Reading · Heat pump installation
Air Source Heat Pumps in Caversham
F-Gas certified and NICEIC approved, we cover Caversham for MCS certified installation of air source heat pumps for heating and hot water, with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant applied for. A fixed price before we start, and a 24/7 emergency line.
- Ageing boilers that will need replacing
- Not knowing whether a grant applies
- Working out where a cylinder could go
Air source heat pumps for homes and businesses in Caversham
An air-to-water heat pump heats water to a lower temperature than a typical boiler which means some radiators may need upsizing. We check each radiator against the room’s heat loss and anything that needs changing is in the quote. If the problem is working out where a cylinder could go and deciding on the outdoor unit position, we can sort it out.
Plenty of older homes in Caversham can run on a heat pump, sometimes with larger radiators or more insulation. We work that out from a heat loss calculation.
Looking after a system is mostly common sense: clear space around the outdoor unit, the cleaning the manual describes and a service at the recommended interval. That also helps where the warranty terms ask for regular servicing.
- Where
- Caversham (RG4)
- Region
- Reading
- Approvals
- NICEIC approved, F-Gas certified, MCS
- Enquiries
- Answered the same working day
- Guide price
- £8,000–£16,000 (0% VAT on homes), before the grant
- Quote
- A fixed-price quote up front
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Honest limits
Not every problem is solved by air source heat pumps, and we will tell you before we start. It will not put right:
- Disconnecting or servicing a gas boiler
- Formal advice on VAT for your situation
- A grant for a home that does not meet the scheme rules
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or email us and we will say what we think.
Where we work
- Radiator systems
- Underfloor heating
- Air-to-water heat pumps
- Air-to-air heat pumps
- Hot water cylinders
- Homes heated by oil, LPG or gas
Common problems we fix in Caversham
Many people look at heat pumps when an oil, LPG or gas boiler is getting old. Starting early leaves time for the survey, the design and any grant application, rather than rushing a replacement in winter.
If any of these sounds familiar, it’s worth a diagnosis:
- Plans to switch to electric heating with a heat pump
- No space for a hot water cylinder
- Checking whether planning permission is needed
Mapledurham House, roughly 3 miles west, is a reminder to check your home’s listing status: permitted development does not cover listed buildings.
Comparing quotes
- Whether they looked at the job before pricing it
- Whether the quote is a fixed price
- Whether testing, commissioning and paperwork are included
Owner checks or an engineer?
Good habits make our visits easier, not unnecessary. Clean filters and a clear outdoor unit help the system run as it should, but the refrigerant circuit, the electrics and the parts you can’t see still need an engineer at the interval the manufacturer recommends.
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.
How the visit works
On the day, we arrive at the time agreed with you and run through the plan before anything else. Floors and furniture near the work are covered with dust sheets, and anything electrical is made safe before work starts. The work itself takes several days for an air-to-water system with a new cylinder, less for an air-to-air system. Shops and offices in Caversham can usually stay open while we work, or we come after hours.
- It starts with a conversation about the home, the existing heating and your plans.
- On the visit we calculate what every room loses on a cold day, then check the radiators, room for a cylinder and outdoor unit options.
- The price comes back fixed and in writing, with the grant and VAT shown line by line.
- The outdoor unit, the indoor equipment and the controls are installed and connected.
- We commission the heat pump, complete the MCS paperwork and talk you through the controls.
Before we arrive
- Find the manual or the paperwork for the system, if you have it
- Clear a path to the units and the space around them
- Give us access to the outside wall, roof or yard where the outdoor unit sits
Ask for a quote
The quickest way to a quote is to send pictures: the room or the existing unit, the outside wall or roof where the outdoor unit sits or would go, and the label on any existing unit. Add the address and what you’d like done, and many jobs can be priced from that.
Advice
Your questions about air source heat pumps in Caversham
Can I get the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant in Caversham?
Yes, the scheme covers homes in England, including Caversham, if they qualify. 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. We hold MCS certification, so the application is ours to make for you.
Do you cover Caversham for air source heat pumps?
We do: Caversham falls inside our working area. Tell us a little about the job and we will take it from there.
What does F-Gas certified mean?
Certification shows a business is approved to work on systems that hold F gas refrigerant. In Great Britain, that certification is a legal requirement, not an optional extra, and we hold it.
How much time does a heat pump install need?
An installation takes a few days for most air-to-water installations, with air-to-air systems often quicker. The survey lets us set a firm programme, so phone us on 07833 053749 or use the quote form to arrange one.
Do you look at the job first?
Yes, every time. Diagnosis comes before treatment: the survey shows what’s needed, where things go and what access we need, and the quote is based on that.
What’s the difference between air-to-water and air-to-air heat pumps?
It depends on your home, your heating and whether you want cooling. The grant is £7,500 for eligible air-to-water systems and £2,500 for air-to-air in limited cases, and we set out the options after the survey.
Do I need new radiators for a heat pump?
That depends on the room’s heat loss and the radiator’s size. The survey compares each radiator with the room’s needs, so the quote covers any changes.
What a heat pump looks like in Caversham
The Surley Row Conservation Area lies close to the centre of Caversham, within about a third of a mile. About 25 listed entries lie within half a mile of central Caversham, Old Grove House (grade II*) among them. Where a home is affected, the outdoor unit position is settled with Reading council, usually the planning authority here before the heat pump design is finished. VOA council tax data date about 46% of homes across Caversham and its surrounding area to the post-war years, 1945 to 1972, and about 70% 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. Houses usually have space for an outdoor unit and a hot water cylinder.
Older homes near Grace Church may need extra checks for planning and heat loss before a heat pump is designed.
Caversham is about 2 miles north of Reading, in Reading. Wherever you are in the RG4 postcode area, we can help with air source heat pumps. Our Reading coverage runs to 34 places, Caversham among them. We also work in Guildford, about 23 miles from Caversham.
Our nearest recent job to Caversham was on Princess Way, Camberley (GU15), about 14 miles south-east: installing a Samsung VRF system serving twelve rooms across two floors, including open-plan working areas, individual offices, a server room and a boardroom.
Local streets include Marshland Square, Church Road and Buckingham Gate, all of which are in our area. Being close to the B3345, Caversham is easy for our engineers to reach for visits of every kind. Close to Caversham, our area also takes in Emmer Green (1 mile north-east), Caversham Park Village (1 mile north-east), Lower Caversham (1 mile south), Caversham Heights (1 mile west) and Littlestead Green (1 mile north-east). Further out, we also cover Norcot (3 miles south-west), Tilehurst Within (3 miles south-west), Shinfield (5 miles south) and Arborfield Garrison (7 miles south-east).
Around Caversham
In Caversham, that means homes and buildings near Chiltern Nursery Nurse Training School, The White Horse pub and Eldon Square, among other places. The closest station to Caversham is Reading station, roughly 1.3 miles south. Nearby you’ll also find Royal Berkshire Hospital (1.9 miles south) and Broad Street Mall (1.6 miles south). Green spaces nearby include South Lake and Sonning Hill.
Towns and villages near Caversham
What else we do in Caversham
What a customer said
“Very professional from the initial survey through to installation. The engineer explained everything clearly and the quote was exactly what we paid. Would not hesitate to recommend AirCon Doctor.”
David W., Haywards Heath