Greater London · Heat pump installation
Locksbottom air source heat pumps
F-Gas certified and NICEIC approved, we cover Locksbottom for MCS certified installation of air source heat pumps for heating and hot water, with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant applied for. Fixed-price quotes and a 24/7 emergency line.
- Replacing a combi boiler with a heat pump
- Ageing boilers that will need replacing
- Planning and permitted development questions
Aftercare tips
Think of this as the after-treatment advice, in brief:
- Diary the next service
- Don’t block radiators or indoor units with furniture
- Check eligibility for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme early
If anything doesn’t seem right after installation, call us on 07833 053749, or email if that’s easier and we will look into it. A yearly service is a good habit.
Keep the outdoor unit clear of leaves, plants and stored items. Airflow is what it runs on, so keep it clear all year.
How we handle air source heat pumps in Locksbottom
Installing an air source heat pump in a home is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5%. This is HMRC’s energy-saving materials relief, which applies to homes rather than businesses. For air-to-air systems, we confirm the VAT on your quote. Please treat this as general information rather than tax advice. If you’re dealing with comparing heat pump types and ageing boilers that will need replacing, we can sort it out.
A terrace in Locksbottom shares walls with its neighbours, which helps keep heat in, provided the outdoor unit can sit somewhere that passes the MCS noise check.
For a fault on a system that may still be under warranty, send us the make, model and installation date. We will explain how the manufacturer’s terms are likely to apply before anything chargeable is done.
- Place
- Locksbottom (BR6, BR2, BR5)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- Fixed, in writing
- Costs
- Air-to-water £8,000–£16,000 before any grant (0% VAT for homes)
- Certified
- NICEIC approved, F-Gas certified, MCS
- Response
- On the working day you ask
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
The process
Wherever the system can be run before we leave, we run it and check it in operation. Then we explain what was done and answer your questions, and anything that needs a follow-up is pointed out there and then. All told, the work takes a few days on site, depending on the cylinder, the radiators and the pipework involved. Let us know who controls access to the building in Locksbottom, as that saves time on the day.
- We start with your plans and the property.
- We survey for heat loss and look at radiators, cylinder space and outdoor unit options.
- 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
- Make sure we can reach the consumer unit or fuse board
- Plan for pets to be kept clear during the visit
- Move furniture away from the wall where we will be working
Getting a quote
Every quote starts with a look at the job, either on a site survey or, for simple jobs, from your pictures and details. After that, we send a fixed price before any work starts.
Advice
Locksbottom: your questions answered
Do I need permission to put air conditioning in my flat in Locksbottom?
Often, yes, but the lease and the freeholder normally have a say. We look at where the outdoor unit could go, such as a balcony, flat roof or rear wall, and write it up for the freeholder or agent.
Will a heat pump in Locksbottom need planning permission?
There’s no single answer: the building and the outdoor unit position decide it. Central Locksbottom is a short walk from the Farnborough Park 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 Bromley council, which is normally the planning authority for Locksbottom first.
Can I do any of the installation myself?
Anything that involves the refrigerant needs an F-Gas qualified engineer from a certified company. That’s a legal requirement, and it also matters for the manufacturer’s warranty. We can quote for the whole job, from supply to commissioning.
How long does a heat pump installation take?
Expect it to take anything from a couple of days for air-to-air to the best part of a week for air-to-water with radiator changes. How much of the heating changes decides most of the time, and we confirm the timing with your quote.
What accreditations do you have?
We hold F-Gas company certification, which the law requires for any business working on refrigerant. We’re also NICEIC approved, MCS certified for heat pumps and Checkatrade members.
Who has to arrange F-Gas leak checks?
Responsibility is shared between the operator, usually whoever owns or controls the equipment, and the service technicians. The interval depends on the refrigerant charge, measured in tonnes of CO2 equivalent: at least yearly for 5 to under 50 tCO2e, and every 6 months for 50 to under 500 tCO2e.
What does an air-to-water heat pump cost?
Air-to-water installations cost £8,000–£16,000 (0% VAT on homes), before the grant. Air-to-air systems are priced after a survey, with the VAT confirmed on your quote.
Heat pumps in Locksbottom: local notes
About 40% of homes in the Locksbottom area date from 1945 to 1972, according to the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures, and Census 2021 figures found about 71% of households in detached or semi-detached houses. For homes of that age, the survey checks the insulation, the radiators and the hot water setup. Houses normally have space for an outdoor unit and a hot water cylinder. For a London home, the outdoor unit position and the MCS noise check need careful planning.
Historic houses such as Down House, about 2.7 miles south, are a reminder that listed homes need consent before a heat pump goes in. Older homes near St Paul may need extra checks for planning and heat loss before a heat pump is designed.
Locksbottom is about 2 miles south-west of Orpington, in Greater London. Whether you’re in the middle of Locksbottom or further out, we cover air source heat pumps, from small jobs to large ones. Count every place we list in Greater London and you reach 764, with Locksbottom on the list.
The closest recent job we can point to from Locksbottom was on Station Road, Orpington (BR6), about 2 miles north-east: installing three Daikin cassette units in the main office area and a wall-mounted unit in the client meeting room.
Mada Road, Winton Road and Park Avenue and the roads off them are all inside our area. All of BR6, BR2 and BR5 is covered, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Close to Locksbottom, our area also takes in Crofton (1 mile east), Farnborough (1 mile south-east), Petts Wood (1 mile north-east), Bromley Common (1 mile north-west) and Keston (1 mile south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as London (11 miles north-west), City of Westminster (14 miles north-west), Marylebone (14 miles north-west) and Kensington (14 miles north-west).
What’s near Locksbottom
We fit and service air conditioning in homes and premises around South Park and Darrick Wood School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Orpington station, about 1.2 miles east. A little further out are Princess Royal University Hospital (0.5 miles south-west) and Crofton Roman Villa (1.2 miles east). The countryside around Locksbottom includes Summer Hill and Downe Bank Nature Reserve.
Why act early in Locksbottom
For eligible off-gas homes on oil or LPG, an extra £1,500 is on offer until March 2027. If that applies to you, it’s worth asking about sooner rather than later. In London, hot spells can bring a rush of calls, so planning the work in Locksbottom before summer avoids the wait.
Putting the work off seldom saves money. Faults and wear in a system tend to grow, and a struggling system uses more electricity to do less. If you’re not sure what’s needed, phone 07833 053749 for straight advice and a fixed price.
What you get with us
- MCS certified heat pump installers
- Electrical work covered by our NICEIC approval
- One contact for properties across the South East and London
- Warranty terms set out brand by brand
Take a look at our cost guide or our accreditations.
Also near Locksbottom
Also in Locksbottom
Rented and managed buildings
For anyone managing more than one building, we can quote and plan the work across all of them. Every address has its own paperwork, so the files stay tidy.
We regularly work with managing agents. Tell us the property, the work and the access arrangements, and we’ll send a fixed-price quote.
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