Kent · Heat pump installation
Heat pump installation in River, Kent
Expert air source heat pumps for River: a survey or diagnosis, a fixed price, careful work and proper paperwork. Ask us for a fixed-price quote.
- Deciding which kind of heat pump suits the home
- Not knowing whether a grant applies
- Finding a place for the outdoor unit
How the job changes from property to property
Air-to-air heat pumps
A £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant is available for air-to-air only if it replaces the fossil-fuel heating and meets the full heating demand. It must be installed by an MCS certified installer and be in a home.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme
In England and Wales, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers grants towards heat pumps: £7,500 for air-to-water (and ground source), and £2,500 for air-to-air with strict conditions. The installer applies.
Air source heat pumps for homes and businesses in River
Air-to-air heat pumps can qualify for a £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, but only in some cases. 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. If you’re dealing with deciding which kind of heat pump suits the home and no space for a hot water cylinder, we can help.
For a house near River, space outside is rarely the problem, so the main questions are heat loss, radiators and the electrics.
Warranty on the equipment is the manufacturer’s own, on the manufacturer’s terms, and we explain those terms on your quote. Each brand sets its own conditions, and we are happy to talk you through them.
- Place
- River (CT17, CT16)
- Region
- Kent
- Price guide
- Air-to-water £8,000–£16,000 before any grant (0% VAT for homes)
- Certified
- NICEIC approved, F-Gas certified, MCS
- Quotes
- A fixed price before work begins
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
When something else is needed
A few issues sit outside what this work can do:
- Promising eligibility for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
- Improving the building’s insulation
- Getting planning permission or listed building consent on your behalf
Not sure which it is? You can phone us on 07833 053749 or use the quote form and we’ll tell you honestly.
What the work covers
- Air-to-air heat pumps
- Air-to-water heat pumps
- Homes heated by oil, LPG or gas
- Hot water cylinders
- Radiator systems
- Underfloor heating
How the visit works
We book the visit for a day and time that suit you, and we let you know if plans need to move. On arrival, the engineer compares the job with the survey, your photos or the details you gave us. Anything unexpected is raised with you before we go further. After that, it takes from a couple of days to around a week, depending on the system and how much of the heating changes. We plan the visit to River from the survey or your pictures.
- You tell us about the home and what you want from a heat pump.
- The survey checks heat loss, emitters, hot water and the outdoor unit position.
- We recommend air-to-water or air-to-air and check the grant position.
- Installation follows on the agreed dates.
- After commissioning, you get the MCS certificate and a handover.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets out of the rooms we’re working in
- Tell us about parking and loading
- Give us access to the outside wall, roof or yard where the outdoor unit sits
Ask for a quote
Every quote starts with a look at the job, from a site survey or, where the job is straightforward, from photos and measurements. Then you get a fixed price before any work starts.
Related advice
Homes in River and heat pumps
River lies within about 2 miles of the sea. Coastal sites are worth mentioning at the survey, as salt air affects the outdoor unit and its fixings. About 76% of households live in detached or semi-detached houses, according to the last census (2021). Detached and semi-detached houses usually have room for the outdoor unit and a cylinder.
Period properties close to Church of St Peter can suit a heat pump, though insulation and any heritage protection are checked first. Homeowners near Kearsney station often ask whether a heat pump can take over from the boiler, and the heat loss survey answers that.
River is about 1 mile north-west of Dover, in Kent. Whether you are in the middle of River or further out, our engineers cover air source heat pumps, from small jobs to large ones. Count every place we list in Kent and you reach 922, with River on the list. Eastbourne, roughly 50 miles off, has its own page on this site.
Work in CT17 and CT16 follows the same survey, fixed-price quote and written records as everywhere else we cover. We cover homes and businesses on Lower Road, Minnis Lane and London Road and nearby roads. If you’re just outside River, we cover Kearsney (1 mile north-west), Temple Ewell (1 mile north-west), Dover (1 mile south-east), Whitfield (1 mile north-east) and Maxton (2 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Canterbury (13 miles north-west), Folkestone (6 miles south-west), Ramsgate (15 miles north-east) and Deal (7 miles north-east).
What’s near River
Around River, our work takes us to homes and businesses near St Edmund's Catholic School, Old Park Hill and Royal Oak Cottage The Royal Oak Public House, among other places. River’s nearest station is Kearsney station, about 0.5 miles north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Crabble Corn Mill (under half a mile south-east) and Dover Castle (2.2 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Dover Western Heights.
Questions from River
Will a heat pump in River need planning permission?
It depends on the property. Central River sits inside a 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 local planning authority (for River, typically Dover council) first.
Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cover homes in River?
River is covered, as the scheme runs across England and Wales. It gives £7,500 towards an air-to-water or ground source heat pump, or £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump that replaces the fossil-fuel heating and meets the whole home’s heating need. We hold MCS certification, so the application is ours to make for you.
Can I do any of the installation myself?
Anything that involves the refrigerant needs an F-Gas qualified engineer from a certified company. That is a legal requirement, and manufacturers expect it for their warranty too. We can quote for the whole job, from supply to commissioning.
Why use an F-Gas certified company?
Certification shows a business is approved to work on systems that hold F gas refrigerant. That isn’t optional: it’s required by law, and AirCon Doctor is certified.
Who has to arrange F-Gas leak checks?
Whoever operates the equipment, together with the technicians who service it. Larger systems need regular checks: at least every 12 months from 5 tCO2e and every 6 months from 50 tCO2e. We will work out which band applies to yours.
Do you survey before quoting?
Yes, every time. Diagnosis comes before treatment: the survey tells us what the job needs and how to do it and the fixed price is built on it.
What’s the price of a heat pump installation?
Air-to-water work is in the £8,000–£16,000 range (0% VAT on homes), with any grant still to come off. Where you land depends on the size of heat pump, any radiators that need changing and the hot water cylinder, and air-to-air systems are priced after a survey.
For landlords and property managers
Keeping records across a portfolio is half the battle. Every visit is written up, with F-Gas records wherever refrigerant work is involved, so you can show what was done and when.
Facilities teams in offices, schools and public buildings book us too in River and across Kent. Larger buildings can be done in stages to keep disruption down.
What else we do in River
A customer’s words
“Excellent service from start to finish. Two wall-mounted units installed in our home. Clean, tidy work: they protected all the floors and left no mess. The systems work brilliantly. Would highly recommend.”
Sarah M., East Grinstead