MCS Certified Heat Pump
Installation in Witney, Oxford
& Oxfordshire.
Air source and ground source heat pumps designed and installed by an MCS certified team, the certification that unlocks government grants and long-term manufacturer warranties. Sized properly, controlled properly, and warm all winter.
Heat Pumps, explained properly.
A heat pump extracts low-grade heat from outside air (air source) or the ground (ground source) and upgrades it to useful hot water and heating temperatures, typically producing 3–4 kWh of heat per kWh of electricity used, versus 0.9 for an old gas boiler.
Oxfordshire homeowners planning a fabric-and-heating upgrade, off-grid rural properties looking to leave oil or LPG behind, and new builds specifying low-carbon heat. MCS certification is required to claim the government Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.
When your existing boiler is near end of life, when you're planning insulation upgrades, when you have space for an outdoor unit and appropriate emitters, or when you're building or extending and specifying heating from scratch.
A heat pump is a system, not a box. Get the heat loss wrong, undersize the emitters, mis-set the controls or skip the buffer/cylinder decisions and it will cost more to run than a gas boiler, the exact opposite of the promise. MCS certification exists precisely because heat pumps punish sloppy design.
The cost of ignoring it.
Most 'heat pumps don't work' stories are heat pumps that were sized for a boiler system, not designed for a heat pump.
Wrong system size
An undersized heat pump can't hold setpoint on the coldest days. Oversized, it short-cycles and wears out compressors early.
Undersized radiators
Heat pumps run at ~45°C, not 75°C. Old rads sized for a boiler often need upsizing or supplementing with UFH.
No grant claim
Only MCS certified installations qualify for the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant. A non-MCS install locks you out of the money.
High running costs
Wrong controls, wrong flow temperatures and wrong cylinder = expensive running. Correct design consistently returns COPs above 3.5 in Oxfordshire homes.
Common mistakes we see
- •Fitting a heat pump on a system that hasn't had a heat loss calc
- •Reusing an old boiler cylinder without a heat-pump-ready coil
- •Skipping emitter upgrades to save budget upfront
- •Choosing an installer that isn't MCS, losing the grant
- •Setting the flow temperature high 'to keep it warm', kills the efficiency
How we run the job.
- 01
Feasibility & heat loss survey
Room-by-room heat loss calculation, hot water demand analysis, emitter check, cylinder position, outdoor unit siting and noise assessment.
- 02
Design & fixed-price quote
System schematic, unit selection (Vaillant / Mitsubishi / Samsung), cylinder specification, control strategy, emitter changes, grant paperwork.
- 03
Grant claim submission
As MCS installers we handle the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant paperwork and deduct the grant value from your quoted price.
- 04
Installation
Outdoor unit sited and vibration-isolated, indoor pipework and cylinder installed, emitter upgrades completed, controls paired.
- 05
Commissioning & handover
Weather compensation curves set to your home's heat loss, flow temperatures balanced, controls demonstrated, MCS handover documentation completed.
What you actually get.
Lower carbon heating
3–4× more heat out than electricity in, dropping to close to zero carbon on green electricity tariffs.
Grant-funded install
Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) grant of up to £7,500 available on MCS installs, we handle the claim.
Manufacturer warranty
Long-term manufacturer warranties on approved installs, protects the investment.
Off-grid independence
For rural Oxfordshire homes on oil or LPG, a heat pump plus fabric upgrades removes the tanker deliveries entirely.
Runs at low flow temps
Correctly sized emitters mean the pump runs at ~45°C, quiet, efficient and gentle on the house.
Future-proof
As UK electricity decarbonises, the same heat pump gets greener without changing anything in your house.
Depth, not filler.
Heat pumps deserve a proper technical brief because bad information dominates the internet.
Air source (ASHP)
The default choice for most Oxfordshire retrofits. Outdoor monobloc unit + indoor cylinder. Modern units perform down to –15°C ambient.
Ground source (GSHP)
Higher performance and more consistent COP, but needs land for slinky coils or budget for borehole drilling. Best suited to rural properties on larger plots.
Sizing & heat loss
MCS-compliant room-by-room heat loss calc drives every decision. No sizing shortcuts, that's how the horror stories start.
Emitters
Radiators upsized to Type 22 doubles or larger, or paired with wet UFH. Existing rads reused where the heat loss numbers allow it, replaced where they don't.
Cylinders
Heat-pump-ready cylinders with larger coil surface area (typically 3–5 m²), a normal boiler cylinder can't recover fast enough.
Controls
Weather compensation is not optional. Correct compensation curves are the difference between a COP of 3.8 and a COP of 2.4.
Noise & siting
Outdoor unit sited to minimise noise at boundary lines (MCS 020 / planning noise assessment). Anti-vibration mounts standard.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant
£7,500 towards an air source heat pump for eligible homes in England and Wales. MCS certification is a hard requirement.
Residential vs. new build
New builds are the easiest heat pump case, emitter sizing from scratch, no boiler baggage. Retrofits demand honest heat loss maths and fabric-first thinking.
Straight answers.
How much does a heat pump cost in Oxfordshire?
Typical air source installs land in the £10–16k range before the grant, depending on system size, emitter upgrades and cylinder work. Ground source is significantly higher due to groundworks. Every quote is fixed price after a proper survey.
Do I qualify for the grant?
Most owner-occupied and private-rented homes in England and Wales qualify for the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant on an MCS install. We check eligibility and handle the claim.
Will it work in an old Cotswold cottage?
Often yes, but only with a proper fabric-first assessment. Poor insulation and single-glazing hurt any heating system; they hurt heat pumps most. We'll be honest about whether your property is ready.
Are heat pumps noisy?
Modern units are quieter than a fridge. We site them for minimum boundary noise and MCS 020 compliance.
How long does installation take?
Typical air source retrofit: 5–10 working days depending on emitter changes and cylinder work. Ground source is longer due to groundworks.
What warranty do I get?
Manufacturer warranties up to 10 years on approved Vaillant / Mitsubishi / Samsung installs, plus workmanship guarantee.
Do I keep my gas boiler as backup?
Rarely necessary, a correctly sized heat pump handles design temperature. In some hybrid setups we retain the boiler as a peak-demand backup.
Will my radiators need changing?
Some yes, some no. The heat loss calc tells us exactly which rooms need larger emitters and which are fine. We price the changes in the quote.
What are my running costs?
For a well-designed system on a competitive electricity tariff, typical running costs are similar to or lower than a modern gas boiler, and dropping every year as electricity decarbonises.
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Free, no-obligation quote in writing. Gas Safe, MCS certified where relevant, fully insured to £5m. Local team, real engineers, no call centres.