Air source heat pumps
AMP is a Heat Geek-trained heat pump installer covering the North East — Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and rural Northumberland. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant (£7,500 on gas-grid swaps, rising to £9,000 from summer 2026 for households currently on oil or LPG) is deducted directly from your quote.
Quick answer
Quick answer — who installs heat pumps in the North East?
AMP Renewables is a Heat Geek-trained air source heat pump installer covering 18 North East towns from Newcastle to Middlesbrough and rural Northumberland. NICEIC certified. We handle the £7,500 standard Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, or the £9,000 enhanced grant for households currently on oil or LPG — deducted directly from your fixed-price quote.
Most heat pump complaints we hear from prospective customers — cold homes in winter, high running costs, noisy outdoor units — trace back to the same root cause. The installer treated the heat pump as a like-for-like boiler swap, picked a unit by kW rating off a chart, and didn't recalculate the heat loss, emitter sizing or controls strategy for the actual property.
Every AMP installation starts with a room-by-room heat loss calculation. We then design the system around the property — flow temperature target, emitter sizing, hydraulic separation, weather compensation, domestic hot water priority — before specifying the unit. That's the Heat Geek methodology, and it's the difference between a heat pump that delivers its rated COP and one that quietly disappoints.
Local property archetypes matter too. North East housing stock includes solid-wall Tyneside flats and terraces in NE2 and NE6 (where higher flow temperatures and careful radiator sizing are essential), off-gas-grid Northumberland stone cottages that benefit most from the enhanced £9,000 oil/LPG grant band, and coastal properties in Sunderland and South Shields that need salt-tolerant outdoor unit siting and marine-grade brackets to stop corrosion in year one. The right design varies street by street — and connecting on the correct Northern Powergrid DNO network in the North East is the final piece.
Up to £9,000
BUS grant (£7,500 gas / £9,000 oil-LPG)
COP 3-4
Typical real-world efficiency
7 yrs
Manufacturer warranty
1-3 days
Typical install duration
Heat pump cost
A typical air source heat pump installation in the UK costs between £10,000 and £17,000 before grants. After the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant (which we apply for and deduct from your quote), most homeowners pay between £2,500 and £9,500 net for a complete install — heat pump, cylinder, controls, pipework and any necessary emitter upgrades.
If you currently heat with oil or LPG, the BUS grant rises to £9,000 from summer 2026 — a £1,500 uplift over the standard grant, reflecting the steeper price volatility and carbon impact of liquid fossil fuels. This particularly benefits rural Northumberland and County Durham households on off-gas-grid properties. We'll confirm your grant band as part of the free survey.
| Property type | Typical system size | Before grant | After £7,500 (gas) | After £9,000 (oil/LPG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-bed semi or terrace | 5-7kW heat pump | £10,000–£12,500 | £2,500–£5,000 | £1,000–£3,500 |
| 3-bed semi or detached | 8-10kW heat pump | £11,500–£14,000 | £4,000–£6,500 | £2,500–£5,000 |
| 4-bed detached | 10-14kW heat pump | £13,000–£17,000 | £5,500–£9,500 | £4,000–£8,000 |
| Large detached / off-gas rural | 14-20kW + buffer tank | £15,500–£22,000 | £8,000–£14,500 | £6,500–£13,000 |
Ranges assume a property already on the gas grid with reasonable insulation (EPC C or D). The £9,000 enhanced BUS grant applies from summer 2026 to households currently heated by oil or LPG — particularly relevant for rural Northumberland and County Durham properties. Off-gas-grid properties, larger detached homes, or significant emitter upgrade requirements may push costs higher and are quoted in advance. Listed buildings or properties needing extensive radiator changes are quoted bespoke.
Spread the cost
The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant (£9,000 for ground source) is deducted from your quote before any finance is calculated — we apply on your behalf, and you only ever fund the balance. Cash remains the cheapest way to cover that balance.
Available on selected solar, battery and EV charger packages through our consumer credit partner — typically 12-24 month repayment terms, subject to status and affordability checks. Not all packages or applicants qualify.
Several mortgage lenders offer additional borrowing for renewable upgrades. Spread over the mortgage term, the monthly payment typically sits below the monthly bill saving — worth a conversation with your mortgage broker before committing.
No interest, no monthly payments, no credit applications. Solar's typical 6-9 year payback makes cash from savings one of the strongest deployments of a lump sum available to UK households — we will always show you the cash price alongside any finance quote.
Illustrative example — heat pump with BUS grant
A £12,500 air source installation minus the £7,500 BUS grant leaves £5,000 to fund — less than half the headline price before cash, a mortgage top-up or any other route is even considered.
Up to £9,000 BUS grant
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a UK government grant administered by Ofgem. It provides £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump installation in England and Wales. From summer 2026 the grant rises to £9,000 for households currently heated by oil or LPG — recognising the larger carbon and bill savings these households unlock. It is not a cashback paid to the homeowner — it is paid to the installer, who must deduct it directly from your quote. We do all the paperwork; you never speak to Ofgem.
Standard grant
£7,500
For homes currently heated by mains gas, coal, or direct electric resistance. Most NE households fall in this band.
Enhanced grant (summer 2026)
£9,000
For homes currently heated by oil, LPG, or off-grid liquid fossil fuel. Common in rural Northumberland and County Durham villages.
Eligibility (all bands)
Not eligible
BUS is currently funded through to early 2028 with the standard grant at £7,500 and the enhanced £9,000 oil/LPG band introduced from summer 2026. Government policy on heat pump support has been broadly stable over the last 18 months, but the scheme is not legally permanent — applying sooner rather than later removes timing risk.
2025 rule update — MCS 020 noise compliance
From 29 May 2025, all air source heat pump installations in England must comply with the updated MCS 020 noise calculation for permitted development. This sets a 42 dB(A) limit measured 1m from neighbouring habitable windows — and adjusted for siting, building materials and screening. Most professionally designed installs sit well within this; the rule mainly affects poorly sited units close to terraced or semi-detached boundaries. Our heat-loss survey includes an MCS 020 noise assessment before quoting, so you know if planning permission is required (rare) before committing.
Heat pump packages
Pre-configured air source heat pump installs by property size. Prices shown are NET after the BUS grant (£7,500 standard or £9,000 if currently on oil/LPG). Includes full Heat Geek-trained design, full certification, 7-year manufacturer warranty.
5–7 kW unit
2-bed semi or terrace
Fully installed · 0% VAT applied
8–10 kW unit
3-bed semi or detached
Fully installed · 0% VAT applied
10–14 kW unit
4-bed or off-gas-grid rural
Fully installed · 0% VAT applied
Prices indicative — final quote subject to free roof / site survey. North East installs only. 0% VAT applies to all residential energy-saving materials in the UK until 31 March 2027.
Running costs
A well-designed heat pump delivers a seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) of 3.0 to 4.0 in UK conditions — three to four units of heat per unit of electricity consumed. At April 2026 energy prices, that puts running costs in the same ballpark as a modern gas combi boiler for a gas-heated property, and **roughly half** of what an oil-heated property pays.
| Current heating | Annual cost (typical 3-bed) | Heat pump cost | Annual saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mains gas combi | £1,400–£1,700 | £1,300–£1,650 | £50–£150 |
| Oil boiler | £2,400–£3,200 | £1,300–£1,650 | £1,000–£1,500 |
| LPG boiler | £2,800–£3,600 | £1,300–£1,650 | £1,200–£2,000 |
| Electric storage heaters | £2,000–£2,800 | £1,300–£1,650 | £500–£1,200 |
| Solid fuel | £1,800–£2,800 | £1,300–£1,650 | £300–£1,200 |
Figures assume 12,000 kWh annual heat demand at 2026 retail energy prices, SCOP 3.5 for the heat pump, and standard duty rates for each fuel. Heat pump running cost drops 25-35% further when paired with solar PV. Savings vary by property; we model your specific case as part of the survey.
Payback for the net (post-grant) install cost ranges from instant on oil/LPG replacements (running cost savings outpace finance costs) to 12-15 years on a gas-grid swap-only basis. Most customers don't focus on payback alone — the combination of fixed-price quote, £7,500 grant, lower carbon emissions and price-volatility hedging (electricity is more price-stable than oil or LPG over a multi-year window) is what drives the decision.
Brands we install
We install three premium brands as standard. All three have strong UK service networks, proven SCOP ratings in real-world UK installs, and warranties of 5-7 years. The right one for your home depends on space, control preferences and existing emitter compatibility — we'll recommend during the survey.
Mitsubishi Ecodan
5-14kW · MELCloud controls
Industry standard, well-understood by every UK heat pump engineer. Strong cold-weather performance, mature MELCloud monitoring app, dependable. Our go-to recommendation for most installs.
Most installed
Vaillant aroTHERM Plus
5-12kW · R290 refrigerant
Higher flow temperatures available (up to 75°C), useful for older properties with smaller radiators. R290 refrigerant has near-zero global warming potential. Quietest outdoor units in the class.
Daikin Altherma 3
4-16kW · Madoka controls
Integrated cylinder option (Daikin Altherma H Hybrid) saves space in tight plant rooms. Excellent monitoring through Onecta app. Strong choice where outdoor unit siting is constrained.
Your protection
The heat pump carries the manufacturer's warranty, and the install itself carries ours. Here's the full stack on a typical AMP heat pump install — full detail on our warranty page.
| Layer | Cover | Backed by |
|---|---|---|
| Heat pump unit — Vaillant aroTHERM Plus | 7 yrs | Vaillant — registered by us on commissioning day |
| Heat pump unit — Mitsubishi Ecodan | 5 yrs | Mitsubishi — extendable to 7 yrs with MELwarranty service plan |
| Heat pump unit — Daikin Altherma 3 | 5-7 yrs | Daikin — compressor cover extendable with a service contract |
| Workmanship | 10 yrs | AMP Renewables — covers the install itself, on top of manufacturer cover |
You call us, not the manufacturer. Within the 10-year workmanship period, AMP diagnoses the fault, handles the manufacturer warranty claim on your behalf and does the replacement work. Most heat pump issues are controls or sensor faults fixable on a single visit; a compressor failure — rare on the premium brands we install — is covered by the manufacturer warranty, with no labour charge from us. We register every warranty on commissioning day, so cover starts from day one without you filling in a single form.
NICEIC registration means our electrical work is independently assessed against BS 7671 wiring regulations, and every install is certificated and notifiable. It also gives you the NICEIC Platinum Promise — if our electrical work is found non-compliant and we don't put it right, NICEIC will. On a heat pump install that covers the dedicated supply circuit, isolation, bonding and controls wiring — the parts of the job most likely to cause real problems if done badly.
If something goes wrong and you're not happy with how we've handled it, we publish a formal complaints procedure with response timescales and the independent escalation routes available to you — including NICEIC's own complaints process for electrical work. You never have to rely on goodwill alone.
Works best together
A heat pump is electricity-hungry — typically 3,000-5,000 kWh per year on a typical 3-bed semi. Pairing the heat pump with solar plus battery turns a chunk of that demand into self-generated free electricity, slashing running costs and dramatically shortening combined payback.
Generate your own electricity to run the heat pump. A 6kW solar array typically covers 30-40% of annual heat pump demand in the North East, dropping running cost by an equivalent share.
See solar panels →Shifts heat pump electricity demand to cheap overnight tariff windows (e.g. Octopus Go at 8.5p/kWh). Combined with solar, can deliver effectively net-zero running cost from spring to autumn.
See home battery storage →Detailed comparison of net cost, running cost, payback period and suitability for different homes. Useful if you're still weighing the two options.
See boiler vs heat pump comparison →Our accreditations
NICEIC Approved
D124458
Electrical contractor
Gas Safe Register
947841
Gas appliances
Heat Geek Trained
Heat pump design specialists
SafeContractor
Approved
H&S accredited
ISO 9001
2015
Quality management
ISO 14001
2015
Environmental management
ISO 45001
2018
OH&S management
PAS 2030
:2019
Retrofit standard
NAPIT
Member
Electrical inspection
F-Gas Certified
Air conditioning refrigerant
NICEIC Approved
D124458
Electrical contractor
Gas Safe Register
947841
Gas appliances
Heat Geek Trained
Heat pump design specialists
SafeContractor
Approved
H&S accredited
ISO 9001
2015
Quality management
ISO 14001
2015
Environmental management
ISO 45001
2018
OH&S management
PAS 2030
:2019
Retrofit standard
NAPIT
Member
Electrical inspection
F-Gas Certified
Air conditioning refrigerant
Every accreditation listed is independently verified. We carry the registration numbers — ask for any on request.
How we compare
A snapshot of how AMP stacks up against the regional heat pump installers most NE homeowners shortlist. Compiled from each installer's public website at time of writing.
| Installer | Heat Geek trained | Room-by-room survey | Fixed-price quote | Brands installed | Warranty | BUS handled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMP Renewables | Yes | Yes | Yes | Vaillant, Mitsubishi, Daikin | Up to 7 yrs | End-to-end |
| EcoFuture | Not advertised | Yes | Yes | Vaillant, Samsung | 5 yrs | Yes |
| GeoWarmth | Not advertised | Yes | Yes | NIBE, Kensa | 5 yrs | Yes |
| IMS Heat Pumps | Not advertised | Yes | Yes | Mitsubishi, Grant | 5–7 yrs | Yes |
| Vaillant Advance partners | Varies by partner | Yes | Yes | Vaillant only | 7 yrs (Vaillant) | Yes |
Heat Geek trained = the installer's lead designers have completed Heat Geek Elite or Mastery accreditation, the strongest UK-recognised standard for low-temperature design. Where status is not publicly advertised on the installer's site, we've marked it accordingly rather than assume.
North East context
Heat pump design is climate- and housing-stock specific. A pattern that works in Surrey does not transfer cleanly to the North East — and pretending otherwise is the single most common reason regional heat pump installs underperform. Three things change the engineering up here.
The North East has a disproportionately high share of pre-1919 solid-wall properties — Tyneside flats in NE2/NE6 Newcastle, terraced rows across South Shields and Sunderland, and stone cottages threaded through Northumberland villages. These properties run on higher heat losses per square metre than modern UK averages, so emitter sizing matters more, and a room-by-room survey is non-negotiable. Many also have small original radiators that need at least partial upsizing before a heat pump can deliver comfort at low flow temperatures.
CIBSE winter design temperatures in Newcastle sit around -3.5°C, dropping to -4 to -5°C across the Northumberland uplands (Hexham, Otterburn) and at altitude in County Durham (Stanhope, Consett). London by contrast is rated around -1.8°C. A heat pump sized off a generic UK heat-loss table will be one band undersized for the North East — leaving the property dependent on the immersion heater on the coldest two weeks of the year. AMP's designs use the local CIBSE band, not a nationally averaged figure, so capacity at -4°C is engineered in rather than assumed.
Every NE heat pump install needs to be notified to or approved by Northern Powergrid, the DNO that runs the regional distribution network. For most domestic heat pumps under 16 amps single-phase the notification is post-install via the ENA G99 process; larger units, three-phase installs, or properties on weak rural circuits (common around the Cheviots, North Pennines and parts of rural County Durham) need pre-install approval that can take 4-8 weeks. AMP handles all DNO paperwork in-house and starts the application at the survey stage so it never becomes a project blocker.
Recent installs
A snapshot of recent AMP heat pump installs across the region — every one designed room-by-room from a full heat-loss survey, not specified off a chart.
Jesmond, Newcastle (NE2)
8kW Vaillant aroTHERM Plus
Solid-wall Victorian terrace — full radiator upsize to run at 45°C flow.
Hexham, Northumberland (NE46)
12kW Mitsubishi Ecodan
Off-grid stone cottage swap-out from oil — £9,000 BUS grant band.
Seaburn, Sunderland (SR6)
10kW Vaillant aroTHERM Plus
Coastal install — marine-grade brackets and salt-tolerant siting.
Yarm, Stockton-on-Tees (TS15)
6kW Daikin Altherma 3
Modern 4-bed — paired with existing 6kW solar PV for low running cost.
Case studies
Full written case studies with system spec, design reasoning and measured results.
Residential · Heat pump
Gateshead · NE10 · 2026-02
A Heat Geek-designed Vaillant aroTHERM plus retrofit on a Gateshead Victorian end-of-terrace. The owners were replacing an aging combi boiler and wanted to claim the £7,500 BUS grant. Room-by-room heat loss survey identified 4 radiator upgrades needed; living room and main bedroom radiators kept original.
£7,500 BUS grant + projected 38% lower heating cost
Read the full install →Residential · Hybrid heat pump
Morpeth · NE61 · 2026-03
A Vaillant aroTHERM hybrid heat pump + ecoTEC boiler retrofit on a Grade II listed Morpeth coaching inn. Heat pump runs primary, boiler kicks in below 0°C. eBUS native cascade. Preserved original radiators and pipework — minimal heritage impact.
32% lower heating cost without compromising heritage
Read the full install →Service coverage
Town-specific heat pump pricing, BUS grant context, off-gas-grid considerations and Heat Geek-trained design. 18 of our service towns linked below.
North East UK coverage
Approximate positions
Most-installed-in towns
All 18 towns covered
Click any townOutside these 18?
Get in touch — we sometimes take on projects beyond our regular coverage area when there's a good fit.
Ask about your areaFree room-by-room heat loss survey, fixed-price written quote, £7,500 BUS grant deducted, Heat Geek-trained installation.
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