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:
- follow the advice included in the energy performance certificate (EPC) for your home or seek advice from a qualified energy surveyor
- find out how heat pumps work on the Energy Saving Trust website
- read about the experiences of people who have installed a heat pump
Advice to householders in choosing an air source heat pump
If you are considering installing a heat pump, you should:
- get at least 3 quotes from installers who are MCS certified
- choose a supply that can meet the MCS 020 standards in terms of noise, or if not can provide acoustic mitigation measures that can reduce the noise to within the range of the MCS 020 standard
- check if you need planning permission on the Planning Portal website and using the information below
- apply for planning permission if your installation needs permission
- check if you’re eligible for a boiler upgrade scheme grant to help you with installation costs
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’s outdoor compressor unit (including any housing) would exceed 1.5 cubic metres on a property or 0.6 cubic metres on a block of flats
- the property is not detached (i.e semi-detached or terraced) or is a block of flats and there is more than one air source heat pump on the building or within the garden of the property
- the property is detached and there are more than two air source heat pumps on the building or within the garden of the property
- the unit is on a pitched roof, or less than 1 metre from the edge of the flat roof
- 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 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 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
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 37 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 in the case of a non-detached property, or more than two units on the building or within the grounds of the in the case of a detached 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.