Greater London · Heat pump installation
Heat pump installation in Kennington, Greater London
Air source heat pumps across Kennington and nearby, from the first look to the final check with the price fixed before work begins.
- Checking whether planning permission is needed
- Not knowing whether a grant applies
- Finding a place for the outdoor unit
About our air source heat pumps in Kennington
We begin with a room-by-room heat loss survey. That tells us how much heat the home needs, room by room, so the heat pump and the radiators or indoor units can be sized properly. Guesswork leads to systems that are too big or too small. Typical jobs include ageing boilers that will need replacing and checking eligibility for a heat pump grant, across air-to-air heat pumps, air-to-water heat pumps and radiator systems.
In a flat in Kennington, the lease and the freeholder typically decide where a heat pump can go. The planning rules for flats are stricter than for houses, and we check before designing.
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
- Kennington (SW8, SW1P, SE11)
- Region
- Greater London
- Replies
- Answered the same working day
- Price
- Fixed, in writing
- Certified
- F-Gas certified company, NICEIC approved, MCS
- Guide price
- £8,000–£16,000 before the grant, 0% VAT on homes
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 30 October 2026
What air source heat pumps can’t fix
An honest diagnosis matters more to us than a booking, so here’s what this work cannot put right:
- Getting planning permission or listed building consent on your behalf
- Draught-proofing and insulation upgrades
- Promising eligibility for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Not sure which it is? You can call us on 07833 053749 or fill in the contact form and we will tell you honestly.
What the work covers
- Air-to-water heat pumps
- Underfloor heating
- Air-to-air heat pumps
- Radiator systems
- Hot water cylinders
- Homes heated by oil, LPG or gas
Signs you need air source heat pumps in Kennington
Homes off the gas grid, heated by oil or LPG, are often good candidates to look at. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme includes an extra £1,500, until March 2027, for air source or ground source heat pumps in homes heated by oil or LPG with no mains gas, subject to the scheme rules.
It’s time to call us if you’re dealing with:
- Wanting to stop using oil, LPG or gas for heating
- Radiators that may be too small for a heat pump
- Replacing a combi boiler with a heat pump
Historic houses such as Buckingham Palace, about 1.7 miles north-west, are a reminder that listed homes need consent before a heat pump goes in.
Questions to ask before you book
- What happens if the job turns out to be different on the day
- Whether the manufacturer’s warranty depends on regular servicing
- What’s in the price and what isn’t
Keeping the system healthy
So the system stays in good health:
- Leave indoor units unobstructed
- Keep the MCS certificate with the manufacturer’s paperwork
- Keep the outdoor unit clear all year
In cold, damp weather the outdoor unit runs a defrost cycle from time to time. It may give off steam or sound different for a few minutes, and that is normal.
Book a service every year. Check the manufacturer’s terms, as they may include servicing conditions.
Heat pumps in Kennington: local notes
The Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures show about 32% of homes in and around Kennington were built in 2000 or later, and the last census (2021) found about 86% of households live in flats. Lower heat loss in recent homes often means a smaller heat pump and fewer radiator changes. In flats, space for an outdoor unit and a cylinder can be limited, and the lease and freeholder come into it, so air-to-air is sometimes the better fit. In London, outside space and the rules for flats often decide which kind of heat pump suits.
If you live near Vauxhall station, the survey compares air-to-water and air-to-air for your home before anything is quoted.
Kennington is about 2 miles south-west of London, in Greater London. Properties in Kennington get the same service as everywhere we cover: diagnosis first, a fixed price and proper paperwork when we’ve finished. Kennington is one of 764 places in Greater London where we work for homes and businesses.
The closest recent job we can point to from Kennington was on East Hill, Wandsworth (SW18), about 4 miles south-west: installing a Daikin wall-mounted unit in the open-plan living area.
Kay Road, Lett Road and Rita Road and the roads off them are all inside our area. Here we cover the SW8, SW1P and SE11 postcode area. We also cover Oval (1 mile north), South Lambeth (1 mile south-west), Little Portugal (1 mile south), North Brixton (1 mile south-east) and Vauxhall (1 mile north). Further out, we also cover City of Westminster (3 miles north-west), Marylebone (3 miles north-west), Kensington (4 miles west) and St Pancras (3 miles north).
Landmarks near Kennington
Around Kennington, our work takes us to homes and businesses near St Peter's School, Archbishop Tenison's Church of England School and Lambeth Palace Library and the streets around them. Other local landmarks include Crown and Thistle pub (within half a mile south-west) and Vauxhall Park (within half a mile north-west). There’s a railway station in Kennington itself: Vauxhall station. Other landmarks nearby include Baynard's Castle (2.2 miles north) and Type Museum (0.5 miles south). The countryside around Kennington includes Bellenden Road Nature Garden and Ludgate Hill.
Places near Kennington
What else we do in Kennington
Kennington: your questions answered
Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cover homes in Kennington?
Yes, if the home and the heat pump meet the scheme’s rules: Kennington is in England, where it applies. For an air-to-water heat pump the amount is £7,500; an air-to-air system can get £2,500 if it replaces the fossil-fuel heating outright, meets the home’s full heating demand and is not an add-on to a boiler. We hold MCS certification, so the application is ours to make for you.
Do I need planning permission for a heat pump in Kennington?
It comes down to the building and the spot chosen for the outdoor unit. The centre of Kennington is in the Vauxhall Conservation Area. The permitted development rules for heat pumps leave out listed buildings and stop outdoor units going on road-facing walls or roofs in conservation areas. Anything outside the rules needs an application, and we raise it with the planning department at Lambeth council, normally the authority for Kennington first.
Can you come out in an emergency?
Yes, any time. For anything urgent, such as a system failing in a server room or water leaking from a unit, ring our 24/7 line and we’ll agree what happens next.
Do I get paperwork after the visit?
Yes. You get a written record of every visit, and any work on the refrigerant circuit goes in the F-Gas records. File them with the system’s paperwork.
Can you look at a system you didn’t fit?
Yes. We look at it first and tell you what we find, including anything about the original installation that needs putting right. You get a fixed price before any work goes ahead.
Do you work on commercial properties?
Yes. From one rented home to commercial buildings, the approach is the same: a look first, a fixed-price quote and written records.
How long will it take to install a heat pump?
It takes a few days on site, depending on the cylinder, the radiators and the pipework involved. How much of the heating changes decides most of the time and the timing is set out with your quote.
How the visit works
The visit goes in the diary at a time that works for you, and we keep you posted if anything changes. On arrival, the engineer compares the job with the survey, your pictures or the details you gave us. If something is different, we talk it through with you before carrying on. After that, it takes a few days for most air-to-water installations, with air-to-air systems often quicker. Before a visit in Kennington, we ask where the van can stop and how we reach the outdoor unit.
- We start with your plans and the property.
- A survey covers heat loss, radiators, hot water and where the outdoor unit could sit.
- We recommend air-to-water or air-to-air and check the grant position.
- We install the heat pump and connect it up.
- We commission it, complete the MCS certificate and show you how to use it.
Getting ready for the visit
- Clear the space around the indoor unit, or where it will go
- Plan for pets to be kept clear during the visit
- Unlock any gate, garage or side passage we need
Get a fixed-price quote
Quoting starts with a diagnosis, from a site survey or, where the job is straightforward, from pictures and measurements. Then you get a fixed price before any work starts.
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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