Replace Storage Heaters With a Heat Pump: Compare the Whole Home
Air-to-air heating gives responsive room control and summer cooling, but the survey must replace actual room loads—not simply remove old heaters.
- Roughly 3–4 units of heat per electricity unit in suitable conditions
- Responsive heat instead of charging for tomorrow’s weather
- Current £2,500 route for qualifying full-heating replacements
Yes. Replacing storage heaters with a heat pump can be one of the clearest air-to-air use cases because both use electricity, but the heat pump can deliver substantially more room heat per purchased unit. The design still needs a heat route to every required room and a separate answer for hot water.
| Question | Storage heater | Air-to-air heat pump |
|---|---|---|
| How heat is produced | Resistance element charges a thermal store | Refrigerant cycle moves heat into room air |
| Timing | Charges in advance, often overnight | Responds when the served room calls for heat |
| Delivered heat per electricity unit | About one unit before standing losses | Often roughly three to four in suitable conditions |
| Summer cooling | No | Yes, with a reversible system |
| Room equipment | Heavy floor/wall-mounted heater | Indoor fan unit or duct terminal |
| Outdoor equipment | None | One or more condensers |
Why storage-heater homes are a strong fit
Direct electric heating converts a unit of electricity into roughly one unit of room heat. An air-to-air heat pump uses electricity to transfer environmental heat and can achieve a seasonal COP well above one. That efficiency difference is most valuable where the alternative is already electricity rather than low-priced mains gas.
Air-to-air also changes control. Traditional storage heating charges before the weather and occupancy are known, then releases heat through the day. Modern high-retention models improve this substantially, but a reversible split can heat an occupied room on demand, set independent zones and provide summer cooling.
The benefit is not automatic. A poorly positioned single unit may heat the lounge efficiently while bedrooms remain dependent on plug-in heaters. The survey needs to list every existing storage heater, the room load it covers and what replaces that function.
Running-cost comparison with day and night tariffs
Do not compare the heat pump only with the cheap overnight unit rate. Record the storage heater’s actual day and night consumption, standing charge and any top-up heating. Then model heat-pump electricity at the tariff and hours it will really use. Some households retain a time-of-use tariff for hot water or other loads; others may find a flatter tariff more suitable after storage heaters are removed.
For a simple delivered-heat comparison, divide the heat pump’s electricity price by its seasonal COP. Compare that with the weighted electricity price and usable heat from the storage system. The air-to-air heating calculator lets you change tariff and seasonal efficiency, while the one-room heating comparison includes direct electric radiators and fan heaters.
Electric radiators and panel heaters
Electric radiators, infrared panels and fan heaters differ in controls and how comfort feels, but ordinary resistance equipment cannot multiply delivered energy in the way a heat pump can. Marketing language such as “100% efficient” is technically compatible with one unit of electricity becoming about one unit of heat; it does not mean the appliance matches a heat pump with a seasonal COP above one.
Direct electric can remain useful for a rarely used bathroom, tiny room or emergency backup where the cost of an additional indoor head would not be recovered. A good design does not force the same technology into every space.
Installation cost and room coverage
A professionally installed single split commonly costs about £1,400–£3,200. Two-room systems often budget around £3,000–£5,500, and larger multi-room designs commonly reach £3,500–£8,500+. Access, pipe routes, electrical work, drains, sound and the number of indoor units determine the final total.
Compare that capital cost against the heaters actually being replaced. In an open-plan flat, one or two heads may cover most occupied space. In a three-bedroom house with closed doors, every bedroom needs a credible heat-delivery route. Read the whole-house design guide before accepting a proposal based on one oversized hall unit.
Electrical supply and removal work
The installer should assess the consumer unit, protective devices, isolators, cable routes and available capacity for the proposed system. Old storage-heater circuits may not be suitable for reuse without design and testing. Removing heaters also involves safe isolation, lifting heavy thermal cores and making good walls and floors.
Ask the quote to state whether old heaters and controls are removed, retained circuits are labelled, electrical certification is supplied and tariff-controlled equipment is affected. Do not disconnect the existing heating until the new system has been commissioned and proven through every claimed room.
Hot water after storage heating
Many storage-heater homes use an immersion cylinder, off-peak water heating or an electric shower. An air-to-air heat pump normally leaves that arrangement separate. The project should confirm whether the current cylinder, immersion schedule and tariff remain appropriate after the space-heating load changes.
If the long-term goal is to alter hot water as well, price that as a separate workstream. Calling air-to-air a “boiler replacement” can hide the fact that taps and showers were never included.
Staged replacement versus one project
A staged approach can begin with the living area or the rooms that use expensive plug-in top-up heat. This reduces initial cost and provides real experience of sound, airflow and controls. Retained storage heaters cover unserved rooms and provide backup.
A one-project whole-home design can coordinate condenser positions, pipe routes, electrical work and controls more cleanly. It is also the relevant route where a grant depends on full space-heating replacement. Compare both scopes in writing rather than allowing a staged comfort upgrade to be presented as a complete heating conversion.
The £2,500 air-to-air grant route
Current GOV.UK and Ofgem guidance includes £2,500 for qualifying residential air-to-air heat pumps in England and Wales. Ofgem says the new system can replace an existing electric heating system, but it must satisfy the live property, product and technical rules and meet the property’s full space-heating requirement. The installer must be MCS certified and applies on the owner’s behalf.
This is why one lounge split should not be priced with a grant assumption when storage heaters remain the main heating elsewhere. Ask for written eligibility, the gross contract price, voucher reduction and homeowner balance.
GOV.UK Boiler Upgrade Scheme values, Ofgem property-owner rules and Energy Saving Trust air-to-air guidance. Confirm live eligibility before relying on the voucher.
Replacement quote checklist
- Current heater inventory, tariff, annual electricity and top-up heating.
- Room-by-room heat loss and the proposed heat source for every room.
- Exact indoor and outdoor models with winter output, SCOP and sound.
- Consumer-unit, circuit, isolator and electrical-certification scope.
- Old-heater removal, disposal and making good.
- Domestic hot-water and tariff plan after the change.
- F-Gas responsibility plus MCS/BUS evidence where a grant is proposed.
- Commissioning, controls handover, warranty and servicing schedule.
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Replacing storage heaters with a heat pump FAQs
Can an air-to-air heat pump replace storage heaters?
Yes, when it is designed to meet the property’s room-by-room heat loss. Each closed room needs an indoor unit, duct supply or another identified heat source. A lounge split can replace one storage heater’s role without automatically becoming a whole-home replacement.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than storage heaters?
It can use much less electricity for the same delivered heat because it moves heat rather than producing it through resistance. The bill comparison still depends on the storage-heater tariff, day and night rates, heat-pump seasonal efficiency, zoning and when the home needs heat.
How much does it cost to replace storage heaters with air-to-air?
A single-room split commonly costs about £1,400–£3,200. A multi-room system often costs £3,500–£8,500 or more. The fair comparison includes every room that currently relies on a storage heater, electrical changes, outdoor-unit access, drainage and the separate hot-water arrangement.
Can I keep some storage heaters?
Yes. A staged or hybrid design can use air-to-air in priority rooms while sound storage heaters remain elsewhere. This may reduce disruption, but a partial design should not be described as a whole-home replacement or assumed eligible for the full-heating grant route.
Can replacing storage heaters qualify for the £2,500 grant?
Current Ofgem guidance says qualifying air-to-air systems can replace an existing fossil-fuel or electric heating system, subject to all current property, product, installer and full-space-heating rules. An MCS-certified installer must confirm eligibility and applies for the voucher.
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