West Berkshire · Heat pump installation
Heat pump installation in Oare, West Berkshire
We cover Oare for air source heat pumps. Diagnosis first, a fixed price and proper paperwork when we finish.
- Plans to switch to electric heating with a heat pump
- Checking whether planning permission is needed
- Questions about the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Landlords, agents and facilities managers
We regularly work with managing agents. Send the address, what’s needed and how access works, and we’ll send a fixed-price quote.
Under the GB F-gas rules, responsibility for leak checks is shared between whoever operates the equipment and the engineers who work on it. In a let or managed building, it’s worth agreeing who that operator is, and we can work for either side.
About our air source heat pumps in Oare
Installing an air source heat pump in a home is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5%. That follows HMRC Notice 708/6, and it doesn’t apply to businesses. For air-to-air systems, we confirm the VAT on your quote. This is general information, not tax advice. If you’re dealing with plans to switch to electric heating with a heat pump and working out where a cylinder could go, we can help.
If your home in or near Oare 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.
Nothing is signed off by word of mouth: commissioning details and F-Gas records for a new system, a note of the fault and the fix for a repair, or a service record. Keep it with the system’s paperwork, because it helps with any later warranty question.
- Location
- Oare (RG18)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Costs
- £8,000–£16,000 (0% VAT on homes), before the grant
- Credentials
- NICEIC and F-Gas, MCS
- Quotes
- A fixed price before work begins
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Homes in Oare and heat pumps
The last census (2021) found about 85% of households in detached or semi-detached houses. Detached and semi-detached houses normally have room for the outdoor unit and a cylinder.
Older homes near Church of St Bartholomew may need extra checks for planning and heat loss before a heat pump is designed. If your home is listed, like Shaw House about 4 miles south-west, listed building consent comes before any heat pump work.
Oare is about 4 miles north of Thatcham, in West Berkshire. If you need air source heat pumps in Oare, please give us a ring on 07833 053749 or fill in the contact form for a fixed-price quote. We work across London and the South East, including Oare. 155 places in West Berkshire are on our list, from busy centres to quieter spots. Our Guildford page covers places nearby (34 miles or so).
Our engineers work on Manor Lane and Old Street and nearby roads. Our working area takes in RG18, every street of it. Places around Oare that are also on our list: Little Hungerford (1 mile south-east), Hermitage (1 mile south), Wellhouse (1 mile south-east), Longlane (1 mile south) and Curridge (2 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Newbury (5 miles south-west), Thatcham (4 miles south), Burghfield Common (10 miles south-east) and Speenhamland (5 miles south-west).
Around Oare
Around Oare, our work takes us to homes and businesses near The White Horse pub and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Newbury Racecourse station, roughly 4.7 miles south. Well-known places in the area include Hampstead Norris Castle (1.8 miles north-east) and West Berkshire Community Hospital (4 miles south). Open spaces near Oare include Snelsmore Common.
Different systems, different jobs
Outdoor unit position and planning
Where the outdoor unit goes depends on airflow, access and the route into the house. We also consider neighbours and noise, as MCS 020(a) includes a noise check.
Heat loss surveys
We look at walls, windows, floors, roofs and ventilation along with the room sizes.
FAQs for Oare
Is the heat pump grant available in Oare?
Oare is covered, as the scheme runs across England and Wales. 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 isn’t 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 Oare?
It depends on the property. The half-mile around the middle of Oare holds about 3 listed buildings and structures. A heat pump on a house can be permitted development if it meets the conditions, including the MCS noise check, but not within the grounds of a listed building, and in a conservation area the outdoor unit can’t face a road. Where necessary, we check with the local planning authority (for Oare, typically West Berkshire council).
Can I do any of the installation myself?
The refrigerant side has to be done by a qualified engineer working for an F-Gas certified company. That’s a legal requirement, and it also matters for the manufacturer’s warranty. We are happy to quote for the full job, supply to commissioning.
What’s the difference between air-to-water and air-to-air heat pumps?
Air-to-water suits homes with radiators and a cylinder; air-to-air suits rooms that need heating and cooling, and we help you choose. Both are part of what we install.
Can landlords and managing agents book you?
Yes. We work for homeowners, landlords, letting and managing agents, and businesses of every size across London and the South East. Let us know who the records should go to.
How do you keep the place clean during the work?
Protection goes down first: sheets over the floor and nearby furniture. Holes and fixings are agreed with you, and we clean up afterwards when we finish.
Which brands do you work with?
We install and work on the leading makes, including Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin, Fujitsu, Panasonic, Toshiba, LG, Samsung, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi. Tell us the make and model and we will take it from there.
Before you call an engineer
Keep a note of anything odd: an error code, a new noise, a drip, a smell or a change in how well the system heats or cools. It makes our diagnosis quicker, and a photo of the display helps even more.
Before you call us about a fault, a few checks can save a visit: is the system in the right mode, is the set temperature sensible, are the remote’s batteries working and has the breaker tripped. If a breaker trips again after you reset it, leave it off and ring 07833 053749.
Towns and villages near Oare
What else we do in Oare
What we do, step by step
Our engineers bring the tools, gauges and access equipment the job needs. You only need to give us clear access to the units, or their planned positions, and to the fuse board. On site, the work takes a few days on site, depending on the cylinder, the radiators and the pipework involved. Seeing the property in photos first means the trip to Oare can be planned properly.
- First we find out about the property, the heating you have now and what you are hoping for.
- A heat loss survey works out how much heat each room needs, and we look at the radiators, the cylinder space and where the outdoor unit could go.
- A fixed-price quote follows, setting out the system, any grant that applies and the VAT.
- We fit the outdoor unit and connect it to the heating, hot water and controls.
- The system is commissioned and registered under MCS, and we show you how to use it.
How to prepare
- Make sure someone can let us in at the agreed time
- Clear access to the fuse board
- Clear a path to the units and the space around them
Ask for a quote
Our prices page gives typical ranges, but your quote is based on your job, because every property is different. Once we’ve looked at the job, from photos or on a survey, you get a fixed price. To start, phone us on 07833 053749 or write to us at info@aircondoctor.co.uk.
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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