balham and heat pumps
The Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures put about 64% of homes across Balham and its surrounding area before 1919, and about 63% of households live in flats, according to the 2021 Census. Older homes can lose heat faster, so a room-by-room heat loss calculation, and sometimes insulation or larger radiators, comes before sizing a heat pump. A flat may have no room for a hot water cylinder, and the freeholder usually has a say on the outdoor unit, which can tip the choice towards air-to-air. London homes can be short of space for an outdoor unit and cylinder, which affects the choice of heat pump.
Period properties close to Church of St Mary can suit a heat pump, though insulation and any heritage protection are checked first. Carlyle's House lies about 2.9 miles north. Owners of listed homes need consent before a heat pump is fitted, so it’s one of our first questions.
Balham is about 2 miles south-west of Stockwell, in Greater London. Across the SW12 area, we can help with air source heat pumps. In Greater London alone we list 764 places, and Balham is one.
Our nearest recent job to Balham was on Streatham High Road, Streatham (SW16), about 1 mile south-east: installing two LG wall-mounted units in the main nail bar area and a third unit in the treatment room.
All of SW12, SW17 and SW4 is within our area. We cover homes and businesses on Lynn Road, Weir Road and Byrne Road and the roads around them. Places around Balham that are also on our list: Grange Mills (1 mile north-east), Hyde farm estate (1 mile east), Clapham Park (1 mile north-east), Streatham Park (1 mile south-east) and Tooting Bec (1 mile south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as London (5 miles north-east), City of Westminster (5 miles north), Marylebone (5 miles north) and Kensington (4 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Balham
We fit and service air conditioning in homes and premises around Oak Lodge School, Wandsworth Common and The Bedford pub. There’s a railway station in Balham itself: Balham station. Well-known places in the area include St James' Hospital (0.5 miles west) and London Sewing Machine Museum (0.6 miles south-west). Open spaces near Balham include Knight's Hill and Battersea Park Lake.
Before you call an engineer
Leave the units and pipework where they are. Disconnecting a system means dealing with refrigerant, which only a qualified engineer can do, and the electrical side needs a competent person. Ask us to quote for a move instead.
Owners can handle the everyday basics: keeping the outdoor unit clear, checking the mode and set temperature, and the routine cleaning in the manual. Opening up the units, the electrics and the refrigerant circuit are a job for us.
Balham: your questions answered
Can I have air conditioning in a flat in Balham?
Often, yes, but the lease and the freeholder typically have a say. We look at where the outdoor unit could go, such as a balcony, flat roof or rear wall, and write it up for the freeholder or agent.
Can I get the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant in Balham?
Balham is covered, as the scheme runs across England and Wales. The grant is £7,500 for an air source (air-to-water) heat pump and £2,500 for an air-to-air system that replaces the existing fossil-fuel heating. As an MCS certified installer, we apply for it on your behalf.
Do you protect the property while you work?
Floors and furniture near the work are covered with dust sheets before we start, and we tidy up as we go. Before we leave, we clear up and run through the work with you.
How does the warranty work?
It’s the manufacturer’s, and the terms are theirs. Some terms depend on regular servicing by a qualified engineer, so keep your service records.
Can you come out in an emergency?
Yes. Our emergency line runs 24/7 for breakdowns that cannot wait. Ring 07833 053749 any time and explain the problem.
When will I hear back?
The same working day. After that, we agree a survey, diagnosis or installation date that suits you, and you get a fixed price before any work goes ahead.
Do you offer maintenance contracts?
Yes. Maintenance contracts are part of what we do, set at the interval the system and the manufacturer’s terms need. Every visit is recorded, with F-Gas records where refrigerant work is involved.
Other services in Balham
From one of our customers
“Excellent service from start to finish. Two wall-mounted units installed in our home. Clean, tidy work: they protected all the floors and left no mess. The systems work brilliantly. Would highly recommend.”
Sarah M., East Grinstead