Portsmouth · Heat pump installation
Air Source Heat Pumps in Portsmouth
We cover Portsmouth for heat pump installation. Diagnosis first, a fixed price and proper paperwork when we finish.
- Checking eligibility for a heat pump grant
- Choosing between air-to-water and air-to-air
- No space for a hot water cylinder
Common questions in Portsmouth
Will a heat pump in Portsmouth need planning permission?
That depends on the building and where the outdoor unit goes. The St Mary's Churchyard, Fratton Conservation Area is close to the centre of Portsmouth. 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 Portsmouth, typically Portsmouth council).
Does sea air affect air conditioning in Portsmouth?
It can, as Portsmouth is within about 1 mile of the sea, where salt in the air is hard on coils and fixings. The outdoor unit position, its fixings and regular servicing all help near the sea.
Do you work in Portsmouth?
Yes. Our area takes in London and the counties of the South East, and that includes Portsmouth.
Do you survey before quoting?
Yes. Every job is looked at first, on a survey, or from your photos and details where the job is simple. A fixed-price quote follows.
Is the equipment covered by a warranty?
It’s the manufacturer’s warranty, which varies by brand. For instance, Daikin’s standard warranty on split air conditioning is 2 years and we explain the terms for your brand on the quote.
Which manufacturers do you install and repair?
We work with the leading brands, including Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin, Fujitsu, Panasonic, Toshiba, LG, Samsung, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi. Send us the make and model if you have it.
Can I get a grant for an air-to-air heat pump?
The air-to-air grant is £2,500, and only some homes qualify. It must replace fossil-fuel heating and meet the full heating demand of a home, installed by an MCS certified installer.
Air source heat pumps in Portsmouth, done properly
In England, an air source heat pump on a house can often go in under permitted development rights. Conditions include a maximum outdoor unit size of 1.5 m³, compliance with MCS 020(a), use for more than cooling alone and a site outside the curtilage of a listed building. We look at the planning position for your home during the survey. Typical jobs include questions about the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and questions about where the outdoor unit can go, on radiator systems, hot water cylinders and underfloor heating.
A place the size of Portsmouth has homes of every age, and the age of a home matters a lot for a heat pump. We start with a heat loss calculation, room by room, so the system is sized for your home and not guessed.
Some manufacturers make regular servicing by a qualified engineer a condition of their warranty. Where yours does, a regular service with us keeps that side in order and each visit is recorded.
- Place
- Portsmouth (PO6, PO4, PO1, PO2)
- Region
- Portsmouth
- Price
- Fixed, in writing
- Credentials
- NICEIC approved, F-Gas certified, MCS
- Price guide
- £8,000–£16,000 (0% VAT on homes), before the grant
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
The process
Anything involving refrigerant is handled by F-Gas qualified engineers, as the law requires, and electrical work is done by us as NICEIC approved contractors. On the day, both are in the same hands. On site, it takes a few days for most air-to-water installations, with air-to-air systems often quicker. For a business in Portsmouth, we fit around your hours, including evenings and weekends where needed.
- You tell us about the home and what you want from a heat pump.
- We survey for heat loss and look at radiators, cylinder space and outdoor unit options.
- We explain which type of heat pump suits the home and whether a grant could apply.
- We install the heat pump and connect it up.
- The job ends with commissioning, the MCS certificate and a walk through the controls.
Before we arrive
- Mention any managing agent or landlord rules we need to follow
- Tell us about parking and loading
- Clear a path to the units and the space around them
Getting a quote
Want a quote for air source heat pumps? Please call 07833 053749, or email if that’s easier with a few details about the property. We will explain what we’d recommend and why, then send a fixed-price quote before anything is booked.
Read more
Keeping the system healthy
Looking after the system is mostly common sense. A few tips:
- Keep the MCS certificate with the manufacturer’s paperwork
- Clear leaves and debris from the outdoor unit
- Read the manufacturer’s warranty terms for your brand
We show you how to use the controls and explain how a heat pump works differently from a boiler. Steady running suits a heat pump better than switching on and off so we set the controls up with you.
Book a service every year. Your manufacturer’s warranty terms may say something about servicing.
What a heat pump looks like in Portsmouth
Portsmouth lies within about 1 mile of the sea. Salt air is hard on outdoor units, so a heat pump near the sea needs a sensible position and regular checks, and some models offer corrosion protection for coastal sites. The Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures put about 57% of homes in Portsmouth and the neighbourhoods around it before 1919, and the last census (2021) found about 53% of households in terraced houses. Older homes can lose heat faster, so a room-by-room heat loss calculation, and sometimes insulation or larger radiators, comes before sizing a heat pump. Terraced houses share walls with neighbours, which helps, but the outdoor unit position needs care with noise next door.
Older homes near St Wilfrid may need extra checks for planning and heat loss before a heat pump is designed. If your home is near Fratton station and heated by a gas boiler, an air-to-water heat pump can replace it where the survey shows it suits.
Portsmouth is in England. For air source heat pumps in and around Portsmouth, please phone us on 07833 053749 or fill in the contact form for a fixed-price quote. We work across London and the South East, Portsmouth included. Our area takes in 19 places across Portsmouth. For properties nearby, see our Worthing page (30 miles or so).
The closest recent job we can point to from Portsmouth was on East Street, Chichester (PO19), about 13 miles east: installing a Daikin wall-mounted unit in the dining area and a second unit serving the kitchen pass area.
Church Road, April Square and Rudmore Square and the roads off them are all inside our area. If your postcode is in PO6, PO4, PO1 and PO2, you’re inside the area we cover. We also cover Rudmore (1 mile north-west), Landport (1 mile south-west), North End (1 mile north), Fratton (1 mile south-east) and Kingston (1 mile south-east). Larger places within reach include Wymering (3 miles north), Paulsgrove (3 miles north), Drayton (3 miles north-east) and Farlington (3 miles north-east).
Landmarks near Portsmouth
We fit and service air conditioning in homes and premises around The Portsmouth Academy, Alexandra Park and St Edmund's Catholic School and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Fratton station, roughly 0.9 miles south of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Royal Portsmouth Hospital (0.7 miles south-west) and Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum (under half a mile west). The countryside around Portsmouth includes Milton Locks and Portsdown Hill.
Other services in Portsmouth
When it’s something else
Some problems need a different service or another trade:
- Any gas work on the existing boiler
- Formal advice on VAT for your situation
- Planning approval where permitted development does not apply
If in doubt, ring us on 07833 053749 or drop us a line and we’ll say what we think.
Parts of the system we cover
- Homes heated by oil, LPG or gas
- Air-to-air heat pumps
- Underfloor heating
- Air-to-water heat pumps
- Radiator systems
- Hot water cylinders
For landlords and property managers
We also work for facilities teams in offices, schools and public buildings across Portsmouth. Work can be phased by floor, zone or building to keep disruption down.
Managing agents often deal with us directly. Send the address, what’s needed and how access works, and we’ll send a fixed-price quote.
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