Medway · Heat pump installation
Air Source Heat Pumps in Borstal
Air source heat pumps in and around Borstal, from the first look to the final check with the price fixed before work begins.
- Questions about where the outdoor unit can go
- Planning and permitted development questions
- Comparing heat pump types
Air source heat pumps in Borstal, done properly
As an MCS certified installer, we fit air source heat pumps for homes in Borstal and the rest of Medway. Air-to-water systems feed your radiators or underfloor heating and hot water cylinder, while air-to-air systems heat rooms directly through indoor units and can cool them too. We help you work out which suits your home. If the problem is deciding which kind of heat pump suits the home and replacing a combi boiler with a heat pump, we can sort it out.
Cottages and older homes near Borstal can lose heat faster, which a heat loss calculation will show. Sometimes insulating first makes more sense.
Each manufacturer sets its own warranty period. For instance, Daikin’s standard warranty on split air conditioning is 2 years, and its longer extensions apply to its air-to-water units only. For any other brand, we explain the manufacturer’s terms on your quote.
- Place
- Borstal (ME1, ME2)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Response
- On the working day you ask
- Certified
- NICEIC approved, F-Gas certified, MCS
- Pricing
- Fixed-price quote after a site survey
- Costs
- Air-to-water £8,000–£16,000 before any grant (0% VAT for homes)
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
What a heat pump looks like in Borstal
Valuation Office Agency council tax records date about 58% of homes in and around Borstal to the post-war years, 1945 to 1972, and about 62% of households live in detached or semi-detached houses, according to the 2021 Census. Homes of that age often have cavity walls that may or may not be insulated, which the survey checks. Finding room for the outdoor unit and a cylinder is seldom a problem in homes like these.
Period properties close to St Matthew's can suit a heat pump, though insulation and any heritage protection are checked first. Temple Manor lies about 1 mile north. Owners of listed homes need consent before a heat pump is fitted, so it’s one of our first questions.
Borstal is about 1 mile south-west of Rochester, in Medway. Our engineers cover Borstal for air source heat pumps and across the rest of Medway. Our Medway coverage runs to 68 places, Borstal among them. For properties nearby, see our Bromley page, about 20 miles away.
Our working area takes in ME1 and ME2 in full. The M2 pass through or close to Borstal, which keeps journeys to surveys and visits simple. Places around Borstal that are also on our list: Rochester (1 mile north-east), Strood (1 mile north), Cuxton (1 mile west), North Halling (2 miles west) and Wouldham (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Gillingham (4 miles east), Rainham (5 miles east), Park Wood (5 miles east) and Lordswood (4 miles south-east).
Near you in Borstal
Around Borstal, our work takes us to homes and businesses near Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf and St John Fisher RC Comprehensive School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Cuxton station, about 1 mile west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Six Poor Travellers House (1.3 miles north-east) and Rochester Castle (1.3 miles north-east). Open spaces near Borstal include Blue Bell Hill and Ranscombe Farm.
Borstal questions
Can I fit a heat pump in Borstal without planning permission?
It depends on the property. Around 3 listed entries sit within 0.5 miles of central Borstal. Heat pumps on houses are often permitted development, but listed buildings need consent and conservation areas restrict outdoor units facing a road. Where it’s needed, we check with Medway council, which is normally the planning authority for Borstal.
Do you cover smaller places like Borstal?
Yes. Borstal is within the area we cover across London and the South East. Send a few details and photos, and we reply the same working day.
What accreditations do you have?
As the law requires for refrigerant work, we are an F-Gas certified company. NICEIC approval, MCS certification for heat pumps and Checkatrade membership sit alongside it.
Can I get the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?
It depends on your home and the system. In England and Wales, the scheme offers £7,500 towards an eligible air-to-water or ground source heat pump, and £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump only in limited cases, and we check before you commit.
Why does F-Gas certification matter?
Companies working on equipment that contains F gas must be certified by an approved body, and the engineers need their own qualifications. It means the refrigerant in your system is handled legally.
Do you provide F-Gas records?
Yes. It’s your proof of what was done: the date, the work, and any refrigerant added or recovered.
How does the warranty work?
The manufacturer provides it, on its own terms. Some terms depend on regular servicing by a qualified engineer so it’s worth keeping the service records.
How the job changes from property to property
Outdoor unit position and planning
Under permitted development, the outdoor unit must be 1.5 m³ or less, compliance with MCS 020(a), and use for more than cooling alone. It cannot be within the curtilage of a listed building.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme
There’s one grant per property, and you can’t get a grant to replace a low-carbon system, and hybrid systems are not eligible.
Aftercare tips
Think of this as the after-treatment advice, short and simple:
- Check what your manufacturer’s warranty asks of you
- Let the heat pump run steadily, as set up at handover
- Leave space around the outdoor unit
If you were eligible for a grant, we handle the application and keep you updated since the grant goes through the installer.
Do not cover radiators with furniture or heavy curtains, as the system relies on them giving out heat.
The process
On the day, we arrive at the time agreed with you and check the plan with you first. Dust sheets go down over floors and anything close to the work, and anything electrical is made safe before work starts. On site, it takes several days for an air-to-water system with a new cylinder, less for an air-to-air system. Seeing the property in pictures first helps us plan the trip to Borstal.
- We start with your plans and the property.
- We survey for heat loss and look at radiators, cylinder space and outdoor unit options.
- 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.
- We commission it, complete the MCS certificate and show you how to use it.
How to prepare
- Keep pets and children away from the work area
- Let us know if the building has a permit or sign-in process
- Make sure someone can let us in at the agreed time
Getting a price
Need a price for air source heat pumps? Please ring us on 07833 053749 or write to us at info@aircondoctor.co.uk with a few details about the property. We will explain what we’d recommend and why, then send a fixed-price quote before you commit to anything.
Advice
Honest limits
To be straight with you, there are a few things this work won’t fix:
- Any gas work on the existing boiler
- Grants for hybrid systems or replacements of low-carbon systems
- Insulation work, such as loft or cavity wall insulation
If you’re not sure, just phone 07833 053749 or use the quote form and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book.
What we work on in Borstal
- Hot water cylinders
- Air-to-water heat pumps
- Homes heated by oil, LPG or gas
- Underfloor heating
- Air-to-air heat pumps
- Radiator systems
Places near Borstal
What else we do in Borstal
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