Oxfordshire · Heat pump installation
Heat pump installation in Headington, Oxfordshire
Air source heat pumps across Headington and nearby, from the first look to the final check with the price fixed before work begins.
- Questions about listed buildings or conservation areas
- No space for a hot water cylinder
- Plans to switch to electric heating with a heat pump
Different systems, different jobs
VAT on heat pumps
Please treat this as general guidance rather than tax advice.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme
In England and Wales, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers grants towards heat pumps: £7,500 for air-to-water (and ground source), and £2,500 for air-to-air with strict conditions. The application goes through the installer.
How we handle air source heat pumps in Headington
A heat pump takes heat from the outside air and moves it into your home with electricity running the compressor and fans. The technology is close to air conditioning, which is why we install both, and air-to-air heat pumps are sometimes simply called air conditioning. If you are dealing with working out whether radiators need upsizing and wanting to stop using oil, LPG or gas for heating, we can help.
Older homes around Headington can be draughty or have solid walls, which a heat loss calculation will show. Sometimes insulating first makes more sense.
Warranty periods vary by brand and by product. Daikin, for instance, gives a standard 2 years on split air conditioning, with longer extensions only on its air-to-water heat pumps. For any other brand, we explain the manufacturer’s terms on your quote.
- Location
- Headington (OX3)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Typical price
- Air-to-water £8,000–£16,000 before any grant (0% VAT for homes)
- Certified
- F-Gas certified, NICEIC approved, MCS
- Response
- Answered the same working day
- Quote
- Fixed-price quote after a site survey
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Air source heat pumps in Headington: the local picture
About 51 miles out from central London, Headington is part of the South East area we work across.
If your home is listed, like Holywell Manor about 1.6 miles west, listed building consent comes before any heat pump work. Live in one of the older houses around St Andrew's Church? Expect the survey to look closely at heat loss and at the building’s planning status.
Headington is about 1 mile north-east of Oxford, in Oxfordshire. Whether you’re in the middle of Headington or further out, we cover air source heat pumps, from small jobs to large ones. Our Oxfordshire coverage runs to 443 places, and Headington is one of them. For properties nearby, see our Guildford page, about 45 miles away.
From Upway Road, Osler Road and Beech Road to the smaller roads in between, the whole area is covered. All of OX3 is covered. Other places close to Headington include Northway (1 mile north-west), Headington Quarry (1 mile south-east), Headington Hill (1 mile south-west), New Marston (1 mile west) and Oxford (1 mile south-west). Further out, we also cover Didcot (11 miles south), Bicester (10 miles north), Abingdon-on-Thames (7 miles south-west) and Witney (12 miles west).
Local landmarks in Headington
Locally, jobs take us to houses, flats and workplaces close to White Hart Inn, Bury Knowle Park and Cheney School and the streets around them. Nearby too are Headington Rye Oxford (0.7 miles south-west), English Faculty Library (1.6 miles west) and Holy Trinity Church (0.8 miles south-east). For rail, the closest station is Oxford station, about 2.6 miles west of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Rumble Museum (0.9 miles south-west) and Churchill Hospital (less than half a mile west). The countryside around Headington includes CS Lewis Nature Reserve and Headington Hill.
Towns and villages near Headington
Also in Headington
How it works
Think of the visit in three stages: look, put right and sign off. First we check the system or the space against the plan, then we do the work, and finally we test, record and explain. The middle part takes longest, and that takes a few days for most air-to-water installations, with air-to-air systems often quicker. In a place like Headington, parking is rarely an issue, but tell us about gates and access to the back of the property.
- We find out about your home and the heating you have now.
- A heat loss survey is carried out, room by room.
- The design covers the heat pump, emitters, hot water and outdoor unit.
- Cost, grant and VAT appear on one fixed-price quote.
- Then it’s fitted, commissioned and registered with MCS.
Preparing for the visit
- Make sure we can reach the consumer unit or fuse board
- Keep pets and children away from the work area
- Tell us about any building rules, permits or sign-in
Getting a price
To get a fixed-price quote, give us a ring on 07833 053749 or write to us at info@aircondoctor.co.uk with the address and a few details about the rooms or units involved. Photos help a lot. You will hear back from us the same working day.
Related advice
What air conditioning won’t do
An honest diagnosis matters more to us than a booking, so here’s what air source heat pumps won’t do:
- Planning approval where permitted development does not apply
- Grants for hybrid systems or replacements of low-carbon systems
- Any gas work on the existing boiler
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 and we’ll say what we think before booking.
What we work on in Headington
- Air-to-water heat pumps
- Homes heated by oil, LPG or gas
- Hot water cylinders
- Radiator systems
- Underfloor heating
- Air-to-air heat pumps
Headington questions
Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cover homes in Headington?
Headington is in England, where the Boiler Upgrade Scheme runs. Air-to-water and ground source systems attract £7,500. Air-to-air gets £2,500, but only where it takes over from fossil-fuel heating and covers the whole home’s heating demand. The installer applies, and we are MCS certified.
Can I fit a heat pump in Headington without planning permission?
That depends on the building and where the outdoor unit goes. Central Headington sits inside the Old Headington Conservation Area. On a house, an air source heat pump can often go ahead under permitted development, with an outdoor unit of no more than 1.5 cubic metres and an installation that meets MCS 020(a), which includes a noise check. Those rights don’t reach the grounds of a listed building, and conservation areas rule out walls or roofs facing a road. If that might affect you, we ask Oxford City council, which is typically the planning authority for Headington.
Do you look at the job first?
Yes. For simple jobs, photos and a few details can be enough, while larger systems and faults that need testing are seen on site.
Is Headington in your area?
Yes. We cover Headington and the rest of Oxfordshire, within the London and South East area we cover. To book, ring us on 07833 053749 or send an email.
How much time does a heat pump install need?
As a guide, it takes several days for an air-to-water system with a new cylinder, less for an air-to-air system. The programme is planned to keep time without heating short, and we explain it in advance.
What’s the difference between air-to-water and air-to-air heat pumps?
The right choice depends on the property and what you need. 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.
What does an air-to-water heat pump cost?
For air-to-water, it’s £8,000–£16,000 (0% VAT on homes) before any Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant. Air-to-air systems are priced after a survey, with the VAT confirmed on your quote.
Managing agents and facilities teams in Headington
For anyone managing more than one building, we can plan visits across the portfolio and price them together. Each property gets its own records, so each one has its own history.
Where a tenant occupies the property but the landlord owns the system, the lease or tenancy agreement normally sets out who maintains what. We are happy to deal with either side and send the records to whoever needs them.
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