Air source heat pumps – householder planning advice

Planning advice: air source heat pumps

Heat pumps are a low-carbon technology alternative to traditional boilers to heat our homes. They’re suitable to be installed in most types of homes – including new build houses and retrofitting in existing houses and work best in well-insulated homes. They use electricity to move heat from outside and move it into the house. As more renewable energy sources replace fossil fuel use, heat pumps are more carbon efficient than traditional boilers and are better for the environment.

We want to support the use of low-carbon technology alternatives and have developed this guidance to assist you and provide some advice in choosing the right solution for you.

If you are considering installing an air source heat pump:

Advice to householders in choosing an air source heat pump

If you are considering installing a heat pump, you should:

Heat pumps and planning permission

Heat pumps can be permitted development and therefore do not always require planning permission. Planning permission would be required if any of the following apply:

  • the volume of the air source heat pump (including the housing) exceeds 0.6 cubic metres
  • there is an existing air source heat pump on the building or within the grounds/ garden
  • the unit is within 1 metre of the property boundary
  • the unit is on a pitched roof, or less than 1 metre from the edge of the flat roof
  • the unit is on a wall which fronts a highway, and any part of that wall is above the level of the ground storey (i.e. first floor and above)
  • the property or grounds are within a conservation area and it would be on a wall or roof which fronts a highway or be nearer to any highway which adjoins the property than any part of the building
  • the noise specification of the unit exceeds the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standards (MCS 020)
  • if you live in a listed building, you will need both planning permission and listed building consent

What to do if planning permission is required

When planning permission is required, you will need to submit a householder planning application.

Useful tips

If permission is required because the unit exceeds the MCS Standards, you will need to submit the MCS calculations and specifications of the unit.

Where the unit exceeds the MCS Standards, mitigation measures will be required to ensure that noise levels emitted from the air source heat pump do not exceed 42 dB LAeq at any time, as measured on the boundary of the site with any neighbouring residential property. Therefore you are advised to speak to your supplier to ensure the product has suitable mitigation measures available (such as acoustic surrounds etc) for required noise level to be achieved.

If planning permission is required because you will have more than one unit on the building or within the grounds of the property, you will be required to submit a noise assessment which considers the noise of all units (existing and proposed).

If you're not sure whether planning permission is required

You can apply for pre-application advice.