Replace Your Gas Boiler with a Heat Pump: Straight Answers from a Walsall Installer

If you’re thinking about how to replace a gas boiler with a heat pump, you probably have questions about cost, disruption and whether your home is suitable. At Eco Air Source Heat Pump Installer, we’re based in Walsall (WS1) and open 7 days, 9am to 7pm. You can phone us on 01922 302461, and you’re welcome to visit us in person. We start with a free home survey and follow it with a written quote, so you know where you stand before you decide anything. There’s no pressure and no rush. This page explains what the job involves, what it costs (with sources) and how the grant works.

Understanding the Switch

A gas boiler burns fuel to heat water. An air source heat pump works differently: it draws warmth from outside air, concentrates it and sends it into your heating and hot water. Because it moves heat rather than creating it, the Energy Saving Trust says heat pumps are more than three times more efficient than a gas or oil boiler (Energy Saving Trust, Air source heat pumps, updated 23 Sept 2026).

In practice, the outdoor unit sits against an outside wall or on the ground. Pipework runs inside to your radiators or underfloor heating, and usually to a hot water cylinder. Heat pumps tend to run at a lower, steadier temperature than a gas boiler. Your home is warmed gently for longer, rather than blasted in short bursts.

The Energy Saving Trust describes two main types. Monobloc units keep everything in the outdoor unit and are cheaper and quicker to install. Split systems can be slightly more efficient (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). We’ll tell you which suits your property after the survey.

Who This Suits

Most homes we’re asked about in Walsall, Bloxwich, Aldridge, Willenhall, Brownhills and Darlaston fall into a few groups:

• Owners with an ageing gas boiler who would rather invest in a long-term replacement than another like-for-like swap.
• Homeowners with decent insulation or who are planning to improve it, as a well-insulated house is easier to heat with a lower-temperature system.
• Landlords looking ahead at the heating in their rental properties.
• People with space outside for the unit and a cupboard inside for a cylinder.

The Energy Saving Trust notes a hot water cylinder can usually fit in any cupboard measuring at least 80cm x 80cm (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). Not sure you have the room? We’ll check when we visit.

From First Call to Finished Job

1. A phone call. Tell us about your home and current boiler. A real person answers, and we’ll book your survey.
2. The free home survey. We look at your property, radiators, pipework, outside space and where a cylinder could go. We’ll also talk through how you use heat day to day.
3. A written quote. You get the full cost on paper, including any extras like radiator changes, so there are no surprises.
4. Preparation. If you’re going down the grant route, we hand you over to our MCS-certified partner at this stage (more on that below). Otherwise we confirm the date with you.
5. Installation. The old boiler comes out, the outdoor unit and cylinder go in, and the system is connected, filled and tested. Unvented hot water cylinders fall under Building Regulations Part G, which covers hot water safety, so this part is done by suitably qualified people.
6. Handover. We show you how to use the controls and set your heating schedule, and tell you who to call if you have questions.

Planning Permission and Regulations

Most heat pump installations are permitted development, so no planning permission is needed. If you live in a listed building or conservation area, check with your local planning department first (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). If your home might be affected, mention it on the call and we’ll point you in the right direction.

What You’ll Gain

• Efficiency. A heat pump turns each unit of electricity into much more heat than a boiler can manage from its fuel (Energy Saving Trust, 2026).
• Even comfort. Steady, lower-temperature heating avoids the hot-then-cold cycle many people notice with boilers.
• No gas on site. Once your boiler is gone, there’s no gas combustion in the house.
• Running costs worth understanding. On standard tariffs electricity is nearly four times more expensive than gas, so a heat pump can cost slightly more to run than a new gas or oil boiler. A heat pump time-of-use tariff can bring running costs below a gas boiler (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). We’d rather tell you that plainly than promise savings we can’t prove.

The Investment: What It Costs and What Changes the Price

Published figures vary depending on who you ask, so here are several, each with its source:

• Around £12,000 is the typical UK installation cost (Energy Saving Trust, 2026).
• £3,000 to £15,000 on average for supply and installation, not including extras such as upgrading radiators (Checkatrade cost guide, 2026).
• £8,000 to £14,000+ installed (Renewable Energy Hub, 4 Aug 2026).
• £7,000 to £13,000, depending on property size, system design and upgrades (Heatable, 2026).
• £5,000 to £15,000 to install (Worcester Bosch, seen Oct 2026).

The spread is wide because every house is different. What moves the price is the size of your property, how well it holds heat, the type of system (monobloc or split), the cylinder, and whether any radiators or pipework need changing. Our free survey turns those general ranges into a figure for your home, in writing.

The £7,500 Grant

Homes in England and Wales can get £7,500 towards an air source heat pump through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (Energy Saving Trust, 2026). To qualify you must own the property and be replacing a fossil fuel system such as gas, oil, electric or LPG (GOV.UK, 2026). Most new builds, social housing and homes already given government funding for a heat pump aren’t eligible (GOV.UK, 2026). Earlier funding for insulation doesn’t rule you out (GOV.UK, 2026).

We’re not MCS certified, and the grant requires an MCS-certified installer who applies on your behalf (GOV.UK, 2026). So if you want the grant, we refer you to our MCS-certified partner, who quotes, installs and applies for it. The grant is taken off what you pay and shown on your quotation and invoice (GOV.UK, 2026), and the installer must commission the heat pump within 120 days of applying (GOV.UK, 2026). If you don’t need the grant, we install the heat pump ourselves.

Timescale

We won’t guess a number of days here. Your written quote will set out the expected schedule for your home, and we’ll go through it with you.

Ready When You Are

Whether you’re just starting to look into it or already comparing quotes, we’re happy to talk it through. Drop in to see us in Walsall or ring from home: Call 01922 302461 or request a free survey.