Kent · Heat pump installation
Highsted air source heat pumps
Need air source heat pumps in Highsted? We look at the job first, give you a fixed-price quote and do the work at a time that suits you, then sign it off with written records.
- Planning and permitted development questions
- A boiler that’s getting old
- Moving away from fossil-fuel heating
Highsted questions
Do I need planning permission for a heat pump in Highsted?
That depends on the building and where the outdoor unit goes. The half-mile around the middle of Highsted holds about 9 listed buildings and structures. 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 Swale council, which is normally the planning authority for Highsted.
Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cover homes in Highsted?
Highsted is in England, where the Boiler Upgrade Scheme runs. Whether your home qualifies, and for how much, depends on the type of heat pump and the heating it replaces. You don’t apply yourself: the MCS certified installer does, which is us.
Do you survey before quoting?
Yes, always. We diagnose before we treat: the survey shows what’s needed, where things go and what access we need, and the quote is based on that.
Are you F-Gas certified?
AirCon Doctor is an F-Gas certified company, NICEIC approved for electrical work and MCS certified for heat pumps. We’re members of Checkatrade too.
Do you have a 24/7 line?
Yes. There’s a 24/7 emergency line for breakdowns that cannot wait. Ring 07833 053749 any time and explain the problem.
What does F-Gas certified mean?
F-Gas certification shows a company is approved to work on equipment containing fluorinated gases, such as the refrigerant in air conditioning and heat pumps. In Great Britain, that certification is a legal requirement, not an optional extra, and we hold it.
Do I need new radiators for a heat pump?
The heat loss survey answers that, room by room. Rooms where the radiator is big enough stay as they are, and any that need upsizing are set out in the quote.
About our air source heat pumps in Highsted
In England, an air source heat pump on a house can often go in under permitted development rights. The conditions include an outdoor unit of no more than 1.5 m³ and compliance with MCS 020(a), and the unit cannot be used solely for cooling or sit within the curtilage of a listed building. We check the rules for your property as part of the survey. The work covers homes heated by oil, LPG or gas, air-to-water heat pumps and hot water cylinders, and people most often call us about wanting to stop using oil, LPG or gas for heating and not knowing whether a grant applies.
If your home in or near Highsted is heated by oil, LPG or electric heaters with no mains gas, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme adds an extra £1,500 until March 2027 for an air source or ground source heat pump, on top of the £7,500.
Warranty on the equipment is the manufacturer’s own, on the manufacturer’s terms, and we explain those terms on your quote. Each brand sets its own conditions, so we go through them with you rather than leave you to find the small print.
- Where
- Highsted (ME9)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Approvals
- NICEIC approved, F-Gas certified, MCS
- Costs
- Air-to-water £8,000–£16,000 before any grant (0% VAT for homes)
- Response
- We reply the same working day
- Pricing
- A fixed-price quote up front
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Checked
- 30 October 2026
What owners can safely do
Do not move, re-route or disconnect units or pipework yourself. 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.
On air conditioning, the filters in the indoor unit are typically the one part owners can clean where the manufacturer’s manual explains how. With the power off, they lift out, can be vacuumed or rinsed and must be fully dry before they go back. On a heat pump, the equivalent is keeping the outdoor unit clear and checking the controls.
What happens if it’s left?
A sudden boiler failure rarely leaves room to plan a heat pump properly. Surveying and designing in advance means the system is sized right and any grant is applied for while the old heating still works. For a village like Highsted, booking ahead lets us plan the trip properly.
One room or a whole building, we price it on the same basis: the work involved, the access and the equipment. The price is fixed before any work starts, with VAT shown clearly.
Why choose AirCon Doctor in Highsted
- Checkatrade member
- MCS certification for heat pump work
- F-Gas certified company
- NICEIC approved for electrical work
Looking after your system
Aftercare is straightforward, and it makes the next visit easier:
- Keep the outdoor unit clear all year
- Use the settings explained at handover
- Seal draughts where you can
The warranty on the heat pump is the manufacturer’s, on its own terms. We go through the conditions with you, including any servicing they ask for.
Keep insulation and draught-proofing in good order, as lower heat loss means the system has less to do.
What we do, step by step
The visit goes in the diary at a time that works for you, and we let you know if plans need to move. When we arrive, we check the job against the survey or the pictures you sent. Anything unexpected is raised with you before we go further. After that, it takes anything from a couple of days for air-to-air to the best part of a week for air-to-water with radiator changes. We agree a date with you and plan the visit to Highsted so we arrive with what’s needed.
- 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.
- The system is installed and connected to the controls.
- We commission it, complete the MCS certificate and show you how to use it.
Before we arrive
- Tell us about any building rules, permits or sign-in
- Unlock any gate, garage or side passage we need
- Tell us about parking and loading
Get a fixed-price quote
VAT is set out clearly on every quote, and the rate that applies to your job is stated. VAT can differ between homes and businesses and between kinds of work, so we confirm it in writing rather than guess. To get one, ring us on 07833 053749, or email if that’s easier.
Advice
Places near Highsted
Also in Highsted
Air source heat pumps around Highsted
About 81% of households live in detached or semi-detached houses, according to Census 2021 figures. Finding room for the outdoor unit and a cylinder is seldom a problem in homes like these.
If your home is one of the older properties near Church of St Nicholas, the survey checks whether it’s listed or in a conservation area before the outdoor unit position is chosen. Every heat pump design starts with a room-by-room heat loss calculation.
Highsted is about 2 miles south of Sittingbourne, in Kent. Wherever you are in the ME9 postcode area, we cover air source heat pumps. 922 places in Kent are on our list. There’s also a page for Bromley, about 32 miles away.
All of ME9 is covered. From Stockers Hill and Highsted Road to the smaller roads in between, nowhere is left out. Places around Highsted that are also on our list: Rodmersham Green (1 mile east), Rodmersham (1 mile east), Tunstall (1 mile west), Bapchild (1 mile east) and Dungate (1 mile south). We also work in nearby towns such as Maidstone (10 miles west), Ashford (13 miles south-east), Canterbury (15 miles east) and Whitstable (13 miles east).
Near you in Highsted
Locally, jobs take us to houses, flats and workplaces close to Fulston Manor School and Cromers Wood and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Sittingbourne station, roughly 1.6 miles north of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Sittingbourne Heritage Museum (1.4 miles north) and Bayford Court (1.7 miles north).
A customer’s words
“Office air con broke down in the July heatwave. Called at 8am, engineer was here by noon and fixed within 2 hours. Brilliant emergency response. They now hold the service contract for the whole building.”
James T., Crawley, office manager