Kent · Heat pump installation
Air Source Heat Pumps in Shirkoak
We cover Shirkoak 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
- Deciding which kind of heat pump suits the home
- A boiler that is getting old
Air source heat pumps in Shirkoak, 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 check the rules for your property as part of the survey. If you’re dealing with checking eligibility for a heat pump grant and finding a place for the outdoor unit, we can help.
In a place like Shirkoak, some homes are listed, and permitted development does not cover listed buildings, so consent comes first.
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. It also keeps you on the right side of any warranty terms that ask for servicing.
- Location
- Shirkoak (TN26)
- Region
- Kent
- Certified
- F-Gas certified, NICEIC approved, MCS
- Typical price
- £8,000–£16,000 before the grant, 0% VAT on homes
- Quotes
- A fixed price before we start
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
What we do, step by step
Everything the job needs comes with us, from tools and test equipment to ladders and dust sheets. All we ask is clear access to the units, or to where they’ll go, and to the consumer unit. The visit takes from a couple of days to around a week, depending on the system and how much of the heating changes. We plan the trip to Shirkoak around you.
- We talk through your home, your current heating and what you want from a heat pump.
- We survey the home room by room for heat loss, and check the emitters, hot water and outdoor unit position.
- We send a fixed-price quote that shows the equipment, the grant position and the VAT.
- Fitting day: the outdoor unit is placed, the indoor side connected and the controls set up.
- Commissioning, MCS certification and a handover of the controls finish the job.
Before we arrive
- Dig out any previous service or F-Gas records
- Let us know if the units are on a roof, a high wall or in a locked area
- Clear a path to the units and the space around them
Ask for a quote
Photos are enough for some jobs; others need a visit first. Multi-room systems, commercial buildings and anything with a long or hidden pipe route are normally surveyed first. Either way, the quote is fixed before anything goes ahead.
Read more
System by system
Radiators and underfloor heating
Underfloor heating works well with heat pumps because it uses lower temperatures and we look at it during the survey.
Hot water cylinders
Cylinder size is based on your household’s needs.
Nearby places to Shirkoak
What else we do in Shirkoak
Pricing air source heat pumps in Shirkoak
Typical ranges are on our prices page, and your quote is built on your job. What we look at:
- The number of rooms, units or zones
- One-off work versus a regular service cycle
- The pipe route between the units
One room or a whole building, the quote is built the same way: what needs doing, how we get to it and what it needs. You will have a fixed price before work begins, with VAT shown clearly.
Before you get in touch
Photos and a few facts are often enough to price a simple job. Send what you can of the following:
- The rating plate or label on any existing unit
- Your consumer unit or fuse board
- Wide pictures of the room or the existing unit
Our prices page gives typical ranges, but your quote is based on your job, because no two buildings, rooms or systems are the same. After a look at the job, by pictures or a survey, the price is fixed. To get going, call 07833 053749 or fill in the contact form.
Shirkoak questions
Is the heat pump grant available in Shirkoak?
Yes, the scheme covers homes in England, including Shirkoak, if they qualify. The amount depends on the type of heat pump, and the survey confirms which applies. We hold MCS certification, so the application is ours to make for you.
Is a heat pump in Shirkoak permitted development?
It comes down to the building and the spot chosen for the outdoor unit. The centre of Shirkoak is in 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 Shirkoak, usually Ashford council) first.
Do I need to service the system to keep the warranty?
That depends on the brand. Where servicing is a condition, a missed service could give the manufacturer grounds to refuse a claim, so we explain the terms on your quote.
How long does a heat pump installation take?
The work takes a few days on site, depending on the cylinder, the radiators and the pipework involved. We confirm the timing after the survey, so phone us on 07833 053749, or email if that’s easier to arrange one.
Should I choose air-to-water or air-to-air?
Air-to-water replaces the boiler for heating and hot water, while air-to-air heats and cools rooms, and we help you choose. We install both types.
Can you come out in an emergency?
Yes. There’s a 24/7 emergency line for problems that cannot wait for a planned visit. Ring 07833 053749 any time and explain the problem.
How do you keep the place clean during the work?
We start with protection: sheets over the floor and nearby furniture. Holes and fixings are agreed with you, and we clean up afterwards before we leave.
What a heat pump looks like in Shirkoak
VOA council tax data show about 35% of homes in the Shirkoak area were built in 2000 or later, and the last census (2021) found about 75% of households in detached or semi-detached houses. Newer homes normally lose less heat, which tends to suit a heat pump well. Finding room for the outdoor unit and a cylinder is seldom a problem in homes like these.
With Smallhythe Place about 4.8 miles south-west, it’s worth asking whether your own home is listed before planning a heat pump. Live in one of the older houses around Parish Church of All Saints? Expect the survey to look closely at heat loss and at the building’s planning status.
Shirkoak is about 5 miles south-west of Ashford, in Kent. If you need air source heat pumps in Shirkoak, please give us a ring on 07833 053749 or email us for a fixed-price quote. We work across London and the South East, including Shirkoak. Our list for Kent has 922 entries, and Shirkoak is one. Eastbourne, roughly 30 miles off, has its own page on this site.
Our nearest recent job to Shirkoak was on Mermaid Street, Rye (TN31), about 10 miles south: installing three Fujitsu wall-mounted units in guest bedrooms, with the outdoor units positioned in the hotel’s walled rear garden.
We cover homes and businesses on Bethersden Road, Shirkoak Park and Redbrook Street and nearby roads. If your postcode is in TN26, you’re inside the area we cover. Nearby, we also cover air source heat pumps in Woodchurch (1 mile south), Brattle (1 mile south), Brook Street (2 miles south), Leigh Green (3 miles south-west) and Appledore Heath (4 miles south). Further out, we also cover Ashford (5 miles north-east), Hythe (14 miles east), Tenterden (4 miles south-west) and Bearsted (15 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Shirkoak
Around Shirkoak, our work takes us to homes and businesses near Stone Wood and The Bonny Cravat Inn, among other places. Shirkoak’s nearest station is Ham Street station, roughly 4 miles south-east. A little further out are Romden Castle (4.6 miles north-west) and Woodchurch Village Life Museum (0.7 miles south). Not far away are Orlestone Forest.
Honest limits
An honest diagnosis matters more to us than a booking, so here’s what this work can’t put right:
- Planning approval where permitted development does not apply
- Insulation work, such as loft or cavity wall insulation
- Tax advice on your own circumstances
If you are not sure, just call 07833 053749 or send an email and we’ll give you a straight answer.
What the work covers
- Radiator systems
- Homes heated by oil, LPG or gas
- Hot water cylinders
- Air-to-air heat pumps
- Air-to-water heat pumps
- Underfloor heating
From one of our customers
“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