Non-domestic. England, Wales and Scotland
What does a commercial heat pump cost?
We do not publish a price per kW, because nobody can quote one honestly. A commercial heat pump is a whole-system project: the heat load, the emitters and pipework, the plant space, the acoustics and the electrical supply each move the number more than the pump does. The grant position is worth knowing before you start: the Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers a building used for your business in England and Wales, but at £7,500 per property and a 45kWth cap on individual systems, most commercial schemes sit outside it. Tell us about the building and commercial installers will price it.
How it works
- Tell us about the building, the emitters and the supply. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to commercial heat pump installers covering your postcode, and to no one else.
- They come back with a survey and a price for your building. Compare, choose, or walk away.
Commercial Heat Pump Cost is a free introduction service operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd; we pass your details to commercial heat pump installers who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are not installers, engineers or planning consultants, and nothing here is design, planning or legal advice. We publish no installed price because we cannot evidence one across the range of buildings this covers, and grant, planning and F gas rules change, so confirm the current position with the sources listed before you rely on it.
What sets the price of a commercial heat pump installation, 2026
Last updated
A commercial heat pump is not a boiler swap, and it does not price like one. The number comes out of the building rather than the plant list: what the fabric loses, what temperature the emitters need, where the units can physically go and how loud they are allowed to be, and whether the electrical supply can carry them. This table sets out each driver, what it does to the quote, and the question to put to the installer so that two quotes can be compared at all.
This is a cost-driver table rather than a price list, and that is deliberate. Commercial heat pump projects vary by an order of magnitude for the same nominal kW output depending on emitters, plant space and electrical capacity, so any published average would mislead the reader who most needs the answer. No installed price is quoted here because we cannot evidence one across the range of buildings this covers. The grant, capacity, planning and F gas rows are taken from gov.uk and legislation.gov.uk and were read on the updated date above; the remaining rows describe how commercial heating projects are scoped and are not sourced figures. Prices for your own building come from the installers, through the form above.
| Cost driver | Why it moves the price | What to ask the installer |
|---|---|---|
| Heat load and building fabric | The heat pump is sized to the calculated loss of the building, not to the rating of the boiler it replaces. Boilers are routinely oversized, so sizing from the old plate specifies plant you do not need and cannot afford to run. Fabric improvements can cut the plant size and the bill with it | Whether the quote is based on a room-by-room or building heat loss calculation, and what design external temperature was used |
| Flow temperature and the emitters | This is usually the largest variable after the load. A heat pump is most efficient at a lower flow temperature than a boiler system was designed around, so radiators and coils sized for high flow temperatures have to be uprated or replaced. In fan coil and air handling buildings the coil capacity at the new flow temperature has to be checked unit by unit | What flow temperature the design assumes, and which emitters are being retained, uprated or replaced at that temperature |
| Pipework and hydraulics | Lower flow temperatures mean higher flow rates for the same output, so existing distribution pipework, valves and pumps may be undersized. Buffer vessels, low loss headers, volumisers and additional pumping are common additions that never appear on a headline kW price | Whether the existing distribution has been checked for flow rate and pressure drop, and what hydraulic separation is included |
| Plant space and structural support | External units need space with clear airflow, access for maintenance and a base or steelwork that can carry them. Roof plant can need structural checks and craneage. Ground source moves the cost into boreholes or ground loops and the land to put them in | Where the plant is going, what structural or craneage allowance is in the price, and who is responsible for the base |
| Acoustics | Air source plant is assessed for noise at the nearest sensitive receptor, and attenuation, acoustic enclosures, screening or a different location can all follow. Acoustic constraints are a common reason a scheme is redesigned after the first quote | Whether a noise assessment is included, and what it assumes about background level and the nearest window |
| Electrical supply capacity | Heat pumps move the load from gas to electricity. If the incoming supply cannot carry the new load, the distribution network operator quotes the upgrade separately, with its own charges and its own programme, and that quote can dominate both the budget and the timescale | What electrical load the plant adds, whether the existing supply and switchgear carry it, and whether a network operator application is assumed |
| Planning and permitted development | Part 14 of the GPDO gives permitted development rights for ground source (Class L) and water source (Class M) heat pumps on non-domestic premises, but contains no equivalent class for air source heat pumps on non-domestic premises. Other rights can apply, for example plant on industrial land under Part 7 Class I, which is not permitted where it would materially affect the external appearance of the premises or exceed 15 metres. Listed buildings and conservation areas add their own consents | Who is making the planning application, what the fee and programme allowance is, and whether the design assumes a permitted development right |
| Refrigerant and F gas duties | Once installed, the operator carries duties. gov.uk makes users of stationary heat pumps responsible for leak checking, at least every 12 months where the charge is 5 to under 50 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, every 6 months from 50 to under 500, and every 3 months above that, with automatic leak detection required on the largest systems. Contractors servicing your equipment must hold company certification and individual qualifications | The refrigerant, its charge in tonnes of CO2 equivalent, the resulting leak check interval, and whether the maintenance quote includes those checks and the records |
| Controls, commissioning and integration | A heat pump only delivers its design performance if the controls run it that way. Weather compensation, sequencing across multiple units, integration with an existing building management system and proper commissioning are where retrofit performance is won or lost, and where a cheap quote usually saves its money | What is included for controls, BMS integration, commissioning and the first year of seasonal performance monitoring |
| Grant position | The Boiler Upgrade Scheme runs in England and Wales and gov.uk states you can use it to replace a heating system in a building used for your business, at £7,500 for an air source or ground source heat pump, one grant per property. The capacity caps are the catch: 45kWth for individual systems, 70kWth where a heat pump is installed with one or more additional heat pumps, and 300kWth for shared ground loops. It cannot be used for hybrid systems, most new builds or social housing | Whether the scheme applies at your capacity, whether the installer is MCS certified, and whether the grant is shown net in the price |
- There is no reliable price per kW for a commercial heat pump: the same nominal output costs very different money depending on emitters, plant space, acoustics and electrical capacity.
- The Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers a building used for your business in England and Wales at £7,500 for an air source or ground source heat pump, but caps capacity at 45kWth for individual systems and 70kWth where a heat pump is installed with one or more additional heat pumps, so most commercial schemes fall outside it (gov.uk).
- Part 14 of the General Permitted Development Order gives permitted development rights for ground source and water source heat pumps on non-domestic premises, but contains no class for air source heat pumps on non-domestic premises (legislation.gov.uk).
- Users of stationary heat pumps must have them leak checked at least every 12 months where the F gas charge is 5 to under 50 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, every 6 months from 50 to under 500, and every 3 months above that (gov.uk).
Cite this page
“What sets the price of a commercial heat pump installation, 2026”, Commercial Heat Pump Cost, https://commercialheatpumpcost.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14). This is a cost-driver table rather than a price list, and that is deliberate. Commercial heat pump projects vary by an order of magnitude for the same nominal kW output depending on emitters, plant space and electrical capacity, so any published average would mislead the reader who most needs the answer. No installed price is quoted here because we cannot evidence one across the range of buildings this covers. The grant, capacity, planning and F gas rows are taken from gov.uk and legislation.gov.uk and were read on the updated date above; the remaining rows describe how commercial heating projects are scoped and are not sourced figures. Prices for your own building come from the installers, through the form above.
Related guides
Sourced, dated, kept current.
- Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cover a commercial building?
gov.uk says the grant can replace a heating system in a building used for your business. The capacity caps and the one-grant-per-property rule decide whether it helps.
- Do commercial heat pumps need planning permission?
Part 14 of the GPDO gives non-domestic permitted development for ground and water source heat pumps, but has no class for air source. Plan the application early.
- F gas duties on a commercial heat pump: what the owner carries
Leak checks by CO2-equivalent charge, records, company certification and personal qualifications. These are duties on the operator, not just on the contractor.
Questions, answered directly
How much does a commercial heat pump cost?
There is no honest price per kW. The cost is set by the calculated heat load, whether emitters and pipework have to be changed for a lower flow temperature, the plant space and acoustics, and whether the electrical supply can carry the new load. Two buildings with the same nominal output can be an order of magnitude apart, which is why this site publishes cost drivers and gets you real quotes instead.
Is a heat pump retrofit just a boiler swap?
No. A heat pump runs at a lower flow temperature than the system was designed around, so emitters, pipework flow rates, hydraulic separation and controls all have to be assessed. A quote that prices only the plant and leaves the distribution system alone is usually the most expensive one on the table by the second winter.
Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme apply to commercial buildings?
In England and Wales, gov.uk states the grant can be used to replace a heating system in a building used for your business, at £7,500 for an air source or ground source heat pump, one grant per property. The capacity caps of 45kWth for individual systems and 70kWth where a heat pump is installed with one or more additional heat pumps exclude most larger commercial projects.
Do I need planning permission for a commercial heat pump?
Very possibly. Part 14 of the England GPDO gives non-domestic permitted development rights for ground source (Class L) and water source (Class M) heat pumps but has no class for air source heat pumps on non-domestic premises. Other rights such as Part 7 Class I for plant on industrial land may apply. Confirm the current position with the local planning authority.
Will the electricity supply need upgrading?
Often. Heat pumps shift load from gas to electricity, and if the incoming supply or switchgear cannot carry it, the distribution network operator quotes the upgrade separately under its own connection charging methodology. That quote can set both the budget and the programme, so it belongs in the feasibility stage rather than at order.
Does the installer have to be MCS certified?
For a Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, yes: gov.uk directs applicants to an MCS certified installer and the scheme is administered on that basis. MCS covers small-scale renewable installations, so a larger commercial scheme outside the grant is normally procured on the strength of the design, references and commissioning evidence instead.