The short answer for Nottingham: an air source heat pump costs about £12,900 installed on the national Boiler Upgrade Scheme median, so roughly £5,400 after the £7,500 grant. At October–December 2026 East Midlands prices it would cost about £620–£780 a year to heat a typical home, against about £740 on gas.
East Midlands electricity has the lowest unit rate of the regions we cover this quarter, which helps heat pump running costs. Nottingham's city council area is tightly drawn and heavily rented, so landlords make up a bigger share of enquiries here than in most places.
What a heat pump costs in Nottingham after the grant
Heat pump prices aren't published by city, and installers price each home from a survey, so the fairest benchmark is the national median under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
| Air source heat pump | |
|---|---|
| Typical installed price under BUS (median, April–June 2026) | £12,900 |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant | −£7,500 |
| What you would pay | about £5,400 |
Median installed cost of an air-to-water heat pump under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, April–June 2026 (lower quartile £11,128, upper quartile £15,627): DESNZ BUS Statistics: July 2026, published 27 August 2026. This is the middle figure across all installations — a small, well-insulated house can come in well under it; a large, older house needing new radiators and a cylinder can come in well over it.
Nottingham homes had 208 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants paid between May 2022 and June 2026 — about 1.7 per 1,000 households. Of the 6 cities we cover, that ranks fifth (highest: Bristol, 3.4).
Running costs in Nottingham: heat pump vs gas
| Heating | Energy bought a year | Unit rate | Annual running cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas boiler (90% efficient) | 9,500 kWh gas | 7.82p/kWh | £740 |
| Heat pump, efficiency 2.78 (trial median) | 3,080 kWh electricity | 25.36p/kWh | £780 |
| Heat pump, efficiency 3.05 (trial upper quartile) | 2,800 kWh electricity | 25.36p/kWh | £710 |
| Heat pump, efficiency 3.5 (low-temperature design target) | 2,440 kWh electricity | 25.36p/kWh | £620 |
Same 8,550 kWh of heat in every row: Ofgem's typical medium gas use of 9,500 kWh a year, delivered by a 90%-efficient boiler. Unit rates: East Midlands direct-debit price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026. Standing charges excluded — if you remove the gas meter entirely you also stop paying the gas standing charge (29.41p a day, about £110 a year here). Heat pump efficiencies: 2.78 is the median measured seasonal performance across 428 homes in the government's Electrification of Heat trial and 3.05 its upper quartile; 3.5 is the kind of figure a system designed to run at 45°C or below is designed to achieve, not a measured average.
On East Midlands prices the heat pump's running cost depends almost entirely on its efficiency: at the trial median it is roughly level with gas; at 3.5 it is clearly cheaper, removing the gas meter saves the standing charge too, and a heat-pump or time-of-use tariff widens the gap. The design flow temperature in your quote is the best clue to which end you'll be at.
Nottingham homes and heat pumps
Census 2021 counted 124,745 households in Nottingham: 33.3% semi-detached, 27.4% terraced, 15.6% detached and 23.6% flats. 72.8% heat by mains gas alone, 11.0% by electricity alone and 2.6% through a district or communal heat network (England and Wales: 73.8%, 8.5% and 0.9%).
Nearly three in ten households in the city council area rent privately. Private landlords can claim the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme on homes they own, but the tenant pays the running costs, so a design that runs efficiently at low flow temperature matters to whoever lives there.
About 2.6% of city households are on a district or communal heat network — the highest share of the areas we cover. Terraces and semis make up most owner-occupied houses. West Bridgford, Beeston, Arnold and Carlton sit in neighbouring districts, where the same prices and grant apply but planning is handled by Rushcliffe, Broxtowe or Gedling councils.
Planning: where the outdoor unit can go
In England, an air source heat pump on a house is normally permitted development — no planning application — under rules relaxed on 29 May 2025. The old rule that the unit had to be at least 1 metre from the boundary has gone; the outdoor unit can be up to 1.5 cubic metres (0.6 on a block of flats); a detached house can have two units and other homes one; and the installation must meet the MCS 020(a) noise standard, which your installer checks. It can't go on a pitched roof, and listed buildings always need consent. In a conservation area or World Heritage Site the unit can't go on a wall or roof that fronts a road, or be nearer to a road bounding the property than the house itself — so it normally goes at the side or rear.
Nottingham has 33 conservation areas (council page), where the outdoor unit must go at the side or rear. The council-owned Enviroenergy network describes itself as "the largest district heat network in the UK, serving 5000 homes" (Nottingham City Council) — if your home is already connected, a heat pump isn't the route.
Do you qualify for the £7,500 grant?
- £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump (£2,500 for air-to-air). From 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, an air source or ground source heat pump replacing oil or LPG heating in a home with no mains gas connection gets £9,000 instead (not air-to-air).
- England and Wales only. Owner-occupiers and private landlords can apply, including for second homes and business premises; most new-build homes and social housing can't.
- The heat pump must replace fossil-fuel heating (gas, oil, LPG, coal) or direct electric heating. Since 28 April 2026 an EPC is no longer mandatory — if the home doesn't have a valid one, the installer provides other evidence.
- The installer applies, not you. An MCS-certified installer requests the voucher and takes it off your price; Ofgem contacts you to confirm. It is a discount on the price, not a free installation — you pay the balance.
- There is no income test and no benefits requirement.
Source: GOV.UK, Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (updated 16 Sep 2026); DESNZ notice of grant values (effective 21 Jul 2026); Ofgem BUS guidance for property owners v5.1 (2 Jul 2026). Full detail: Boiler Upgrade Scheme guide.
Getting a quote in Nottingham
Tell us about your home
Postcode, property type and how you'd pay. Two minutes.
We pass it to one installer
If an accredited (MCS-certified) installer covers your area, we'll pass your enquiry to them, and only them. They can arrange a home survey, including a room-by-room heat-loss calculation.
Judge the quote
Check it against the figures on this page. If it's out of range, you can say no. No obligation at any stage.
How your enquiry is handled
- One installer introduction, fulfilling your request. If an accredited (MCS-certified) installer covers your area, we'll pass your enquiry to them, and only them — not a list of companies.
- No obligation, at any stage. You can say no at any point, including after the survey or the quote, and owe nothing.
- It costs you nothing. An installer may pay Great British Energy a referral fee if you go ahead, and that fee does not change your price.
- We are an independent guide, not an installer. Great British Energy Guide doesn't install anything and isn't the government body of a similar name. Your consent is recorded with the enquiry, as set out in our privacy policy.
Get your heat pump quote in Nottingham
One MCS-certified heat pump installer who covers your postcode. They apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme on your behalf if you're eligible. Nothing is shared until you submit.
What the quote must contain — heat-loss calculation, flow temperature, named equipment, noise assessment and the grant as a line — is set out on the heat pump quotes page.
Questions from Nottingham homeowners
Is a heat pump cheaper than gas in Nottingham?
At October–December 2026 East Midlands prices it is roughly level at the trial's median efficiency and cheaper with a well-designed low-temperature system. The table above has the numbers.
I'm a landlord. Can I get the grant?
Yes, for homes you own in England and Wales. You pay the balance; the tenant benefits from any running-cost saving.
I live in West Bridgford. Does this page apply?
Yes for prices, the grant and the installer introduction. Planning is handled by Rushcliffe Borough Council rather than the city council.
Do I need planning permission?
Usually not for a house. Listed buildings need consent, and in a conservation area the unit can't face the road.
Other areas
- Heat pumps in Birmingham
- Heat pumps in Sheffield
- Heat pumps in Bristol
- Heat pumps in Newcastle
- Heat pumps in Doncaster
- Oil to heat pump: Cornwall
- Oil to heat pump: Somerset
- Oil to heat pump: Fens & Peterborough
- Oil to heat pump: Northumberland
- Oil to heat pump: Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire
Thinking about panels too? Solar panels in Nottingham.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (updated 16 September 2026); DESNZ notice of grant categories and values (effective 21 July 2026); Ofgem, BUS guidance for property owners v5.1 (2 July 2026).
- DESNZ, Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics: July 2026 (27 August 2026) — median installed cost 2026 Q2; redemptions paid by local authority, May 2022 to June 2026.
- Ofgem, Changes to energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026 (26 August 2026) and regional unit rates and standing charges; electricity at 0% VAT from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 (HMRC).
- Ofgem, Typical Domestic Consumption Values decision (27 May 2026): medium gas 9,500 kWh, electricity 2,500 kWh, from 1 July 2026.
- Energy Systems Catapult for DESNZ, Electrification of Heat demonstration project, summary report (December 2024): median measured air source heat pump seasonal performance (SPFH4) 2.78, interquartile range 2.55–3.05, 428 homes.
- Office for National Statistics, Census 2021 tables TS044 (accommodation type), TS046 (central heating), TS050 (bedrooms) and TS054 (tenure), local authority level, via Nomis.
- General Permitted Development (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 14 Class G, as amended by SI 2025/560 from 29 May 2025.
- Nottingham City Council, conservation areas, Conservation Areas Guidance Notes and district heating (checked 23 September 2026).