Oxfordshire · Heat pump installation
Islip air source heat pumps
Looking for air source heat pumps in Islip? We diagnose first, fix the price and book the work around you, then sign it off with written records.
- Working out whether radiators need upsizing
- Wanting to stop using oil, LPG or gas for heating
- Choosing between air-to-water and air-to-air
What affects the cost of air source heat pumps
The price is fixed before any work begins. It takes into account:
- The condition of any existing system
- The distance and route between the indoor and outdoor units
- How many units are involved
Our prices page shows typical ranges, but each job is priced on what it involves. For a fixed-price quote, ring us on 07833 053749 or write to us at info@aircondoctor.co.uk, and we’ll explain what it covers.
Helping us quote
To help us quote quickly, please include:
- The postcode and whether it’s a home, flat or business
- Any previous service or F-Gas records
- A few pictures of the room and the wall the unit is on, or will go on
Photos are the fastest route to a quote: the inside and outside of the property where the work is, plus the rating plate of any unit already there. Tell us the address and what you need, and simple jobs can often be priced without a visit.
About our air source heat pumps in Islip
A £2,500 grant is available for some air-to-air heat pumps, with conditions. The system must replace the existing fossil-fuel heating and meet the home’s full heating demand, it must be installed by an MCS certified installer, and it must be in a home; adding it alongside a boiler does not qualify. Common call-outs are for radiators that may be too small for a heat pump and plans to switch to electric heating with a heat pump, on radiator systems, homes heated by oil, LPG or gas and underfloor heating.
Older and listed homes in villages like Islip need extra care, because permitted development doesn’t apply within the grounds of a listed building, so consent comes first.
If a fault appears while the equipment is under the manufacturer’s warranty, tell us the make, model and installation date. We will tell you how the manufacturer’s warranty is likely to apply before anything chargeable is done.
- Location
- Islip (OX5)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Enquiries
- On the working day you ask
- Accreditations
- NICEIC and F-Gas, MCS
- Price
- Fixed-price quote after a site survey
- Costs
- £8,000–£16,000 before the grant, 0% VAT on homes
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Aftercare tips
Simple habits make a real difference. We recommend:
- Read the manufacturer’s warranty terms for your brand
- Don’t block radiators or indoor units with furniture
- Store the MCS certificate and warranty documents together
Where we applied for a Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, we keep you informed through the process since the grant goes through the installer.
Let the heat pump run steadily rather than switching it on and off, using the settings agreed at handover.
What happens on the day
Every visit follows the same order: agree the plan on site, protect the area, do the work, test what we’ve done and talk you through it. On site, the work 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. Seeing the property in pictures first means the trip to Islip can be planned properly.
- We find out about your home and the heating you have now.
- We measure heat loss for every room.
- From those figures we size the heat pump and decide on radiators, cylinder and outdoor position.
- A fixed-price quote explains the cost, the grant position and the VAT.
- We install, commission and register the system under MCS.
Preparing for the visit
- Unlock any gate, garage or side passage we need
- Tell us about any building rules, permits or sign-in
- Keep pets and children away from the work area
How to get a quote
To help us quote: the address and the type of property, a few pictures, the make and model of any existing system and anything you’ve noticed, such as an error code or a noise. Then ring 07833 053749 or use the quote form.
Advice
Before you call 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.
There are a few things you can safely do yourself: keep the outdoor unit clear of leaves, plants and clutter, check the settings and the remote, and follow the cleaning the manual describes. Anything inside the units, the electrics and the refrigerant is engineer’s work.
Towns and villages near Islip
What else we do in Islip
Air source heat pumps around Islip
Valuation Office Agency council tax records date about 51% of homes in Islip and the neighbourhoods around it to the post-war years, 1945 to 1972, and about 77% of households live in detached or semi-detached houses, according to Census 2021 figures. 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.
If your home is one of the older properties near St Nicholas' Church, the survey checks whether it’s listed or in a conservation area before the outdoor unit position is chosen. Homeowners near Islip station often ask whether a heat pump can take over from the boiler, and the heat loss survey answers that.
Islip is about 5 miles north of Oxford, in Oxfordshire. Wherever you are in the OX5 postcode area, we cover air source heat pumps. Islip is one of 443 places in Oxfordshire we cover. There’s also a page for Guildford, roughly 49 miles from Islip.
From High Street, King's Head Lane and Middle Way to the smaller roads in between, the whole area is covered. Our working area takes in OX5. Close to Islip, our area also takes in Gosford (2 miles south-west), Hampton Poyle (2 miles north-west), Kidlington (2 miles west), Bletchingdon (3 miles north-west) and Weston-on-the-Green (3 miles north). Larger places within reach include Oxford (5 miles south), Didcot (15 miles south), Bicester (6 miles north-east) and Abingdon-on-Thames (10 miles south).
Local landmarks in Islip
Locally, jobs take us to houses, flats and workplaces close to The Red Lion Inn and Gosford Hill School, among other places. There’s a railway station in Islip itself: Islip station. Other landmarks nearby include Churchill Hospital (4.1 miles south). The countryside around Islip includes Otmoor RSPB reserve and Headington Hill.
Islip questions
Is Islip within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Send a few details and photos, and we reply the same working day.
Can I fit a heat pump in Islip without planning permission?
There’s no single answer: the building and the outdoor unit position decide it. The centre of Islip is in the Islip 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 do not 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 the local planning authority (for Islip, usually Cherwell council).
How long will it take to install a heat pump?
The work 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 confirm the timing after the survey, and you can phone 07833 053749 or write to us at info@aircondoctor.co.uk to book it.
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. Air-to-water can attract a £7,500 grant where eligible; air-to-air only qualifies for £2,500 under strict conditions, and we set out the options after the survey.
Is there VAT on a heat pump?
For homes, currently none: until 31 March 2027 the rate is 0% in residential accommodation, then 5%. The relief isn’t available to businesses, and with air-to-air we confirm the VAT on the quote. This is general information, not tax advice.
Do I need to service the system to keep the warranty?
It can, for some brands. Read the manufacturer’s terms, or send us the make and model and we will explain them, and book the service at the interval they recommend.
Will you work on another installer’s system?
Yes. We start with a proper look and tell you honestly what we find, including anything about the original installation that needs putting right. Any work is priced before it goes ahead.
A customer’s words
“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