West Sussex · Heat pump installation
Heat pump installation in Ford, West Sussex
We cover Ford for MCS certified installation of air source heat pumps for heating and hot water, with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant applied for. A look at the job first, a fixed-price quote and written records at the end.
- Comparing heat pump types
- No space for a hot water cylinder
- Finding a place for the outdoor unit
Signs you need air source heat pumps in Ford
Homes off the gas grid, heated by oil or LPG, are often good candidates to look at. Until March 2027, an extra £1,500 is available for air source and ground source heat pumps in homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas where the home is eligible.
These are the situations we see most often:
- Replacing a combi boiler with a heat pump
- Checking whether planning permission is needed
- An oil, LPG or gas boiler near the end of its life
With Ecclesden Manor about 4.8 miles east, it’s worth asking whether your own home is listed before planning a heat pump.
Comparing quotes
- Whether anyone has checked the property or the system first
- What’s in the price and what isn’t
- Whether the quote is a fixed price
Air source heat pumps in Ford
In England, an air source heat pump on a house can often go in under permitted development rights. Conditions include a maximum outdoor unit size of 1.5 m³, compliance with MCS 020(a), use for more than cooling alone and a site outside the curtilage of a listed building. We look at the planning position for your home during the survey. Typical jobs include working out whether radiators need upsizing and an oil, LPG or gas boiler near the end of its life, across hot water cylinders, air-to-air heat pumps and radiator systems.
Homes around Ford normally have room outside for a heat pump, so the design focuses on heat loss and radiators.
Each manufacturer sets its own warranty period. Daikin, for example, gives a standard 2 years on split air conditioning, with longer extensions only on its air-to-water heat pumps. Whatever the brand, the manufacturer’s terms are explained on your quote.
- Where
- Ford (BN18)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Credentials
- NICEIC approved, F-Gas certified, MCS
- Quote
- Fixed after a survey or photos
- Typical price
- £8,000–£16,000 before the grant, 0% VAT on homes
- Response
- We reply the same working day
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
Air source heat pumps around Ford
Ford is within about 2 miles of the coast. Coastal sites are worth mentioning at the survey, as salt air affects the outdoor unit and its fixings. About 39% of homes across Ford and its surrounding area have been built since 2000, according to the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures, and Census 2021 figures found about 62% of households in detached or semi-detached houses. Lower heat loss in recent homes often means a smaller heat pump and fewer radiator changes. Detached and semi-detached houses normally have room for the outdoor unit and a cylinder. The Parish Church of St Andrew, listed at grade I, is one of roughly 4 protected buildings and structures in the half-mile around Ford’s centre. For a heat pump, permitted development doesn’t apply within the grounds of a listed building, and in a conservation area the outdoor unit cannot go on a wall or roof facing a road, so we check with the local planning authority (usually Arun council) where needed.
If your home is one of the older properties near The Parish Church of St Andrew, the survey checks whether it’s listed or in a conservation area before the outdoor unit position is chosen.
Ford is about 2 miles north-west of Littlehampton, in West Sussex. Wherever you are in the BN18 postcode area, our engineers can take on air source heat pumps. Count every place we list in West Sussex and you reach 371, with Ford on the list. Worthing, roughly 8 miles off, has its own page on this site.
The closest recent job we can point to from Ford was on Marine Parade, Worthing (BN11), about 8 miles east: installing a Samsung wall-mounted unit in the main living area.
Postcode districts we cover here: BN18. From Station Road, Ford Road and Rodney Crescent to the smaller roads in between, the whole area is covered. If you are just outside Ford, we cover Tortington (1 mile north), Horsemere Green (1 mile south), Climping (1 mile south), Wick (1 mile east) and Lyminster (1 mile east). We also work in nearby towns such as Worthing (8 miles east), Bognor Regis (5 miles south-west), Chichester (9 miles west) and Selsey (11 miles south-west).
Around Ford
Locally, jobs take us to houses, flats and workplaces close to The Arundel Arms Public House At Ford Station and the streets around them. Ford has its own railway station: Ford station. Well-known places in the area include Arundel and District Hospital (2.1 miles north) and Rustington Museum (3.5 miles east). For a walk, there’s WWT Arundel.
What happens on the day
Each visit runs to the same pattern: check the plan with you, protect the area, carry out the job, test what we have done and talk you through it. The visit itself takes a few days for most air-to-water installations, with air-to-air systems often quicker. Seeing the property in pictures first means the trip to Ford can be planned properly.
- You tell us about the home and what you want from a heat pump.
- The survey checks heat loss, emitters, hot water and the outdoor unit position.
- We recommend air-to-water or air-to-air and check the grant position.
- Installation follows on the agreed dates.
- After commissioning, you get the MCS certificate and a handover.
Preparing for the visit
- Tell us about parking and loading
- Mention any roof access, ladders or high-level work
- Tell us about any building rules, permits or sign-in
Get a fixed-price quote
Some jobs can be priced from pictures, while others need a survey. Multi-room systems, commercial buildings and anything with a long or hidden pipe route are normally surveyed first. Either way, you get a fixed price before any work is booked.
Advice
Fixed-price quotes for air source heat pumps in Ford
Every job gets its own quote. These are the things that affect it:
- What we find on the survey or diagnosis
- How many units are involved
- The brand, model and parts involved
Every job is different, so each one gets its own fixed-price quote. The system, the access, the pipe routes and the parts involved all play a part.
Before you get in touch
To help us quote quickly, please include:
- Any error code or flashing light on the display
- The outside wall, roof or yard where the outdoor unit sits or would go
- The rating plate or label on any existing unit
Every quote starts with a look at the job, either on a site survey or, for simple jobs, from your pictures and details. Then you get a fixed price so you know the cost before we begin.
How the job changes from property to property
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers England and Wales: £7,500 for air-to-water (and ground source), and £2,500 for air-to-air with strict conditions. The installer applies.
Air-to-water heat pumps
An air-to-water heat pump costs £8,000–£16,000 (0% VAT on homes), before the grant. Eligible homes in England and Wales can get a £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant towards it, and we apply for it as the installer.
Towns and villages near Ford
Also in Ford
Questions from Ford
Will you come out to Ford?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Visits to smaller places are planned so the engineer arrives with what the job needs.
Is the coast a problem for outdoor units in Ford?
It can. Ford is within about 2 miles of the coast, and salt air speeds up corrosion on outdoor units. We site outdoor units out of the worst of the sea wind where possible and can suggest models with corrosion protection where the manufacturer offers it.
Does servicing affect my warranty?
That depends on the brand. Where servicing is a condition, a missed service could give the manufacturer grounds to refuse a claim and we will tell you what your brand asks for.
Can I get a grant for an air-to-air heat pump?
Yes, but only where it becomes the home’s main heating. An air-to-air heat pump can get £2,500 if it replaces the fossil-fuel heating, meets the full heating demand, is fitted by an MCS certified installer and is in a home. Fitted alongside a boiler, it will not qualify.
How quickly will you reply?
We reply to enquiries the same working day. For a breakdown that can’t wait, call our 24/7 emergency line.
Why use an F-Gas certified company?
Anyone installing, repairing or servicing the refrigerant side must be qualified, and their company certified. It’s worth checking before you book and we will gladly show you ours.
Is there VAT on a heat pump?
Installing an air source heat pump in a home is zero-rated until 31 March 2027, then 5%. It does not apply to businesses, and this is general information rather than tax advice.
What a customer said
“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