Posted by: @paul1098

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If I can get a system installed for no more than £4k plus BUS then I'll go for it. If that turns out to be unrealistic then I'll not bother.

Given that you are starting from scratch I think you are unlikely to achieve this unless you are lucky, do some gymnastics with the contracting, or do some work yourself.

Posted by: @jamespa

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Posted by: @paul1098

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If I can get a system installed for no more than £4k plus BUS then I'll go for it. If that turns out to be unrealistic then I'll not bother.

Given that you are starting from scratch I think you are unlikely to achieve this unless you are lucky, do some gymnastics with the contracting, or do some work yourself.

I would agree that until the advent of heat pumps the UK plumbing world has guessed at rad and boiler sizing rather than designed which is probably where most of the heat pump problems stem from.

@paul1098 

Just possibly you could find a regular plumber to do the pipework plus rads for 4k then get the heat pump installed free. You would have to pay vat on the plumbing work though unless you can somehow link the contracts.  Depends on how difficult the pipework is.  Alternatively you might be able to DIY the potentially awkward/risky bits so it's a low risk install.  Get some more quotes then play around with options?

Posted by: @paul1098 

The self imposed constraint i have is value for money, if the new heating system can be close to cost neutral when compared to the increase in house value then it's worth doing if not i'll stick with my storage heaters.

If I can get a system installed for no more than £4k plus BUS then I'll go for it. If that turns out to be unrealistic then I'll not bother.

Given all the work, I think it unlikely that you will be able to get an A2W solution for £4k cost to you. I got competitive quotes in the region £12k and £12.5k for a 7kW A2W install with zero and one radiator upgrades, no new HW tank. I've also seem similar on RHH forums. So BUS grant + £4k is unlikely to get you more than just* an A2W heat pump install. (*Saying "just" is unfair, there's still a lot to it, but much less than the from scratch pipes, radiators, and HW tank that you would need).

I think your strong focus on the economics of an upgrade is absolutely right. In your position, I would explore a low cost option with A2A. This would involve a single-split system for the main room probably a 2.5kW or 3.5kW unit. This would cost in the region of £1700 to £1900 installed. Then I'd look at replacing the other storage heater with a simple electric radiator and make any other upgrades needed using direct electric heating. This would be a very simple low disruption refresh, likely coming in well within your budget.

With the A2A, you could then get on to a heat pump tariff, for example British Gas do one that is half price electricity midnight to 7am and 1pm to 4pm,, with no peak rate period. The A2A would have an efficiency of 5 and the rest just 1. It wouldn't beat A2W on running costs, but it would beat electric storage heaters and probably LPG. It would not have the massive capital costs and disruption of an A2W install. It would also be cheaper than an LPG install.

The A2A could be controlled remotely to pre-heat or pre-cool the property before you go there. 

When it comes to sell, properties with Air-Con (A2A) typically sell for 2.5% more than comparable ones without, and sell on average quite a few weeks faster. That likely more than covers all your capital outlay.

Posted by: @paul1098

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You never know how good a contractor is going to be until it's too late. Due diligence is required and if your lucky personal recommendations are great but not always available. I agree about the price but top price doesn't always mean best design or installation in my experience.

All very true. Personally I also put a fair amount of weight on my gut feeling after a long enough face to face meeting. I also deplore the 'you gets what you pay for' rubric. There are too many examples of prices being set high to fool the gullible into thinking high price means high quality. It's one of the dumbest arguments there is. It is just as possible for poor quality to cost a lot as it is for good quality to be priced very reasonably. I've also know the same person do good work at a reasonable price, and then maybe a year later do over-priced bad work. It really is all a bit of a lottery. 

Posted by: @paul1098

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If I can get a system installed for no more than £4k plus BUS then I'll go for it. If that turns out to be unrealistic then I'll not bother.

Like @jamespa, I think that means you won't be getting a heat pump based system. Setting the max budget total at £11,500 if definitely on the tight side, unless, as @jamespa suggests, you can work something out that brings costs down to withing that budget. I would also be mindful that on a project of this size there are almost always unexpected things that crop up during the works that invariably increase costs rather than reduce them.

@rob-of-york's points all make good sense to my way of thinking.   

@jamespa Agree, was thinking a regular plumber would be more likely to give a sensible price for the pipework install as it's more his job rather than companies that have setup to replace rads and add a heat pump.

I'll get more quotes for both A2W and A2A and see where I get.

I'm obviously out of touch with the modern world I think as just costing all the parts including A2W and piping comes to £4600 exc VAT. I find it hard to believe someone can't install pipes in a simple 2 bed house for £6900 exc VAT to bring it in at £11500.
I do wonder whether heat pumps are the new wild west like double glazing and conservatories were 20+ years ago where some companies are willing to try it on.

Posted by: @paul1098

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I do wonder whether heat pumps are the new wild west like double glazing and conservatories were 20+ years ago where some companies are willing to try it on.

There are of course some installers trying it on, as there more or less always are in the construction industry.  However there are also many very good ones out there charging a fair price for a skilled job (given that its not just plumbing, its design, electrics, thinking through the control strategy etc).  The installation itself is actually a lot of work (electrics, base for heat pump, condensate drainage, commissioning the system, working out pipe routing, insulation, making good if necessary, DHW cylinder, cylinder vent pipework - always a pain, miscellaneous other bits etc) and there are also quite a few miscellaneous parts which add up.  Parts costs are very dependent on the heat pump itself but with a typical one being 3-4K+, >1K for a cylinder, probably 1-2K of misc bits including the control electronics, you are looking at 6-7K before you add in radiators, unless its a bargain basement job  - which is very possible and potentially entirely satisfactgory but of course not everyone quotes.

My install, comprising a heat pump, a dhw cylinder and four rad changes, no re-piping necessary, took six very long man days and that excludes putting the electrical feed which was done in advance and exposing and then making good the route for the primaries from the outside to the 'nexus' of the existing plumbing system (which I did myself).   Dont forget that they have to factor in the time they spend quoting people who dont proceed, travel time, administration, MCS fees etc as well as what you actually see.  

Nevertheless my advice is get some more quotes and take a look at what they tell you.  The quotes for mine ranged from 20K to 5K after BUS.  

I found some interesting data about the price of heat pump installs here:

https://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/four-years-boiler-upgrade-scheme-four-charts/

In 2026, 25% of BUS grant heat pump installs cost £11,350 or less, 50% cost £13,100 or less, and 75% £15,756 or less.

That gives quite a useful indicator for pricing. (It says nothing about the extent of other work done as part of the install, e.g. radiator replacements, extra pipework etc. but still sets the scene on costs).